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The 5-Year-Old German Shepherd Puppy

Do you want to find out the secret of eternal youth ? Well , you can get the answer from the five-year old Ranger.

Ranger, a purebred German shepherd, is no puppy. His small stature is due to pituitary dwarfism, a genetic condition that appears in certain dog breeds, including German shepherds, corgis and basset hounds.

Credits:ranger_thegshepherd

The condition can appear in German shepherds as a result of “autosomal recessive inheritance” — or recessive gene inheritance, according to Claudia E. Reusch and her chapter in Canine and Feline Endocrinology.

Ranger’s owner, Phoenix-based Shelby Mayo, knew she’d picked the runt of the litter when she found the petite pup. But she didn’t know he’d stay that small forever.

Photo:Ranger when he was a puppy 
Credits:ranger_thegshepherd

“When we first acquired Ranger from the breeder, he was smaller than any of his other littermates, but we believed it was because he had a parasite called Coccidia,” Ranger’s owner Shelby Mayo explained. We took him home in the weeks that followed, and he was parasite-free, but he eventually developed a parasite called Giardia. We also noticed that our adorable pet had a huge infection on his neck at the same time. We were gradually able to contain the illness, and a few months later, we were finally able to rid ourselves of Giardia.

Credits: ranger_thegshepherd

After this sweet dog recovered from his illness, his owners recognized something was amiss since he wasn’t developing at the rate he was supposed to. Ranger’s unusual condition was discovered only after a trip to the veterinarian.

“After a few more months we got him neutered and that’s when we started to see big changes,” says Mayo. “He lost his appetite, started to lose weight, lost almost all of his fur and had extremely dry and flaky skin.”

But don’t be concerned! This adorable dog’s caring owners and enthralled internet fans made sure he received the proper care, and he has now recovered completely. Ranger has never allowed any of it to bother him, and he is a generally happy and healthy doggo who likes spending time with his canine friends and siblings!

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