Silver Dapple help please

Dearnie · 06-07-2009, 01:17 PM

Hi, as many will know me from having my mini black and tan daschund Mitzi put to sleep a month ago, i seriously need help with information, i am purchasing another mini daschund but a silver dapple, can anyone please tell me how to tell if it is blind at 8 weeks old when i go pick her up or if she is going to have problems with being blind?

The Daschund i had befoed the black and tan one Mitzi, she went blind at 3 yrs old but she had SARDS desease so it was completely different, she knew her way around the house before she went blind. I have read on the internet that people should beware of silver dapple as they can be blind and deaf, so im really concerned that im going to purchase this puppy and she will be blind. Its not as easy as waggling my finger in front of her face as puppys seem to be watching everything around them except what you want them to look at. The breeder seems a good breeder, she never breeds more than 3 litters per bitch she has and she only ever breeds one season then misses a season to give the bitches a rest. the mother of the silver dapple i am buying is a black and tan bitcch and the father is a silver dapple stud dog she owns.

any information on this subject would be great as i dont know much about silver dapples as they are pretty rare round here and im a little nervous after losing my baby a month ago to put my love into another little dashund???

Thanks
Andrea

Cracker · 06-07-2009, 05:01 PM

Blindness or deafness in the dapples is not as common as you think and rarely occurs when one of the parents is not a merle/dapple. It is also linked to blue eyes in the merles, so if she is brown eyed the problem occurring is pretty small odds. The biggest problems occur when merle to merle breeding is done. If you can take the pup away from the others for a few minutes and see if she follows your fingers and if her pupils shrink or dilate with light this will go along way to relieving your fears. As for deafness...there are more accurate tests given by vets but clapping your hands or a loud noise/startle response will also tell you if she hears okay.

I would recommend you ask the breeder to keep the pup until 10 weeks, if not to see how she "develops' but also to encourage better socialization and bite inhibition learned from mom and littermates.

Good luck with your new pup.

craven.44 · 06-08-2009, 01:12 AM

Most dapple doxies who develop problems related to coat color are double dapples. This can only happen if 2 dapples are bred together, which no good breeder would ever do. Also, these dogs often have large amounts of white in their coats. What colors are the parents? Another thing that can cause blindness in dachshunds is PRA, so I encourage you to ask the breeder if the parents were tested for this and what the results were. Also, a BAER test can test for deafness. A well bred silver dapple dachshund from health tested parents and a reputable breeder should have no greater chance of going blind than any other dog just by coincidence. Good luck!

Dearnie · 06-08-2009, 06:44 AM

silver-dapple-help-please-my-new-puppy-inca

craven 44 i think this reply should have the picture attatched to it, lol I THINK hahaha well this is the photo the breeder sent for me as she is 4 days old i cant handle her yet teill she is 5weeks old, i think she is gorgeous

Cracker · 06-08-2009, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dearnie

the mother of the silver dapple i am buying is a black and tan bitcch and the father is a silver dapple stud dog she owns.

I think the fact that it is not a double dapple breeding bodes well.
Very cute little pup!

craven.44 · 06-08-2009, 10:14 AM

Adorable puppy! She should be fine as far as dapple related issues go. I bet you can't wait!

Dearnie · 06-08-2009, 10:53 AM

You have made me feel a lot more relaxed about it now u have seen her, i cant wait im counting down the days like an expectant mother, jeez she doesnt know how spoilt she is going to be haha

thanks x

Keechak · 06-08-2009, 11:49 AM

how old were the parents and were the parents CERF checked?

Dearnie · 06-08-2009, 12:45 PM

i think the mother is just over 2yrs and the dad is about 3-4yrs old the father is a silver dapple stud and the mother is a chocolate tan bitch, it doesnt say they were CERF checked no but they are kc redg and so is puppy so i dont know. it just says they are vet checked and 1st parvo injection done

Keechak · 06-08-2009, 12:58 PM

KC registration is no guarentee of health.

if the sire is closer to 4 years old and doesn't have eye problems yet it is likly he dosen't cary the gene for hereditary cataracts, or toher problems. BUt since the bitch is so young, any eyes problems would likly have not yet showed up in her.

If you could ask the breeder if the grandparents of your future pup have ever had eye problems that would be best.

craven.44 · 06-08-2009, 01:04 PM

Not related to being dapple, but dachshunds do have issues with Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) which can cause blindness by age 2. Neither of the parents have to have it, but if they are carriers, your pup could develop it. Not all breeders advertise their health testing (most do, but not all). I would ask your breeder if any of her dogs have been tested for PRA (and luxating patellas, another problem in doxies, while you're at it) or if there has been any eye problems in her line.

Dearnie · 06-08-2009, 01:08 PM

The breeder has had 7 or 8 silver and chocolate dapples from her 2 bitches with the same silver dapple sire and she has had no problems with the dapple puppies over the last few years, i asked her about the mother and she said she would never breed dapple to dapple as she had been warned about it when she decided to breed dapples. so the only dapple she ever uses is the sire. and also other people use her silver dapple stud dog and none of those have had problems with their dapple pups, im just cautious as my black and tan mini daschund went blind over night at 3yrs old and that was SARDS desease which no one could have predicted, but she managed just like any other dog till she died at 12yrs old a month ago from a tumour. but it is hard work having a blind dog, i would not like to start from day one with a blind puppy, at least my other dog had 3 yrs of great eyesight so she knew every inch of the house so she coped fantastic but hard to watch her bump in to things sometimes

i am going to see the new little pup in 3 weeks when she has had her first parvo injection so her eyes will be open by then, people said if she has blue eyes then be cautious

Keechak · 06-10-2009, 10:43 AM

I'm not sure how it is in the Daschi world but I have Aussies. and in Aussies there is no corelation between blue eyes and eye problems.

craven.44 · 06-10-2009, 12:48 PM

If she is not a double dapple (she is not if both parents are not dapple) blue eyes do not mean she will be blind. She could still have eye issues if her parents were not tested for congenital eye issues.

Cracker · 06-11-2009, 09:32 AM

Double dapples/double merle can have micro ophthalmia..which is when the eyeballs themselve do not develop. It is RARE. Merle dogs with blue eyes CAN have hearing issues as the blue eyes/piebald genes are linked, but does not guarantee it would be deaf. I know many blue eyed/merle dogs that do not have any hearing issues at all.

The chances are very good since it is not a doublemerle breeding that your dog will be fine regardless of blue eye or not. It is important though, as mentioned previously that the parents and grandparents have no history of the genetic problems listed above.