Five years ago, Vladimir spotted a stray dog wandering near his gym and decided to help. The pup seemed perfectly ordinary at first, and Vladimir happily welcomed him home, naming him Caramel.
But before long, something unexpected began to happen.
“His skin started to sag and get really flabby,” Vladimir explained in a TikTok video.
Over the next few months, Caramel’s once-normal appearance changed dramatically. His skin became looser and droopier until it was impossible to ignore. Concerned, Vladimir took Caramel to multiple veterinarians, but no one could immediately explain what was happening.
It wasn’t until Caramel’s third or fourth vet visit that the mystery was finally solved: He was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).
EDS is a rare genetic condition that affects humans and several animal species, including dogs. One of its hallmark features is skin hyperextensibility — skin that stretches far beyond what’s considered typical.
“The easiest way to explain it is that his collagen doesn’t work properly,” Vladimir said. “It doesn’t keep his skin close to his body.”
Thankfully, Caramel’s condition isn’t painful. He runs, plays, cuddles and enjoys long walks just like any other dog. Because EDS can make skin especially sensitive, Vladimir avoids collars and clothing that might irritate him.
Some people have suggested surgically removing Caramel’s extra skin, but his vets advised against it. Even if the excess skin were removed, it would simply stretch again over time. And besides, Vladimir wouldn’t change a thing.
“I love him exactly how he is,” he said.
Caramel’s legendary flabbiness has even become part of daily life at home.
“His skin seeps into all sides of the couch and leaves us with, like, two inches of sitting room,” Vladimir joked on TikTok. “Only a slight exaggeration.”
For the past year, Vladimir has been sharing Caramel’s life online, where the floppy pup has quickly gained thousands of fans. Many followers, including people living with EDS themselves, feel a special connection to him.
“I love him so much,” one commenter wrote. “You could wrap him up like a burrito with all that skin.”
“He’s literally laying in his own puddle,” another joked.
Despite being one of the saggiest dogs most people have ever seen, Caramel is living proof that looking different doesn’t mean living any less fully — and that love, comfort and joy come in all shapes, sizes and, in his case, extra folds.
