His name is Lieutenant Dan, and he is a bearded dragon. Those of you who have watched “Forrest Gump” might get a little kick out of his name because little Dan the lizard has no feet!
Duke Animal Hospital, a Chicago veterinarian’s office, first shared Lt. Dan’s story in a TikTok post. They explained that a pet store dropped off the poor little bearded dragon for euthanasia after his feet fell off. “His feet fell off because skin that was supposed to shed off stuck around his wrists and ankles causing loss of circulation to his paws.” The hospital explained in their post.
A healthy young bearded dragon sheds their skin every six to eight weeks or so as they grow. However, poor husbandry can result in incomplete or improper shedding, known as dysecdysis. This can cause any number of health problems when left unchecked.
In this unfortunate fellow’s case, the pet store left his dysecdysis for so long that all four of his feet fell off.
Thankfully for Lt. Dan, Duke Animal Hospital nursed him back to health instead of euthanizing him upon his arrival. Under their watchful eye and with some good ol’ TLC, Dan thrived.
“Lieutenant Dan has tripled in size and is living a life of luxury,” The vet office stated in their one-year update on Lt. Dan’s progress. “Lieutenant Dan eats mealworms, salad, and vegetables. He climbs on a net mesh and is a happy guy!”
Thankfully for us, Duke Animal Hospital also provided one final update on Lt. Dan’s progress. Despite losing all four of his feet, Lt. Dan has learned to walk again… and quite well, we might add!
The hospital posted a video showing Lt. Dan scurrying over for his food dish, laden with a treasure trove of mealworms as encouragement. In this latest post, Lt. Dan also looks even larger and healthier than he did in the last update!
This unique little lizard is an inspiration to anyone facing hardship. Though we might not overcome our obstacles for a plate of wiggling mealworms, we should all take a page out of Lt. Dan’s book. We can rise above just about any challenge put in front of us and find the silver lining in any situation.
So next time you feel overwhelmed or discouraged, just think about what your plate of mealworms is, the thing that motivates you the most, and aim for it! Just look at this little guy go, and remember his tenacity next time you need a boost:
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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