Ranger, the German Shepherd, found himself in the spotlight on Instagram because of his hilarious head tilts, and as his owners, Darcy and Shelby Mayo started to track his progress as he got older, they realised that the adorable canine was not getting any bigger.
“When we first got him, we didn’t really know what was going on. He was very sick,” Shelby said. According to AZ Central, Ranger suffered from parasites for several months, and for an entire year he didn’t grow in size or lose his baby fur. After he got neutered, most of his fur fell out and never grew back.
View this post on Instagram
The Mayo family then had Ranger’s thyroid levels tested and after lots of research, a vet confirmed that he was suffering from pituitary dwarfism. This caused him to grow to only a third of the normal size and will affect his life expectancy, Daily Star reports.
Despite experiencing challenges, Ranger has been healthy since receiving thyroid medication, thanks to Dr. Jennifer Fitzpatrick at the Desert Hills Animal Clinic in Phoenix, while fish oil and goat milk soap has kept his skin from being dry.
View this post on Instagram
He might be small in stature at only four years old, but Ranger is feisty, and this shows in the relationship he has with his fully-grown German shepherd sister, Jessie.
View this post on Instagram
Even though Ranger is adored by his owners and fans, Shelby warned breeders about the condition and discouraged attempts to breed dwarf dogs.
Picture/s: Instagram / @ranger_thegshepherd