Schatzie is a healthy almost 4 year old double dapple red doxie with an odd "problem" - she has one blue eye. I mean, really blue, so arctic blue that people make many comments about how she must be blind. She is not - has anyone here seen a doxie with only one blue eye? The other eye is a "normal" dark brown. Do I have reason to be concerned? Thanks!
First of all, Welcome to our Group...we are sooo glad to have you here. We would love to see pictures of Schatzie; she sounds beautiful :heart: Secondly, double dapples are prone to hearing and eye problems. From what I understand, many of them are blind or deaf or both. That is probably why you are getting those comments. Dapples alot of times have one blue eye and I believe double dapples often have both blue eyes. If she is not blind, then I believe you have nothing to worry about. I assume from what you have said that her hearing is good. Schatzie is just uniquely beautiful!!
Jeri is a Member here and her Boone is a double dapple. I am sure Jeri can give you all kinds of information as can many others here.
Again, welcome to our group :apls: :apls: :apls: and Schatzie must be one adorable baby :heart: :heart:
From what I understand, the blue eye is just a random thing in dapples and double dapples -- merely a function of where the dapple gene happens to pass across the body. If your doxie has sight now, I don't think you have any reason to be concerned.
Thank you for the warm welcome and I told Schatzie not to worry about potential blindness, she's "unique" regardless of the comments she gets in public. She is beautiful, just in a weird "What the heck do ya call that kinda dog?!" way. I love her completely.
Welcome to our wee group. Jen will give you the info, Being blind is not a hinderence to them, Emma was blind for the later part of her life and she coped well, its us that have the hang ups. Come tell us some tales or should that be tails.
roberta owned by Oliver and Amy
Hi and welcome!
Cheryl suggested I tell you about Boone, so I will. Sorry I couldn't do it sooner--web site problems ya know.
Boone is a 10 year old double dapple, who is deaf and has some minor vision problems. He has two blue eyes, but the color is not the problem. His problem is that his eyes are a bit undersized and his pupils are irregular shaped. You might be able tell from his photo that his eyes aren't quite right.
Dapples inherit the Merle gene from one parent. The Merle gene will show up in various places on the dog. Think of it as splashing a bucket of paint on the dog--he could get a little or a lot and the paint will hit wherever. Well, so will this gene. When it shows up on the fur, it will dilute the color, creating a pit of a patchy effect. If it shows up in the eyes, the dog will have one or two blue eyes. As far as I know, dapples are as healthy as any other dog.
A dog with the Merle gene should ONLY be bred to a dog that does not have it. If dapple is bred to dapple, a dapple dapple could result. Double dapples have a high instance of hearing or vision loss. The loss can be minor or total, and some dogs are even born totally deaf and blind. You can't really see that the dog is deaf, you just have to evaluate his response to noises. There are places that can test them, but they are few and far between, and not cheap. My regular vet cannot do it. It is easy for a vet (and sometimes a lay person) to see if the dog is blind or has vision problems. The eyes may be small--very small eyes are called micro eyes, the pupils may be irregular shaped, or eyes may not be present at all. These things happen when the Merle gene affects the eyes, and because of this the damaged eyes tend to also be blue. Boone's blue eyes are slightly undersized and the pupils are irregular. He seems to see just fine at middle and longer distances, but has very poor near vision. He can see me wave to him from across the yard, but can't find a treat in front of his face.
I have also know of several double dapples that are missing part of one leg, but I don't know that the double Merle gene caused this.
Why do breeders produce double dapples. The answer is greed and indifference to cruelty or suffering. Buyers will pay a bit more for a puppy that has an exotic dapple coat. If they have a double dapple in their breeding stock, then every puppy that dog produces will be a dapple, and that's more money in the breeder's pocket. The breeder who does this doesn't care that the dog lives a dark and silent life. My Boone lived in a kennel for eight years to stud who knows how many puppies that might have inherited his problems.
Rest assured, that double dapples are BORN deaf or blind. They are not born normal as develop these problems later. If you dog can see and hear, then the chances that he will lose his hearing or vision are no greather than for any other non-dapple dog.
Thank you soooo much for that information. I had never heard of the Merle gene so it gave me a jumping off point to do some internet research. I feel much better about the health of my little doxie. We adopted Schatzie a few years back - she was on "clearance", kind of a "blue light special" dog. After researching for a very long time, I had decided that a Cavalier King Charles was the right breed for our family, but one meeting with this little doxie and we just knew that she was the one. I've never been happier - she is my pride and joy and I want to make sure she remains as healthy as she can. We have noticed some peripheral eye-sight issues, but (oh, I feel awful for typing this!) she isn't a real bright dog. Not dumb, but not the sharpest tool in the shed. She has bumped into things like the table leg, the side of the sofa, but its always when she's hyped up chasing a tennis ball around the floor. She's very much like a little kid who gets so wrapped up in play that obsticals don't "register" with her. I've tested that blue eye by covering her other and waving my hand at her. She follows my hand and blinks appropriately. As for her hearing, she will ignore the "come in" command, but can hear the soft cellophane sound of a bag of baby carrots being opened from anywhere in the house. Maybe she's not all that dumb - she's got me trained pretty well! Thanks for the info and the comparison to the "splash of paint" metaphor. It makes perfect sense now and I can relax a little.
This is such a great site with wonderful members! Thanks, again.
My Oscar was from a pet store (I know but I couldn't leave him). He was sold as a miniature pied, however, I believe he is a double dapple. Not to mention he is a standard. He was born deaf and a small blue eye and an almost missing eye. He is loaded with medical problems too. He maneuvers around the house and inbetween two english mastiffs without issue. He is the light of my life.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/ADTmom/bassriver07007.jpg)
My little dapple male comes from a red-dapple Mom and a solid Red dad. he is a silver dapple. His Mom has a PARTIAL blue eye and he has the same partial blue eye in the same area as his mom. I am a vet-tech and one of the most fascinating things I learned in school was the recessive/dominant gene issues as far as dachshunds, dapples, double-dapples, etc. All that you have seen posted before is very true. I am so very glad that you "rescued" this baby from a future that "might have been"! Cavalier King Charles are an awesome breed, but I am so happy that you discovered the more playful, less troublesome Dachshund! (Yes I am a little partial!) LOL!
:nana: I am also glad that you find this site. If you ever have any doubts, questions, etc., these people are the bestest! I am proudly owned by Rascal, red smooth male and Doppler, Silver Dapple smooth male!
Trish
This is such a great forum, so much great info! Thank you!
Ok, I need help!
We are about to buy a blue eyed doxie and one parent is a dopple and the other is not, as far as I know. Is there a chance of blindness or deafness?
I am attaching the pictures of parents.
Thanks for all of your help in advance!
Are the parents purered? Are they AKC registered? You should ask. That doesn't look pure doxie to me.
My Merlin and Dr. Beau Leaky were rescued from a shelter in Alabama. DNA testing showed they were not littermates. It also showed they are 100% NON-dachshund!
Merlin ( his head shape looks like your pup's) is part Bernese mountain dog, part schnauzer, and part Yorkshire terrier.
Dr. Beau Leaky (when excited!) is part BMD also, and part Italian greyhound!
As Ricky Ricardo used to say, Sumbody's got sum 'splainin' to do!"
Karen :heart:
("Hey! Princess Zelda!! How'd you get in there?")
("Heh, heh, heh!")
Quote from: Doxherding Karen on June 27, 2008, 02:38:47 PM
My Merlin and Dr. Beau Leaky were rescued from a shelter in Alabama. DNA testing showed they were not littermates. It also showed they are 100% NON-dachshund!
Merlin ( his head shape looks like your pup's) is part Bernese mountain dog, part schnauzer, and part Yorkshire terrier.
Dr. Beau Leaky (when excited!) is part BMD also, and part Italian greyhound!
From the pictures it sure does look like you have two dachshunds, not wanna be's. I can see why the rescue made the mistake. Other than Princess Zelda, I wouldn't tell them. They would just be too devastated.
Darcel
:scratch: I tend to lean toward the fact that the DNA testing in dogs is a fairly new ability and the accuracy is still VERY questionable. I know very few Veterinarians who put a lot of stock in the accuracy. Most of them will come back saying "Lab Mix". Labrador Retriever have been so cross-bred and mixed that is no surprise, but ..... Just a thought. Those sure look like Dachshunds to me! Anybody with registered purebred sent any DNA in???? Sounds like a project! LOL!
Trish with Rascal and Doppler
:hello2:
Quote from: doxie2mom on July 01, 2008, 10:09:36 AM
:scratch: I tend to lean toward the fact that the DNA testing in dogs is a fairly new ability and the accuracy is still VERY questionable. I know very few Veterinarians who put a lot of stock in the accuracy. Most of them will come back saying "Lab Mix". Labrador Retriever have been so cross-bred and mixed that is no surprise, but ..... Just a thought. Those sure look like Dachshunds to me! Anybody with registered purebred sent any DNA in???? Sounds like a project! LOL!
Trish with Rascal and Doppler
:hello2:
I agree with you. Where else would Beau have gotten his achondroplastic legs except from basset, dachshund or Welch corgi? He has Bernese Mountain markings, but Italian greyhound? And Merlin's schnauzer would explain his broken coat, but Bernese mountain dog and Yorkshire terrier as well?? Come on now!
I don't think the protocals for the lab were being carefully followed. It sounded like a contamination by a BMD sample and who knows what else! The DNA testing was accurate, but the tech wasn't following sterile technique, so he/she was picking up other dog samples when the boys' DNA was tested.
Karen :scratch: