Dogs with the double merle gene may be/have: All white in color, or have patches of merle/mottled coloring on the top half of their body – their head, back, and base of the tail. Light-colored paw pads. Have light blue, green or brown eyes, perhaps even eyes that are different colors.
Can a double merle be healthy?
Double merles, despite their deficiencies, are generally quite healthy dogs capable of living long, otherwise normal lives And they are no more aggressive, unpredictable or untrainable than hearing and sighted dogs.
Are all double merle dogs blind?
Double Merle dogs are highly likely to suffer from hearing and vision impairments and in some
cases complete blindness
and deafness Deafness and hearing impairment happens due to lack of
hair pigment
produced in the inner ear. Double Merles can also be blind or have vision problems due to congenital eye defects.
Can dogs have merle eyes?
The Merle gene anomaly can be minor, as in the blue iris The blue appearing in your dog’s eye can be a part of an eye that is otherwise brown and won’t impact his site. On the most severe end, the Merle gene anomaly can cause blindness.
How do you test for double merle?
Testing Tips Genetic testing of the PMEL gene will determine whether a dog has no copies or one or more copies of the merle insertion variant However, breeding of dogs with known merle insertion variants to each other may increase the risk of “double merle” pups with hearing and vision problems.
Do all merles have blue eyes?
No, the merle gene does not always cause blue eyes The merle gene causes the lightening of pigment in patches throughout the body. If these patches do not coincide with the eyes, the dog will have brown eyes instead. They may also have multicolored eyes.
What is a ghost merle?
Dogs with cryptic merle (also called phantom or ghost merle) typically display little to no
merle pattern
and some may be misclassified as non-merles The cryptic merle alleles occur in the lower end of the range (typically from 200-255, however, this range and designation varies by study).
What happens if you breed 2 merle dogs?
If two merle dogs are bred together, each puppy in the litter has a 25% chance of being born a double merle A double merle inherits the merle gene twice. One copy of the merle gene causes a marbling effect on the coat and creates lighter spots throughout the solid color coat.
Is it safe to breed a double merle?
Unfortunately, there are health problems associated with the merle mutation , and the risk of these problems occurring increases when two merle coated dogs are mated together. The resulting litter of puppies has a high chance of containing ‘double merles’ or ‘lethal whites’.
Are merle dogs unhealthy?
Yes – merle dogs can be just as healthy as dogs that have a solid color They have the same life expectancy, they are just as strong and athletic and smart as their counterparts without the merle gene. In lines with responsible merle breedings, all offspring will be healthy and live a long life.
How do I know if my dog is merle?
The merle gene modifies the dark pigment in the eyes, occasionally changing dark eyes to blue, or part of the eye to be colored blue. Since merle causes random modifications, however, both dark-eyed, blue-eyed, and odd-colored eyes are possible. Pigmentation on paw pads and nose may be mottled by pink.
Are double merles born blind?
Total and partial (one eye) blindness is very common among double merles. Some dogs will be born completely blind, or even without eyes.
Why are merle dogs more expensive?
In a nutshell, merle dogs are expensive because puppy buyers are willing to pay a lot of money for them The pattern is very sought-after, and the more demand there is, the higher breeders can set their prices. In addition, merle breedings can be quite rare in some breeds.
What breeds carry the merle gene?
The Merle pattern can be seen in various breeds, such as the
australian shepherd dog
, Australian Koolie,
border collie
, Dachshund, French Bulldog, Louisiana Catahoula, Labradoodle, Miniature American Shepherd, Miniature Australian Shepherd, Pyrenean Shepherd, Rough Collie, Shetland Sheepdog, Welsh Sheepdog, Cardigan.
What color dogs make a merle?
The most defining characteristic of a merle dog is a mottled coat of black, tan, or white colors Odd or blue-colored eyes also define these breeds. We have two main categories depending on the coat colors-red merle and blue merle.
What breeds can be double merle?
“Double merle” refers to a dog that inherited two copies of the merle gene, a gene that can be present in many breeds from aussies and collies to danes and catahoulas to dachshunds and chihuahuas.
Can a double merle be black?
A double merle is one which is homozygous. That means it has two copies of the dominant M gene, so its genotype is MM. This impairs its ability to make pigment. Double merles are typically mostly white and have merle patches on the head and sometimes the body.
What is a Harlequin merle?
Harlequin is a pattern seen in Great Danes resulting from the complex interaction of the Merle (PMEL17) and Harlequin (PSMB7) genes on black pigment The dominant Merle gene by itself produces dark spots on a dilute background on eumelanistic dogs.
Do merle puppies change color?
Merle Dog Puppies Merle coloring can become darker with age So, be aware that those white areas on your merle puppy may start to look grayer as your dog ages. But other than that, a merle dog puppy will have all the attributes of an adult of the breed.
How do you know if your Aussie is a double merle?
A dog that inherits two dominant versions of M is a double merle. In Australian Shepherds these dogs usually will have excessive amounts of white, be deaf in one or both ears, and have serious and generally blinding eye defects In a few severe cases the eyes have been missing altogether.
Sources
https://dogdiscoveries.com/health/eye-defects-in-merle-dogs
https://www.ashgi.org/home-page/genetics-info/faq/eyes-double-merle-defects#:~:text=Dogs%20that%20inherit%20two%20copies,subluxated%20(off%2Dcenter).
https://pethelpful.com/dogs/What-is-a-Double-Merle-Dog-The-Dangers-of-Merle-to-Merle-Breeding