How Many Dogs Have Blue Eyes?
Dog breeds that naturally have blue eyes – No doubt about it, dogs with blue eyes belong to a unique club. Scientists say only 5% of dogs have the blue-eye variant as part of their DNA. The blue-eyed trait is recessive and most often related to coat color, specifically in those with merle (mottled patches of color) or piebald (white coat with spots of color).
Siberian husky Border collie Australian shepherd Dachshund Weimaraner Cardigan Welsh corgi Great Dane Catahoula leopard dog Alaskan klee kai Pit bull
Ironically, blue eyes don’t actually have any blue pigment. In fact, blue eyes indicate a lack of pigment. Additionally, if the fur around your dog’s eyes is white, his chances of having blue eyes (along with a pink nose and skin) are increased.
What dog species have blue eyes?
Some dogs sport icy-colored irises as a breed trademark, while others may get blue eyes as a recessive trait. Other dogs with a particular coat color, specifically merle (mottled patches) or piebald (a white coat with spots), tend to get blue eyes passed on to them.
Some of the most common breeds to have blue eyes include huskies, border collies, and Weimaraners. If your dog has the merle or piebald gene, it cannot consistently create pigment, which would explain the light eyes. Some dogs, like huskies, have a higher likelihood of heterochromia—two different colored eyes.
Note that the American Kennel Club (AKC) specifically disqualifies many blue-eyed purebred dogs from the show ring, as while an individual dog might have blue eyes, the eye color might be technically considered a fault for that breed. But that doesn’t mean the dog can’t make a wonderful pet.
Do blue eyes in dogs mean blindness?
Blindness or Deafness – Blue eyes does not indicate that your dog will eventually go blind, deaf, or have any other genetic defects. Variation in pigmentation in the iris can occur for varying reasons, and doesn’t necessarily point to health concerns.
Why are my dogs eyes so blue?
Nuclear sclerosis (also known as lenticular sclerosis) is a normal aging change of the lens within the eye. It causes a dogs eyes to have a hazy, blue, cloudy appearance to them. It occurs as the lens fibers in the eye harden, compress and become more visible due to age.
Are there naturally blue dogs?
Weimaraner – Mariana Mikhailova / Getty Images Weimaraners are typically steely gray, exhibiting their dilute brown coat gene. In some Weimaraners, a black dilute gene occurs instead, producing a dark gray-colored dog or blue Weimaraner. According to the breed standard, blue-coated Weimaraners are disqualified.
What does it mean when a dog’s eye is blue?
What is lenticular sclerosis? – Lenticular sclerosis or nuclear sclerosis is the medical term for a bluish transparent haze that develops in the lens of the eye in middle-aged to senior dogs. This is considered a normal change in the lens associated with aging, and is observed as a cloudiness or bluish discoloration on the pupil.
“Vision does not appear to be significantly affected in dogs diagnosed with lenticular sclerosis.” Vision does not appear to be significantly affected in dogs diagnosed with lenticular sclerosis. This condition is not the same as cataracts. Cataracts are white and opaque and represent a change in the ability of light to penetrate to the retina.
Cataracts cause diminished vision. Cataracts and lenticular sclerosis are two of the most common eye problems seen in dogs over the age of nine. Some estimates show the prevalence of lenticular sclerosis or cataracts at 50% in dogs over nine years of age and 100% in dogs over the age of thirteen.
- Lenticular sclerosis appears as an evenly gray, rounded opacity (cloudiness) in the center of the lens, and is most easily observed when the pupil is dilated.” Lenticular sclerosis typically occurs bilaterally (in both eyes) and symmetrically in dogs.
- Lenticular sclerosis appears as an evenly gray, rounded opacity (cloudiness) in the center of the lens, and is most easily observed when the pupil is dilated.
The opacity is often more dramatic when viewed from the side rather than from the front. When the eye is examined with an ophthalmoscope, the retina and fundus (back of the eye) can still be seen through the sclerotic lens.