The soft and appealing eyes with a friendly attribute of Golden Retriever can undeniably allure everyone’s heart. But do all of these breeds have the same type of eye? Although most of these breeds have brown eyes, there certainly are few exceptions with blue eyes. So, why do you think Golden Retriever has blue eyes?
In contrast to the standard brown eyes of true Golden Retriever, some rare cases may have blue eyes. Moreover, the mix bred dogs are more likely to have icy eyes. Besides this, sometimes, the dogs may also suffer from eye problems that lead to blue eyes.
Furthermore, Golden Retrievers are always the best family dog whatever, be their eye color. Therefore, eye color doesn’t seem to be a problem unless the dog has health issues.
However, I will be disclosing more about the eye color in Golden Retrievers further in this article. But first, do you know about the standard eye color of these breeds?
What Is The Standard Eye Color Of A Golden Retriever?
Due to the outrageous popularity of Golden Retriever, people’s interest to know about the true breed is also increasing. Besides this, the dog breeders are constantly cross-breeding these breeds to get better and healthy offspring. So, Golden Retrievers of various colors and varieties are available nowadays.
However, all these dogs don’t meet the standards of a true breed. According to the AKC Golden Retriever breed standard, although the medium brown color is acceptable, the preferable eye color of these breeds is dark brown. Similarly, the KC standard for Golden Retriever’s eyes is dark brown eyes that settle perfectly in well-separated dark rims.
And any Golden Retriever that doesn’t fit under this standard isn’t pure breed. Besides this, some dogs like boxes may have purebred has blue eyes despite their standard brown eye color. But until this date, there is no evidence of a purebred Golden Retriever with blue eyes.
Are the eyes of your pet blue?
I think your pet is most probably a mix-bred.
Can A Golden Retriever Have Blue Eyes?
Although, traditional Golden Retriever denies the presence of blue eyes. Yet, some of the exceptional Retrievers may have blue eyes. Furthermore, the blue eyes of these dogs may sometimes indicate eye problems or health issues.
Whereas some mix bred Retrievers may naturally have blue eyes that gradually turn to brown in few circumstances. However, it might seem a little complicated, but Golden Retrievers with blue eyes are possible.
Why Does Golden Retriever Have Blue Eyes?
Generally, the body structure of Golden Retriever and looks differ according to different types of breeds. But in most cases, eye color always remains constant. And the brown, triangular, and perfectly fitted eyes are the prominent attribute of these dogs,
Although it is hard to believe, there are three reasons for blue eyes in Golden Retriever. So, the causes of your pet’s blue eyes are:
Golden Retriever May Have Blue Eyes Due To Recessive Gene
Generally, we assume that the characteristics trait of the offspring should resemble their parents. And I can’t deny it because it is correct in most cases. But sometimes, offspring may not follow the regular pattern and develop a peculiar feature or character.
Furthermore, the standard brown eyes of a Golden Retriever are dominant. Thus, offspring of every generation inherits brown eyes that makes the recessive blue color rarer. But sometimes, when both the parents carry recessive blue-eyed genes in them, there are higher chances of the resultant offspring having a blue color.
Cross-Bred Golden Retriever Has Blue Eyes
Owing to the increasing demand for the expensive Golden Retrievers, the dog breeds cross-breed the purebred with other similar dogs to earn more. As a result, they produced blue-eyed Retrievers.
Moreover, most of the mix-breeds are easy to distinguish. Yet, some mixed breed has more resemblance with the purebred and harder to separate. Usually, the mix bred dogs with blue eyes are:
Goberian
Goberian is the most common mix breed with blue-eyes. Further, these breeds are a mix of Golden Retriever and Siberian Husky. Thus, while inheriting parents’ traits, these breeds inherit the coat color from the Retriever and blue-eyed genes from the Husky.
Golden Boxer
Due to their higher energy, these breeds are perfect sports dogs. Further, these dogs are a mixed breed of Golden Retriever and Boxer. Since these breeds inherit the athleticism from the Boxer, their love for playing and games isn’t a surprise.
However, besides this energetic temperament, a Golden boxer also inherits the blue-eye color from the Boxer.
Coltriever
Coltriever is the mixed breed of Golden Retrievers and border collie. Usually, these dogs have a variety of coat colors. Yet, the eye color always remains blue that they inherit from the border collie.
Goldendoodle
As these dogs are a mix of Golden Retrievers and Poodles, they inherit the golden color of the Retrievers and curls of the poodles. Furthermore, Goldendoodles are happier mini-Retrievers with a friendly temperament. If you are searching for a lively pet, these dogs are perfect for you.
Albinism Makes Golden Retriever’s Eyes Blue
Like humans, Golden Retrievers also suffer from albinism. Usually, albinism is a disease condition in which your pet lacks enough genes to produce the required amount of melanin.
Further, melanin is responsible for giving color to the hair, skin, eyes, and tongue. So, lack of melanin causes depigmentation, black-spot tongue, hair fall, pink nose, and graying of your Golden Retriever.
But albinism is a rare condition that occurs due to depigmentation. And most likely, it displays when both the parents have recessive albinism-causing genes.
Are your Golden Retriever’s eyes blue?
What do you think might be the reason?
What Do Golden Retriever Puppy Have Blue Eyes?
Despite the effect of the genes, some Golden Retriever’s puppies may naturally have blue eyes due to a lack of essential pigment soon after birth. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that those puppies will remain blue-eyed throughout their lifespan.
Usually, the depigmented blue-eyed puppies will get their standard brown eye color after about two weeks of age. Since the blue-eye, in this case, is a defect, those puppies may have poor eyesight. But once the eye color becomes brown, their vision also improves.
However, in some cases, the eyes of Golden Retrievers remain blue throughout their lifespan.
Are Blue Eyes Of Golden Retriever Related To Medical Problem?
Owing to their genetic makeup, Golden Retrievers are susceptible to several health hazards like cancer, joint problems, eye diseases, mouth disease, ear infections, hip dysplasia, constipation, etc. And some of these health issues may lead to blue eyes in your Golden Retriever.
Thus, some eye diseases that cause blue eyes in your pal are:
Nuclear Sclerosis
Nuclear sclerosis is a term for eye infection when the lens of your Golden Retriever becomes cloudy and hard. Besides this, observe blue or yellow color at the center of the eyes of your pal.
Furthermore, nuclear sclerosis is painless and doesn’t affect the vision of your pet. So, it doesn’t necessarily require treatment. But since the eye condition is similar to several fatal health issues, consulting with the Vet after you observe the blue eyes of your pet will be helpful.
Cataracts
Usually, cataracts and nuclear sclerosis occur together. But despite their resemblance, unlike sclerosis, cataracts are painful and fatal. Besides this, sclerosis doesn’t have a specific cause whereas, eye disease, injury, old age, or genetic disorders causes cataracts.
Furthermore, ignorance of this issue makes the condition worse. So, the cloudiness in the eyes becomes denser. And finally, cataracts lead to blindness of your pal.
Hence, early prognosis and treatment of these diseases can be helpful to get the best results.
Glaucoma
The disease condition when the eye pressure increase more than its normal level is glaucoma. As we know, Golden Retrievers are the perfect playing mate for kids. Thus, due to the mischievous attribute of these breeds, they are prone to injuries.
Furthermore, these breeds have a small gene pool with cancer-causing genes. Thus, they are at a higher risk of tumors and cancer. As the injuries and tumors irritate your pal’s eyes, the internal pressure of the eye increases and makes the eyes icy or blue.
When your pet is showing signs along with the blue eye color, immediately consult with the Vet. However, the symptoms of the above health issues are:
- Aggression
- Frequent pawing in eyes
- Watery discharge from eyes
- Cloudy eyes
- Loss of vision
- Restlessness
- Whipping
- Barking
- Grunting
- Appetite loss
What Are The Other Dog Breeds With Blue Eyes?
Apart from the expensive Golden Retriever, many other dog breeds naturally have blue-eye colors. However, some of them are pure breeds while the others are a mix.
And the list of dog breeds with icy eyes are:
- Pitbull
- Alaskan Klee Kai
- Catahoula Leopard Dog
- Great Dane
- Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Dachshund
- Border Collie
- Weimaraner
- Australian Shepherd
- Siberian Husky
What Are The Eye Care Tips For A Golden Retriever?
Being a needy dog, Golden Retriever relies on you for health and hygiene. So, here are some eye care tips for your pet.:
- Regularly brush the hair of your pet. And don’t forget to check your eyes while you comb the skin coat.
- Clean the hair of your Golden Retriever once a month. And in some cases, you must bathe them more than that.
- Wash the paws of your pal after it returns from the playground.
- Clean the ears of your Golden Retriever regularly to prevent infections, parasites, and fungi.
- Check the eyes of your pet when it swims.
- Always supervise your pet while playing.
- Look for injury in the eyes after your pal returns.
- Use eye wipes and cleanser to clean the eyes of your Golden Retriever. Like TropiClean Spa Tear Stain Cleanser for Dogs and Dog Comb – Tear Stain Remover.
- Immediately consult the Vet if you observe tick, fleas, or watery discharge from the eyes.
- Take your pal for a frequent health checkup.
- Groom your Golden Retriever. Clean its teeth, paws, hair, and skin coat. And always keep the house clean.
Furthermore, parenting a Golden Retriever is a great responsibility. But smile, cuddles, hugs, and licks you receive from your pal make the time and effort worthy.
Besides this, Golden Retrievers are so selfless, obedient, and kind that you can instantly connect with them. So, to live a happier life with your pal, be conscious about the diet, training, and health after you bring them home.
I hope this article helped you to get some ideas about the health of your lovely pet.
If you have any queries or suggestions, feel free to write them down in the comment box.
