(WSVN) - A dog with a rare genetic condition is melting hearts across the internet.
Ranger, a 2-year-old German Shepherd, has “pituitary dwarfism,” a genetic disorder that prevents him from growing, FOX 13 reports.
Its owner, Shelby Mayo, spoke with British news agency SWNS to highlight her journey with Ranger.
“When we originally got Ranger from the breeder, he was smaller than all his other litter mates, but we figured that was because he had a parasite called Coccidia,” she said.
Mayo took Ranger to the vet to be treated for the parasite, but he later contracted another parasite.
Ranger also remained small in size.
“The vet had suspected that he may have pituitary dwarfism,” Mayo told SWNS. “But we were still skeptical as this condition is very rare.”
Not long after, one of the nearly 80,000 followers on an Instagram page dedicated to Ranger provided some insight.
The follower also owns a dog with pituitary dwarfism and advised that Ranger may be suffering from low thyroid levels, one of the condition’s symptoms.
“So our vet checked his thyroid levels and sure enough he was low,” Mayo said. “This can cause hair loss and a loss of appetite.”
Despite the diagnosis and symptoms, Mayo says Ranger is “healthy and happy as can be as of now.”
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