# White in eyes ...



## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

So I heard somewhere that it is a bad thing when puppies have lots of white in their eyes. Why is this? I saw a cute puppy I wanted to get, but then I noticed that he has what seems to be more white in his eyes than you'd normally see, and I didn't notice until just now. Here is a picture:










I'm just wondering, is white actually bad, or a sign of something bad? If so, why? Do you think this is too much white on the inside of his eyes?


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## Sidech (Apr 3, 2006)

His eyes look fine to me. Sometimes, having a lot of white and the eyes looking left and right can mean the dog is Hydrocephalus, which is not something you'd want.


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## Bijou (Aug 6, 2005)

I would be cautious after seeing this photo. I would pass this time.


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## Piggiepi (Apr 7, 2006)

Sidech said:


> His eyes look fine to me. Sometimes, having a lot of white and the eyes looking left and right can mean the dog is Hydrocephalus, which is not something you'd want.



Hmmm... I'm bringing him to the vet on Monday, but I'm wondering now if you think my Yoshi could have that... and Bijou said to pass on that puppy cause of it... I didn't know anything about that, and I've always seen a *little* white in Yoshi's eyes in pictures, but not a lot... Here's a picture of him looking the most average that he looks..


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## Bijou (Aug 6, 2005)

I don't know. Yoshi looks ok in that picture but the other Chi looks suspicious to me. I could be wrong but I wouldn't take a chance on a dog that looked that way. Are there other pics of the puppy that we could see? "East/West eyes" are a classic sign of hydrocephally.


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

I think that puppy looks fine. Usually when they have Hydrocephalus, the eyes are set really wide apart, and that puppys eyes are not.


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## Bo (Nov 17, 2005)

That puppy has the same kind of eyes that Charlie had, and he seemed very normal to me.


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## Gypsy (Feb 13, 2006)

I think he looks okay too. Maybe ask the breeder, but I've seen pictures of alot of chi puppies that turn their eyes one way which causes that white, even adults. It's okay to have a little white showing, you can usually easily identify a hydrocephalus puppy because they'll have a very domed head, alot of space between the eyes with quite a bit of white showing, and eyes that go east/west.


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## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

Here are some more pictures of the puppy:


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

I think it's adorable!
And the eyes look fine to me!


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## ~Jessie~ (Oct 30, 2005)

The eyes look fine to me! Dogs with Hydrocephalus generally have larger, googly looking eyes which are set far apart. 

That puppy is adorable, by the way I love the ears and color!


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## Bijou (Aug 6, 2005)

It's really hard to say. And if it were so easy to diagnose it over the internet because the signs are so obvious, vets would not have to use special equipment to diagnose it themselves! No one can just look at a picture and say that a puppy does or does not have hydrocephaly unless the dog has SEVERE symptoms. As with most things, symptoms and their severity vary by case. Here is a quote from a website talking about hydrocyphally: 

"Hydrocephalus -"water on the brain," occurs when excessive fluid accumulates within the skull or the fluid passages within the brain. This fluid accumulation produces increased pressure on the brain. Signs of hydrocephalus may include an enlarged head, prominent forehead, lack of coordination, impaired vision, mental dullness and convulsions. Animals with mild cases may not show all these signs and may only appear abnormal in times of stress, excitement or head trauma. Hydrocephalus is usually present at or before birth (congenital) and may be inherited (passed from one generation to another). The disease is most common in small breeds with dome- or apple-shaped heads, such as Chihuahuas. Mild cases of hydrocephalus can be treated with medication and careful supervision to prevent stress and head injury. Some severe cases are treated surgically. The doctor will discuss the advisability and outlook for surgery with you."

Notice it does not say that all dogs with hydrocephaly WILL HAVE this that or the other symptom. It says symptoms "may include".

It's entirely up to you. The dog is very cute.


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## dolly'sgrandma (Nov 8, 2005)

This is an interesting thread. First of all, what a cute puppy!

I had never heard that about the whites of the eyes. Dolly's show up sometimes, but she seems perfectly healthy. And they don't do the "east/west" thing, but I have to say...I think I HAVE seen appleheads out and about who looked that way to me. (Dolly is a deerhead).

It's always good to have facts when you are puppy shopping. My dog Pip was thought to be a "lethal white" Aussie (they can have so many genetic defects, including blindness) because he had a LOT of white in his coat (he's merle) and on his head. My vet checked him out and said that he was just barely over 50% colored on the head and his nose was almost totally black, so it was unlikely he was "lethal". And she was right. His nose is totally black now. Too bad, because now I can't blame all his personality quirks (MANY!) on his genes!


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## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

*sighs* well I guess someone else bought him  So I can't get him anyway.


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