Blue eyes
Does anyone have blue eyes and haven't had problems with hearing? Linda |
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| If you're buying your puppy from a reputable breeder, you should be able to relax. Most blue eyed OES have perfectly good hearing. Because blue-eyed OES can be predisposed to deafness, it is something to keep in mind when selecting a puppy.
Discuss your concern with your breeder and see how he/she reacts. An ethical breeder will guarantee your puppy. If he turns out to be deaf, they should refund your money or take him back. If the breeder you're working with refuses to do this, walk away from your deposit and find someone who you feel comfortable working with. |
| Yes, there are plenty of OES out there with blue eyes who don't have a problem. If there was exclusively a problem, hopefully blue eyes would be removed from our standard as acceptable.
That said, there is a higher than average chance of a puppy with blue eyes and/or lots of white factor being deaf - but a heavily whitefactored, blue eyed dog is not by definition deaf. The issue is that congenital deafness in our breed is tied in to pigmentation - or, rather, lack thereof. A dog with blue eyes/highly white factored has by definition less pigmentation, which means there is a higher risk of deafness. But there have also, I'm told at least, been cases of very dark (eyes and markings) dogs being deaf. My girls' breeder had never produced a single blue eye until she bred to a nicely pigmented dog with dark eyes but lots of white factor behind him. She got one dog with two blue eyes and one wall-eyed (neither one of us likes blue eyes on principle, but that is a personal issue, not a breed standard one  ) They were BAER tested along with the rest of their siblings and all are fine, but the sire in question went on to produce deafness when bred to two other unrelated bitches. And his hearing is fine. That means that even though my bitch (I have a daughter) and the dog I bred to and all of the eight resulting puppies BAER tested fine, I have known risk of deafness in my pedigree. It could still pop up later and I have to be hyper-vigilant. Make sense?
(See it's not that cut and dried unfortunately.) Three out of the last six recues I've fostered were either blue-eyed or wall-eyed and none of them deaf - or at least not bilaterally so. SO, what this means to you is you want proof from the breeder that the parents were BOTH BAER tested - I mean this. No proof, you walk and find another breeder, please. And you want to know if there has been deafness in the line, if the parents of the parents were tested, if they ever produced deafness when bred to another dog? Were any of their siblings deaf, etc. Even then you have no guarantee and you do have an increased risk of deafness. But as a breeder, you don't run away from a nice blue-eyed dog, you're just extra vigilant. Even though, as we've seen, we all have to be careful no matter what the color of our dogs' eyes. Clear as mud? Kristine |
Thanks so much..I will talk to breeder and make sure they are tested. It's not that I wouldn't take care of her...it would be very difficult without a fence and I do know they need lots of exercise. As with any pet, they can get sick anytime...my first OES died at 8 of a digestive problem, my second one had the same problem at 9 but our vet saved her and she lived 4 more years. They are special and I can't wait for the puppies to be born this month!  |
| I really hope the breeder is honest with you and carries out the test but unfortunately this is not always the case I wish you good luck with your future puppy. Oh and by the way a dog with two brown eyes can also be deaf. |
Kristine has already explained the pigmentation aspects of congenital deafness very well  , so I will just chime in with this. Oscar is congenitally, bilaterally deaf - his coat is about 70% white, and he has brown eyes.
Laurie and Oscar |
| Oh, DUH!! All this snow must have addled my brain.
Even if the parents were not BAER tested and the breeder is less than forthcoming (still reasons to look further afield for another breeder in my book, but...) there is a very simple way to know if your puppy is deaf or not: deafness is, if nothing else, one of those simple things to screen for. You can test at an early age - I had my litter done at 8 weeks, though I could have tested earlier. All you have to do is explain to the breeder that you know deafness is a problem in the breed and that your purchase must be contingent upon puppy passing a BAER test. No guessing. Now, if the breeder refuses, find another breeder. And, of course, s/he has shown you proof that the parents' hips were x-rayed and certified by either OFA or PennHip (presuming breeder is in the US), right? Run a search on hip dysplasia here on the forum if you haven't already to discover how frequent and devastating this can be. It's even more widespread in our breed than deafness so, again, I'd don my running shoes if any breeder told me things like "I don't have to x-ray, I've never had a problem" or "my vet says they're fine" (proof - you want proof that the parents, at least, are not themselves dysplastic - this is your puppy for the next 12+ years with any luck!) Continue to follow your excellent instincts like you did in questioning the deafness issue. Fortunately that, at least, does not have to be an issue for you. Hip dysplasia can't be screened for in the puppy at that age. Severe cases will frequently show up as a limping puppy at less than a year old and then you may be looking at very expensive surgery to let your dog live as painfree and normal a life as possible. You don't want that either if you can help it. Kristine |
| Thanks so much, you all are great...wish in the 80s I had such great advice. The two OES I raised both had problems around the age 0f 8 with digestive disorders...I came home to find clear liquid with blood...my first one couldn't be saved after 3 days of intense care and 1200.00 worth of treatment...my second one made it because of prayers...I had just lost my 19 year old daughter, husband was away on business and God knew she had to make it for me...she did and lived another 4 years...she did have trouble the last year of life with the hips...she couldn't get up and then she started to go blind and really suffer. I am looking into pet insurance for the first time with getting the new puppy and having Rosie. Last week the vet said it would cost 550.00 to have Rosie's teeth cleaned..double what I paid two years ago in Charleston. I believe pet owners should take good care of their children but I really thinks vets are pricing maintenance care way too high and alot of people can't pay the high costs...Rosie has been very healthy up to this point but I fear as she ages and with having another dog it will get quite expensive. I plan to visit several other vets this week to look at services and costs. I know the one I have now is good but way too expensive. I plan to talk with my breeder and ask lots more questions thanks to you all...she had already said they will be xrayed, shots, etc...before releasing them. It will be 8 weeks when we pick up our puppy as I have a Granddaughter due May 9 and plan to spend a week taking care of my daughter...not good for taking care of a new puppy as well. It's so exciting...two new lives in the month of May added to my world! |
lhall15 wrote: Last week the vet said it would cost 550.00 to have Rosie's teeth cleaned..double what I paid two years ago in Charleston. I plan to talk with my breeder and ask lots more questions thanks to you all...she had already said they will be xrayed, shots, etc...before releasing them.
I assume your are having Roses teeth cleaned because of plaque, if you feed tinned food this can be one the causes of plaque, we feed our sheepies on dry food and in addition to that they get a very hard biscuit 2-3 times a week to clean their teeth. I was wondering what the breeder is going to X-ray the pup for then to get a reliable valuation for HD or ED they need to be at least 12 months old and better still if they are 15 - 18 months. |
| I stayed worried the first week or two waiting for my new puppy. A few years ago I had a puppy from a not so reputable breeder. I was new to oes and didn't know a thing! She was hard of hearing, had digestion issues and hip dysplacia. Yes, she had some big old vet bills, but lived happily for 14 years. She still is our family's fondest memory.
Once you have decided to get an oes puppy, just decide not to worry and commit to love and care for the puppy furr-ever. Some of this can just come with the territory and is part of deciding on getting a puppy or rescuing an older dog that you already know what your dealing with. After all that, if you still want the puppy, go full on and enjoy whatever he or she is or has.   |
| I am feeling better...all puppies have a 2 year health guarantee from this breeder. They seem to be very dedicated to their own OES and puppies. My daughter is 7 months pregnant and going through should she have bumpers in the baby crib (reports on SIDS) and so many other concerns we all had before a baby is born. As we all know there are just some things we don't control and we have to moved forward and deal with what life dishes out. There is always a blessing in disguise when we tackle difficulties. After loosing my daughter at 19 I have learned we don't control anything...It's been 10 years and I had a wonderful vision of her with her two OES by her side....she took over training Daisey at the age of 11 and they so loved each other. Callie was a 2 year old rescue that loved my 2 daughters for 6 years from the age of 5. You can't put a price on the love and comfort my children grew up knowing because of my 2 OES's...not to mention the love I received! I am so looking forward to the new puppy and new baby...they will grow up together! Thanks so much for the help! |
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