When Do Puppies Eyes Change From Blue?
Blue eyes during puppyhood – All puppies have blue (or bluish) eyes when they first open them. But by the time they’re about 16 weeks old, their eyes change to their true color—typically brown. So, if you’ve got a young, blue-eyed pup at home now, keep in mind their eye color may change.
Why do my puppies eyes look blue?
NUCLEAR SCLEROSIS 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. Your dog can still see through their old lens fibers just maybe not as good as they used to when they were younger!
Are dogs with blue eyes unhealthy?
Are Blue Eyes In A Dog Bad? – Blue eyes in dogs are completely normal and aren’t linked with any health problems. Certain breeds, such as Siberian husky, carry a gene for blue eyes and don’t experience any vision defects because of it. However, eye diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma can change a dog’s eye color to blue gradually.
Do blue dogs have red eye glow?
Published Thursday, December 15, 2016 – Ever wonder why your pooch’s eyes shine in pictures? Why do some animal’s eyes shine yellow, green, blue, or even red? Why can dogs and cats see better than humans in the dark? Can you eliminate the eye shine from your pictures? It all boils down to an iridescent structure in the back of the eye called the tapetum.
- This mirror-like structure lies directly behind the retina and reflects light back through the retina.
- This gives the retina and it’s visual cells (the photoreceptors) a second chance to register light that has entered the eye.
- Most dogs have a partial tapetum, meaning that the reflective structure covers only about half of the back of the eye.
Cats tend to have a larger surface area of their fundus (back of the eye) covered with the tapetum and therefore probably see slightly better than dogs at night time. The tapetum will vary in color between species and among members of the same species.
In dogs, for example, the majority of dogs will have a yellow to green tapetum. Some breeds, notably Schnauzers, will have a beautiful blue colored tapetum. Some breeds, like the Siberian Husky, will have no tapetum and will therefore have a red eye shine. As a rule of thumb, any animal with a blue iris will have a red eye shine.
Yep, they will have “red-eye” in pictures just like people! In addition to the tapetum, there are a few other reasons why animals have superior night vision. Their pupils are larger than human pupils and therefore allow more light to reach the retina.
This also gives the camera flash a larger target to hit. A third reason for superior night vision in animals relates the visual cells called rods and cones. Rods are best suited for dim light and cones are best suited for perceiving color. Dogs and cats have a higher concentration of rods in the center of their retinas compared to people.
Don’t want the ghostly green glow in your pictures? Try taking the pictures in bright ambient light so that you don’t have to use the flash. An additional benefit of bright light is the fact that the pupil will be smaller creating a smaller target for the flash to hit.
Can you take an 8 week old puppy for a walk?
You’ve brought your new bundle of joy home and they’re settling in well but you can’t wait to take them for their first walk to see how they react to the big wide world – and – let’s be honest show them off! It’s also really good for their socialisation too so let’s look at what you need to do to keep them safe before they go out of the house for the first time Can I take my 6 week old puppy outside? If you have a back garden that is secure, clean and free from other unvaccinated dogs then your puppy can spend time outdoors.
You will want to begin toilet training as soon as you can but always make sure they are supervised when outside and keep it quick if it’s cold. You can take your puppy into public places but always carry them and don’t put them on the floor. You could pop them in a satchel bag or carry them in your arms, but hold them tight as they’ll almost definitely try to wiggle their way out, when they see other dogs or people.
Can I take my 8 week old puppy out for a walk? Although your pup can go outside in your safe space, how soon can you take your puppy for a walk? It’s really important to wait until she is fully vaccinated before taking her out walking where other dogs have been.
- Fully vaccinated means a week to two weeks after the second jab in her primary vaccination course.
- Puppies are typically vaccinated at eight and ten weeks (although they can be vaccinated as early as four-six weeks) with the second dose usually being given two to four weeks later.
- On average most puppies will be fully vaccinated at around 14-16 weeks.
But as always, it’s best to speak to your vet about the best timings. If she’s not fully vaccinated before going where other dogs have been she could be at risk of contracting parvovirus (parvo) or distemper – both nasty illnesses, potentially fatal to your pup. 
Can my 9 week old puppy be around other dogs? If you are sure the other dog is vaccinated then your puppy can play with his new friend in a safe space, but it may be safer to wait until he has had both his injections so he is fully vaccinated. For how long should I walk my puppy? 
Once your puppy is fully vaccinated, the general rule of thumb, is to exercise them for five minutes per month old – so if your fluffy bundle is 12 weeks old they can be walked for 15 minutes a day. When to start walking your puppy? You can start walking your puppy after 1-2 weeks of them being fully vaccinated.
- This is usually around the 8 week mark.
- However, make sure you keep a strict eye on them and ask your vet to confirm when they are allowed out on a walk.
- As well as being fully vaccinated and not over walking them, remember that puppies are much less able to regulate their temperature than older dogs and us! To protect your puppy from heat stroke, it is important not to take them out if it is too hot for them.
It is generally safe in temperatures up to 19°C (68°F) but be careful even if it goes only 1°C above that. Make sure you always take fresh water out with you and you can always cool them down with a doggy ice-cream! If the weather gets too cold, it is a good idea for your pup to wear a coat and not be out for too long.
- You can tell if they are getting cold as they may shiver, slow down or even stop.
- They may also whine and bark if they are feeling any form of discomfort.
- Once you have chosen your pup’s outerwear, get them used to wearing it at home for short periods before walking them in it.
- Is a harness or a collar better for a puppy? There is a whole array of leads, collars and harnesses to choose from and it’s great fun shopping to see what would suit them best.
Whilst a flat collar is best for everyday wear a harness can be better for preventing accidents if your puppy was to pull on a lead. Get them used to wearing it from 8 weeks old for short periods of time and don’t forget to adjust or upgrade them as they grow bigger – which they will in a very short period of time! Hopefully, you will now feel really confident about when your puppy can go outside and when you can take them for their first walk in safety.
Only let your unvaccinated puppy go outside in your own garden. If you take your unvaccinated puppy to a public place do not place them on the ground. Be cautious about letting your puppy meet another dog unless they are fully vaccinated. Start their vaccinations at 8 weeks. Wait 1-2 weeks after their second vaccination before walking them outdoors. Only walk them for as long as their age allows. Get them used to a harness from 8 weeks. Only walk them when the weather conditions permit.
Most importantly enjoy every minute of your walks together – they definitely will! Be part of the adventure. Sign up to our newsletter for news, updates and new launches. Plus 10% off your first order.
Does blue eyes mean merle?
The Merle Gene and Multiple Ocular Abnormalities The Merle gene is responsible for a wide variety of beautiful coat and iris colors in the dog. This dilution gene acts to lighten the coat color. The dappling effect it creates is not evenly spread; rather, it is responsible for spotting of the coat and variations of the iris or colored part of the eye.
A combination of colors may be found in one or both eyes. Colors expressed may range from a pale, light blue to greenish to amber. Unfortunately, the same gene that is responsible for the desirable coat and eye appearance is often responsible for many developmental eye defects. Breeds that have been identified as having the Merle gene include the Australian Shepherd, Rough and Smooth Collies, Shetland Sheepdog, Dachshund, Great Dane, Old English Sheepdog, American Foxhound and the Catahoula Leopard dog among others.
With respect to ocular effects, the Merle gene’s most minor manifestation is a blue iris (or irides). The blue appearance may also be as an ‘inclusion’ or as a partial segment of another wise brown eye (heterochromia iridis). A blue iris does not absolutely indicate the presence of the Merle gene; it may also be expressed in dogs carrying the piebald gene, such as the Dalmatian.
- There is no adverse consequence of the presence of the blue iris alone.
- Conversely, the other effects of the Merle gene may result in devastating blindness.
- The abnormalities affect either the front or back part of the eye or a combination of both.
- When the whole eye is affected, the condition has been referred to as Merle Ocular Dysgenesis.
Since it is understood that multiple congenital ocular abnormalities in the dog may be inherited, a brief review of basic genetics is in order. In any dog, two copies of a gene are present, one from each parent. For the purpose of this discussion, the Merle gene will be termed “m” and the non-merle gene will be called “M”.
If both copies are the same for Merle, they are termed homozygous (mm) or a double merle. A double Merle will be a predominantly white dog. If one copy is Merle and one is not, they are called heterozygous (Mm). One Merle gene copy is dominant over the non-Merle gene in that just one copy (Mm) will produce dilution of the coat and potentially different colored eyes, which is considered desirable in many breeds.
A dog that is homozygous for non-merle (MM) is a normal, full-colored dog. In the Australian Shepherd dog, multiple ocular abnormalities due to the Merle gene occur secondarily to an autosomal recessive trait. Autosomal implies that this is not a sex-linked condition.
Since a recessive trait is expressed only when homozygous, this means that affected dogs must be a double Merle (mm). Double merle animals may also have varying degrees of congenital deafness. The most severe abnormalities occur in homozygous merles with an excessive white hair coat involving the head region.
There are other, more serious ocular problems associated with the Merle gene. Microphthalmia is a congenital defect characterized by a small eye. Severely affected dogs may be blind at birth. Iris changes include thinning of the iris (iris hypoplasia) and possibly an eccentric or off-centered pupil, known as corectopia.
An iris coloboma is an abnormality in the development of the iris that usually presents as a notch or cleft of the iris at the edge of the pupil. Another problem that occurs with the iris may be persistent pupillary membranes or PPMs. Pupillary membranes are present in the developing eye in utero but normally regress within the first few weeks of life.
When persistent, they represent a congenital defect from blood vessel remnants that fail to regress. They may appear as strands or sheets of tissue that originate from the iris and attach to another part of the iris, the lens, or the cornea. They range from being of minor significance to causing severe vision impairment.
- A cataract, or an opacity, of the crystalline lens or its capsule, is yet another possible heritable defect associated with the Merle gene.
- It may be found independently or in a microphthalmic eye.
- Cataracts, if focal, may only cause minor impairment of vision, but when cataracts are complete, blindness occurs.
The posterior segment (the back part of the eye) may also be affected. Colobomas, or notch defects, may affect the sclera or the white of the eye. A scleral coloboma indicates the presence of an abnormally thin region of sclera; this condition is known as scleral ectasia.
When this occurs the vascular layer bulges out beneath the fibrous coat of the eye. This is known as a staphyloma. These may occur in the front half of the eye, apparent as a bulge underneath the eyelid or they may be in the back of the eye, only visualized using special instrumentation. Choroidal hypoplasia or choriodal colobomas may also be seen.
In this condition, the vascular layer at the back of the eye develops incompletely. Posterior segment anomalies may also affect the optic nerve. The optic nerve’s job is transmission of information from the retina to the brain for the interpretation of vision.
When a defect at this level of the eye is minor, a patient remains visual; alternatively, a more serious defect of the optic nerve may be the cause of complete blindness. In addition to the optic nerve, the retina may also be affected negatively. Retinal dysplasia is abnormal development of the sensory retina with focal folds or widespread geographic maldevelopment.
This may occur in conjunction with retinal detachment. If the retina becomes completely detached, blindness ensues. In some dogs with a Merle coat, the tapetum or reflective layer at the back of the eye is missing. These dogs may have somewhat poorer night vision compared to an eye with a tapetum, but there is no obvious functional abnormality with these dogs.
With an array of problems that may have a common end result of blindness, informed breeders will not breed affected animals because those with ‘mild disease’ may still produce severely affected offspring. It is also understood not to breed merle to merle as this will increase the chances for double merles in the litter.
As such, it is advisable to include more ‘solids’ or darkly-colored animals in a breeding program. It is always ideal to have breeding animals evaluated by a veterinary ophthalmologist to rule out structural abnormalities of the eyes. This can be accomplished via an OFA Eye certification exam, formerly known as a CERF exam.
The OFA is an organization that tracks heritable diseases in many parts of the body including eyes in dogs with the goal of identifying and eliminating genetic conditions. The certification exam can only be performed by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist. A certification exam is valid for one year.
Ideally, dogs should be certified every year by a veterinary ophthalmologist to ensure that conditions that may be progressive or develop later in life have not appeared. These exams do not guarantee that the dog is not a carrier of genetic ocular disease; rather, a passing test proves that at that time of exam no genetic ocular disease was diagnosed.
Can you tell a dog’s age by its eyes?
Look at Their Eyes The eyes are another place where your dog might show their age. As a dog gets older, their eyes might start to get cloudy or develop some discharge.