Blaze is a black Labrador who spent the first ten years of his life looking pretty much exactly as we would expect a black lab to look.
His shiny and healthy fur was all one color, and that’s how it remained until he was about ten years old, and the fur started to go white around his muzzle.
His owners didn’t think much about it at first. He was getting to be an old dog, after all. They assumed that the white on his muzzle was a natural part of the aging process.
However, as it would turn out, it didn’t just stop at his muzzle.
A change in appearance
While Blaze still acted pretty much like a puppy with his love of life and playing, his ears were also starting to turn white. Despite his youthful energy, he was beginning to look like an older dog.
That’s not where it stopped.
After the muzzle and then the ears, the white patches kept going. They spread to other parts of his face, and then his shoulders, and then his legs. The patches were taking over.
While it had been originally assumed that the white fur was part of the aging process, his owners began to wonder.
After all, all the other dogs from his litter still had all of their black fur despite their age. Their appearance wasn’t changing like Blaze’s had been.
That’s when his owners found out that it wasn’t aging that was changing the dog’s fur – it was vitiligo.
Getting accustomed to his new look
When dogs develop vitiligo, their skin loses its pigment in spots. Soon after that, the fur follows and becomes white as well. That is usually around when we start to notice the change.
The condition can be linked to health conditions in many cases, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Blaze. He’s still happy and healthy, according to the vet. He just happens to look like a brand new dog.
And he has turned into a brand new dog, at least in appearance. Those white patches kept spreading and filling out until they covered more than half his body.
He is uniquely handsome.
Going viral
Blaze seems to have adapted to his new look, and people all over the internet are in love with it – and him – as well. The comments and followers on his Instagram are growing. Everything has something positive to say! They love his unique and beautiful new look. More importantly, they love how his spirit shines through.
This is one dog who is showing the world that you can be different and still be beautiful.
He also makes a pretty good model if his pictures are any indication. Blaze seems to be adapting to his new fame as quickly as he adapted to his new fur. He’s still a happy puppy who is loving life, despite his new and yet somehow older look.
All the love a dog could need
As for his family, they still love him unconditionally. Even Punto, the other dog in the house, doesn’t seem to be bothered by the change. They both spend their days happily playing together, the same as they always have.
Would you like to see more of Blaze? You can check out his photos on Instagram.
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