This is blind Gabe, who is very happy finally to be completely finished with the side-effects from his radiation treatment -- and best of all, he is cone-free now! You can see the hair loss on his face from the radiation field. I had emailed a photo of Gabe's face several days ago to his oncologist at WSU, Dr. Janean Fidel, so she could see if this looked "normal." She emailed me to say, "This does look pretty normal. Gabe seemed to be a late bloomer with his reaction in that it all developed after he left." As for regrowing of the hair, she said, "It will take awhile and it may not all grow back. It tends to grow back lighter in color and sparser in texture." Dr. Fidel added that in the areas that had the worst effects -- near the corner of the eyes and along the suture line in Gabe's case -- hair may not grow back. But everywhere else, she said, "It will start to grow soon -- it won’t be complete for 6 months or so."
Gabe is just relieved that in the meantime, he still has all that luxurious hair to cover his big ears!
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Still No. 1!
Please keep voting for the ranch every day in The Animal Rescue Site/PetFinder's Shelter Challenge. Thanks to your votes, we came in third nationwide and won $3,000 for the animals in the previous contest. Now we have a shot at No. 1 and the $20,000 grand prize! Enter "Rolling Dog Ranch" and our state postal code, MT for Montana, and it will bring up our listing so you can cast your vote. Please ask your family and friends to vote, too. Thank you!
Gabe is one handsome hunk, no matter whether his hair grows back or not. He has the face of an angel. I'm so glad to hear that all's normal....in this situation, normal is a good thing!
Big hugs to all,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit
Posted by: ginger & the critters | November 06, 2009 at 03:36 AM
Gabe you are beautiful & do not look funny at all!
Posted by: Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin | November 05, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Gabe those RDR spa treatments worked beautifully. You look marvelous!!
Posted by: Lynda | November 05, 2009 at 06:27 AM
Gabe looks cool. Hope he will be fine. Thanks for sharing such nice story here.
Posted by: tee | November 05, 2009 at 01:55 AM
What a handsome boy..also quite the precious face! He sure has beautiful colouring! Glad to hear he is on the mend.
Posted by: Nina | November 04, 2009 at 07:07 PM
Thanks for taking such good care of him!
Posted by: Adele in the Bronx | November 04, 2009 at 06:10 PM
Glad he's doing well.
Posted by: Adele in the Bronx | November 04, 2009 at 06:09 PM
Gabe is one handsome boy.wish I had a yard...he could stay with me anytime. bless you for all you two do!
Posted by: gretchen Van Etten- Semke | November 04, 2009 at 01:37 PM
He's darling - I love those ears too!
Posted by: sharon | November 04, 2009 at 01:04 PM
He looks beautiful. I hope he feels just as good!
Posted by: Suzanne | November 04, 2009 at 12:39 PM
That sweet Gabe face always makes me smile. He is absolutely priceless.
It will be interesting to see whether his energy/activities/personality change as he finally becomes pain free. Here's to your health & happiness Gabe! Yay!
Posted by: Margaret | November 04, 2009 at 11:51 AM
From a physical stand point, do you now need to put protective sunscreen on the "bare areas" so he doesn't burn? My dog is very light skinned and I know he can burn easily, but I don't know of any sunscreen you can put on animals that they can't lick off. I hope the sun doesn't burn him in those sensitive areas now that the cone is off. Thanks for the updates on Gabe!
Posted by: Aliza | November 04, 2009 at 10:37 AM
He looks great. How wonderful to see him happy and healthy again. You must be relieved.
Posted by: Ev | November 04, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Gabe sure is beautiful with all the colors in his fur. I remember he arrived having just been shaved. Have we seen the fully furred Gabe?? I wonder what breeds he has in his lineage. And I love his ears!!
Posted by: Lynn (in Louisiana) | November 04, 2009 at 10:25 AM
There is something incredibly enduring about Gabe -- I'm glad he is doing so well. Thanks again for all you do for the wonderful animals under your care.
Posted by: Marianne | November 04, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Gabe you're a good-lookin' guy - no matter what. Those luxurious ears and rich coloring are a great backdrop for that fine-lined face. Enjoy your coneless state sweetie!!
Posted by: Angela | November 04, 2009 at 09:14 AM
Gabe,
I am so happy to see you looking so comfortable -- and handsome! You are one beautiful dog and we love you.
Posted by: Chloe | November 04, 2009 at 08:28 AM
Very handsome pup. I'm glad to see him doing so well.
Posted by: Allison | November 04, 2009 at 08:20 AM
Hooray for Gabe! Handsome as ever.
Posted by: Linda | November 04, 2009 at 08:17 AM
Gabe could be bald and he would still be adorable. He always has such a sweet look on his face. What a cutie!
Posted by: Toni | November 04, 2009 at 07:28 AM
Beauty is in the eye of the beholders...and we ALL agree that Gabe is absolutely gorgeous!
Posted by: Debbie | November 04, 2009 at 07:24 AM
I think his new (temporary) look fits in with his multi-coloring just fine. : )
Glad you're happy and comfortable Gabe ~ you're a sweetheart!
Posted by: boundforglory | November 04, 2009 at 07:13 AM
Well, don't you look just plain handsome and accessory-free! Go run around and breathe heavily and drinks lot of water, now that you can.
Posted by: Janet in Cambridge | November 04, 2009 at 06:31 AM
Gabe you are one handsome boy!
Posted by: LuAnn Whale | November 03, 2009 at 11:20 PM
What a cute boy. He's been thru so much. Its wonderful to know it was successful and he's thriving and healing. I know what he feels like tho, as I also have an incision scar running vertically down my nose from recent skin cancer surgery. Although I don't have to worry about hair growing back, my nose isn't the same as it was. But Gabe and I know, as long as we can still SMELL our food, life is good! You are a handsome boy, Gabe, furry nose or not! Thank you, Steve & Alayne, for all you've done for this sweet and deserving dog!
Posted by: Barbara Arenal | November 03, 2009 at 09:27 PM
He's still quite adorable! I'm so happy he's finally comfortable!
Posted by: JC | November 03, 2009 at 09:20 PM
Gabe looks very, very handsome! What a sweet boy!
Posted by: Pennyheinrich | November 03, 2009 at 09:09 PM
Gabe is just plain old handsome, hair or not! His face has character and those blind eyes have such kindness and peace in them....
You two are very lucky to have such wonderful beings around you all the time.
Posted by: Gena | November 03, 2009 at 07:20 PM