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Not all of the following eye colorations and disorders have been known to occur in dachshunds, but they may still be interesting to know about in case they should crop up. If you have a good, clear picture of any of these on a dachshund that I can use on this page and in my book, please let me know!
eye coloration
heterochromia iridium
One eye is one color and the other eye is another color. Also called split eye. This is usually caused by dappling.
heterochromia iridis
An eye that has more than one color in it.
- pearl eye
A partially depigmented iris. This is usually caused by dappling.
- cracked eye
An iris of one color that has a line/segment/"crack" of another color going through it. This is usually caused by dappling.
- marbled eye
An iris of one color that has lines/segments/"cracks" of another color going through it. This is usually caused by dappling.
- china eye
An otherwise totally bluish iris that is flecked with lighter blue or white.
other colorations
- wall eye
A totally bluish or grayish/whitish iris and a dark pupil. This is usually caused by dappling.
- glass eye
A totally bluish or whitish iris and a bluish pupil. This is abnormal.
- cloudy eye
Any color iris and a partially or totally bluish, grayish, or whitish pupil. This is abnormal.
eye disorders/defects
- eccentric pupil or dropped pupil
A pupil that is not centered in the eye; it is usually lower in the eye. This is usually dapple-related.
- irregular pupil
A pupil that is not round. This is usually dapple-related.
- starburst pupil
A pupil that is shaped like a starburst (has rays extending out from it). This is usually dapple-related.
- iris coloboma (a type of iris hypoplasia)
Part of the iris is missing, usually in the form of a pupil that extends in one direction over the iris (where the iris should be). This is usually dapple-related.
breeding recommendations
If your dog has a glass eye, a cloudy eye, an eccentric pupil, an irregular pupil, a starburst pupil, or an iris coloboma, there is a high probability that it has vision problems and possibly other structural eye defects. With rare exceptions, it is best never to breed a dog that has one of these ocular deformities, because poor vision will likely be passed on.
If your dog has eye color variation due to dappling, such as any form of heterochromia iridium or heterochromia iridis, it may be fine to breed it, assuming a CERF (or similar) test is done to ensure the dog has no vision problems/abnormalities. However, the goal should be to produce as little blue in the eyes as possible in future generations.
other notes
A dapple does not have to have one or two partial or fully blue eyes, and neither does a double dapple. It is more likely that a double dapple, as compared to a single dapple, will have some blue in either eye or be fully blue in one or both eyes.
You cannot tell whether a double dapple is blind just by looking at it. It does not matter how much white it has on its body, its head, or its face, whether or not an eye is surrounded by white (unpigmented) hair, or whether or not an eye is completely blue. Similarly, you cannot tell whether a double dapple is deaf just by looking at it. It does not matter how much white it has on its body, its head, or its ears.
'I have heard that piebalds absolutely can't have blue eyes. Is this true?' Well, no, not exactly. Any dog of any color or pattern can have blue eyes if:
- they are very young. Many/Most puppies have blue eyes when they are babies before the pigment fills in. The same thing happens with human babies.
- they are dapple or double dapple.
- they have black hair follicular dysplasia. Apparently some/many/most/all? dogs with this particular type of color dilution alopecia have blue eyes.
- they have a particular recessive allele that causes the blue eyes independent of coat color or pattern. Siberian huskies, many of whom have blue eyes, are an example of this.
- they have a particular recessive allele called cornaz dilution (not cream/chinchilla dilution, but similar) that causes the blue eyes and a dilution of coat color. Some pekingese and pomeranians are an example of this.
- they have another factor (probably similar to chinchilla and cornaz) that causes blue eyes. "White" dobermans are an example of this. These dogs typically have serious temperament and intelligence problems, among other problems, related to their eye/coat color.
- they have yet another factor that causes blue eyes. Some dalmations are an example of this. All dalmations are extreme whites and none are dapples, but there are some with blue eyes. In their case, it seems that their blue eyes is often an indicator that they are bilaterally or unilateriall deaf.
- they have developed cataracts. This can cause a cloudy grayish or bluish film over the lens.
- they have had an adverse reaction to certain vaccines. This can cause them to lose eye pigment.
For dachshunds in particular, any of the above could be possibilities, although to my knowledge, non-dappled blue-eyed dachshunds are rare occurances. If you have a picture of this occurring, please contact me! If I recall correctly, in the early days of the breed, there may have been a number of doxies with blue eyes not caused by dappling, but when breed clubs were formed and various standards were adopted, this feature was likely bred against. But it is possible that the cause(s) for it still exists in the population.
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