Caramel’s skin folds hang around his body as if he were wearing a garment several sizes too large. When he walks, they sway with him; when he lies down, they practically envelop him. His appearance is so unusual that, after he went viral on social media, his family began getting the same questions over and over: Is that dog real? Is he “melting”? Is it artificial intelligence?
Caramel is real. And, according to his family, behind that appearance is a dog who runs, plays, goes for walks, and wants to cuddle like any other.
In 2020, his owner, Vladimir, found him wandering near a shopping center in Kissimmee, Florida, United States. He was so thin that, as his rescuer later recalled, he was practically “skin and bones”. He decided to take him in and give him a home.
During the first few years, Caramel recovered from being abandoned and looked healthy; however, his body began to change. His skin gradually became more elastic and began to sag into large folds. His family sought answers at various veterinary appointments until, according to their account, at the third or fourth appointment, a professional suggested a possible explanation: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).
EDS affects connective tissue and can cause abnormally stretchy, fragile skin due to collagen-related abnormalities.
And then another problem arose: what do you do with all that skin?
The answer isn’t as simple as holding it in place. His caregivers say they’ve tried using clothing or other items to keep it closer to his body, but anything too tight can irritate him and cause sores; if it’s too loose, the enormous folds simply end up spilling out at the sides. That’s also why they avoid certain collars, shirts, and harnesses.
Inevitably, another question came up online: why don’t they surgically remove the skin he “doesn’t need”?
His family doesn’t want to do that just to change his appearance, either. In one of their videos, they explained that Caramel is already a senior dog and that they don’t think it’s necessary to expose him to the risks of surgery and dangerous anesthesia if it won’t provide an overall benefit to his health. Vladimir has also pointed out that, because of the underlying problem affecting his skin, an operation doesn’t guarantee that it won’t sag again over time.
The folds do mean extra work. His skin needs to be checked for irritation, and his caregiver even says he has to help clean him after he relieves himself. But, according to the people who live with him, Caramel doesn’t seem too concerned about what so puzzles the internet.
He runs. He plays. He eats. He sleeps. He goes for walks. He shares his days with another family dog, Harry, and seeks affection from the people around him.
Before becoming “the dog who looks like he’s melting”, Caramel was simply an extremely thin animal wandering alone through the streets of Florida until someone decided to stop for him.
Today, thousands of people look at his skin first. His family would rather they then look at the dog beneath it.