As you may know over time dog breeds begin to evolve which means that some of their key markers have been developed in a way that separates each breeds from one another. One thing that you will noticed of a poodle is their unique brown eye color.
Whenever you see a poodle, one specific characteristics you are going to see is that he has brown eyes, as most dog breeds around the world have brown eyes.
If you look closely you’ll realize that the most common eye color that you will see in most dogs is brown or sometimes dark brown, but this is not always the case since some poodles have light or even blue eye colors which is usually caused by genetic mutations or possible because of the poodle being ill. It is said that both The American Kennel Club and The United Kennel Club have a distinct standards for poodle breed characteristics which is said to be oval-shaped and brown eyes.
You should keep in mind that poodles eyes can range in due, but the thing is most of them tends to have a brown variation. If you ever see a poodle that doesn’t have brown eyes, then you’ve seen a rare breed. However, the only reason why the hue will matter is if you are planning on showing your dog in competitions. In this article we are going to explain everything you need to know about poodles eye colors and what causes the difference within breeds.
What Eye Colors Can Poodle Have?
Even though there are many different variations in poodle coat color and breeding for specific features, you’ll definitely notice that these dogs have dark brown to amber and this usually range across all of the breeds. The thing is that most dog breeds have brown eyes and poodle also fits this category quite well. This is also proven by the American Kennel Club that brown eye is the way to go for poodles.
As mentioned earlier, there are multiple variations of eye colors in poodle and majority of these colors found are known to be some form of brown eyes. You may noticed that darker colored poodles may appear to have black eyes but this is not the case since the color is considered to be an intense brown. Not only that, but it is also very common for poodles to have amber-brown eyes, which is still considered as a recessive trait.
Here are some of the eye colors that can be found in poodles:
- Dark brown: base on research this is known to be the standards color, not only that but it is also considered to be the dominant trait that you will see in majority of the poodles around the world. Depending on the poodles color coating this color may be dark enough to look black. Base on studies it is said that dogs with darker eyes are known to have higher melanin content due to the fact that the cell produces dark eumelanin.
- Amber-brown: this color is not known to be as hyped as dark brown eyes, at times you may noticed a little light that appear in the eyes, causing an amber hue. They still produce the eumelanin but at a lower rate. Poodles with brown coating have a higher chance of having amber or brown eyes. Base on the official standards, poodles with brown coating should not have any form of black in their pigment, including eyes.
- Red-brown: another thing that you will see is poodle having amber eyes that appear to have a reddish color in their brown pigment. This is due to the variation of melanin known as pheomelanin that appears to be red or yellow in pigment. This can be found in both eyes of your poodle as well as coat coloring.
- Gray/Blue: you will rarely see a poodle that have gray or blue eyes and in this case it is often a sign of recessive gene or a vision disorder. The Merle gene is the main cause for this because of the lighter pigmentation in the eyes. As I’ve said, this is very uncommon in poodles. Another rare genetic abnormality that is sometimes found in poodle is the heterochromoa, where the dog may have two different eye color. Blue eye color should be checked out on a regular basis to ensure that there is no health issues.
In order to learn more about blue eye color, you can check this article out. You will know more about Merle gene and other conditions which can affect the health of your poodle.
As poodles are bred, you will find that different variations in eye color are passed down between each generations which tend to impact the phenotypes of the breed. Even though recessive trait are not very common they seem to find their way into the breed when these differences are allowed to be reproduced and within no time you will see a new line of poodles with specific genetic.
Change in Poodle Eye Color
It’s best to know that poodle eye color can change over a period of time. Sometimes when this happen it doesn’t need to raise any concern while other changes such as blue eyes should be monitored and check by your veterinarian. It’s not rare for brown coating poodle to have a variation of different eye colors such as green, blue or yellow that will eventually change to the color of brown as they get older.
One of the most common thing we normally see is dogs including poodles, start with lighter eyes which darken over time. As a puppy starts to grow, you can expect their melanin level to kick in. You don’t have to worry if your young poodle has noticeably light-colored eyes including blue and grey. If there are high amount of melanin levels within your poodle, as they grow their iris will begin to darken.
If it is a case where your poodle eyes begins to get lighter as they grow, this is definitely something that you should monitor as this could be related to vision deficiencies. It is safe to say that most color changes in terms of coat and eye color, tends to happen at a young age. If you still see this after they are two years old, check with your vet to see if there is any changes in their vision.
Identifying Eye Health Conditions in Poodles
One thing for sure is that poodles are at higher risk compared to other dog breeds when it comes to vision and eye problems due to heredity and their curly hair around the eyes that easily pick up all sort of debris. Cataracts are one of the most common thing eye risk for poodles compared to other dog breeds. The risk is hig especially for Toy and Miniature Poodles.
You should practice to take your poodle for regular check up and examine their eyes so that you can be aware of any medical problems. Identifying and treating any illness at an early stage is always the best thing to do which will ensure that your dog have a better quality of life.
Here are a few things that you should look out for to help identify eye problems in poodles:
- Watery eyes, squinting, blueness: if you notice any of these symptoms you should get your poodle check out as these are symptoms of glaucoma, which usually result in blindness. You’ll normally see the blueness in the cornea. These symptoms should be checked asap so that your dog can receive the best treatment.
- Cloudy eyes: if there’s a case where you’ve seen a cloudy or haze appearance on the eye lens, then this may be a sign of cataracts. This is usually caused by a recessive gene and tends to progress over time from birth or as a juvenile. Not only does cataracts lead to loss of vision but if not treated, it can cause blindness.
- Tear staining: the streak below the poodles eye are known to be the tear strains and they normally appear in reds and browns. Because poodles normally block tear ducts, the tear tends to appear in access around the eyes. Whenever debris is caught in the eye what usually happen is tears to form.
Another thing is that progressive retinal atrophy and optic nerve hypoplasia are two common eye diseases that can be found in poodles. These diseases are hard to trace because there is little to no symptoms in the eyes and are also considered to be very hard to treat. If a poodle start to experience vision loss the only thing you have to do is provide a fun and comfortable surrounding.
Conclusion
If your poodles has dark eyes then there’s a far less chance of them developing any one of these illnesses mentioned above. It’s very important to keep an eye out on your poodle eye color regardless of there eye color to ensure that they are healthy. You should keep in mind that eye color doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a health problem and can just simply mean that your poodle is unique.