# Blue eyes



## Chilli's mama

I've read that blue eyes on a chihuahua are a"defect" on them. Is this true? Honestly, it doesn't matter to me because Chili's blue eyes are what I first fell in love with but I'm just curious.


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## flippedstars

If the dog is not blue itself or blue fawn, it usually means the dog is a hidden merle. It is a considered a serious fault in the show ring but probably in most cases is not a defect...standard says "Blue eyes or a difference in the color of the iris in the two eyes, or two different colors within one iris should be considered a serious fault.".


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## OzChi

Are they a real blue or more of a grey/green/blue? Axles were grey/green/blue as a puppy but now they are dark green. It's because his sire was chocolate so he has the dilute colouring giving him light eyes and a brown nose.


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## Chilli's mama

Chili's are real blue, he also has a pink nose with his cream coloring. I don't know too much about dogs but was told he was not that it would have made a difference in my decision, just the amount I would have been willing to pay. I know I should have done research but he was a totally unplanned purchased, I saw him in the cage and could not leave with out him.


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## Kalisee

flippedstars said:


> If the dog is not blue itself or blue fawn, it usually means the dog is a hidden merle. It is a considered a serious fault in the show ring but probably in most cases is not a defect...standard says "Blue eyes or a difference in the color of the iris in the two eyes, or two different colors within one iris should be considered a serious fault.".


Forgive my ignorance. I see the word "merle" often and I dont know what it means...also "blue". What is that exactly if you dont mind explaining?


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## flippedstars

Merle is a coat pattern...if you type in merle chihuahua to google and view images, it will show you them. Many of them are carelessly bred and can have health problems. Others are fine. I guess there are exceptions to every rule. 

Blue is a coat color, can vary from almost silver to a dark steel gray. Some are very pretty, others not so much lol. The dog won't have black pigment on it's nose or anywhere else, instead some shade of blue.


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## Chilli's mama

Now I'm confused, Chili is a cream color so he doesn't look like any of the pictures of Merle chihuahuas I was looking at, he has no markings and his nose and around his eyes look pink, not black like all of the other chihuahuas I've seen.


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## flippedstars

Right which is why it might be likely he is a HIDDEN merle...no visible merle patterning. Very common if the dog is a lighter color and part of why they are 'dangerous' because if you inadvertantly bred one to another merle you would have all kinds of health issues in the puppies most likely.


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## Chilli's mama

Thank you, I'm sorry if I sound stupid but I don't know much about this. Would the vet be able to tell me if he is Merle? Also, what kind of issues might I encounter with him if he is? I am not planning on neutering him but also will not be breeding him since I got him as a family pet even though I was asked to mate him with another dog.


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## omguthrie

Can you post a picture where we can see his blue eyes? I've never seen true blue eyes on a cream chihuahua before.

Thanks!


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## Chilli's mama

Here's my Chili
View attachment 7780
View attachment 7781
View attachment 7782


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## Chilli's mama

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p506/Kymk81/1336155518.jpg


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## Chilli's mama

Sorry I was trying to get them to upload full size I think I figured it out lol
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums...5-AB8F-65692A6BD6FD-4343-000003D2D219FDE1.jpg
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums...A-9E58-C2660F24BB0E-4343-000003D2CE8EFF74.jpg
http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p506/Kymk81/EB5FF92E-6A0D-48FA-9E58-C2660F24BB0E-4343-000003D2CE8EFF74.jpg


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## flippedstars

His eyes don't really look blue to me? He probably is a chocolate factored fawn or something along those lines. Only if his eyes were like an ICE blue or really really blue, would you need to worry.

No, vet cannot tell you if he is a hidden merle...there are color tests but they run about $180. 

He probably will not have issues if he doesn't have them yet, and it is good you are not breeding him.


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## Chilli's mama

They aren't really light blue but they are blue, it's kind of hard to get the color off them on the picture. I am not going to bother with the test since the question was more out of curiosity thank you for answering my questions! It's nice to have a place to come and get advice and help


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## Wicked Pixie

His eyes look bluey green to me, so unlikely to be related to merle colouring. His eyes are pale because of the dilution genes that have made his coat so pale. Blue eyes are often seen on pale coated puppies, but change colour as the dog grows up. Most chocolate based dogs have paler eyes than black based ones. Google Weimeraners, as a breed they are both chocolate based and dilute, and they always have pale eyes that are very blue when they are puppies but change to shades of amber, grey or blue-grey. So just enjoy his unique colouring, there is no reason he should have any health issues because of it.


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## Kurukulla

His eyes don't look blue as in merle blue.. I agree he's chocolate factored fawn or self coloured or light pigment are other terms. It's not because of his coat colour though it's down to his pigment (colour or nose, rim of eye etc) you see a lot of self colouring in creams some reds etc and obviously chicago and blues. 

I would guess he has chocolate somewhere in his lines


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## Wicked Pixie

What is Chicago? It isn't a term I have heard of.


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## Mona Lisa's Smile

My two chi's eyes seem to have a red tint sometimes and they don't seem to like the red light that comes from my camera...I always wonder if their red eyes have something to do with their light sensitivity. Is it my imagination?


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