Do Merle French Bulldogs Have Blue Eyes? How Long Do They Last?
Blue eyes make viewers crazy, but do merle French bulldogs have blue eyes as well? Lovers of merle French bulldog may have various queries in their mind about the blue eye of this dog. Do they actually have blue eyes? If they have blue eyes, do they last forever? Now you have to stay calm and read the complete article because all the answers regarding the blue eyes of this dog will be answered in this article.
Merle French bulldogs are most likely to develop full blue eyes or partially blue eyes, and they may also have full or partial pink noses. Unlike the regular French bulldogs, whose blue eyes become dark after few weeks, the merle Frenchies‘ eyes remain blue forever. There are various causes of blue eyes, and various eye problems are also associated with blue eyes. Read to complete article to know about them.
Why Merle French Bulldogs have Blue Eyes?
Merle gene
The merle gene or M-locus can be responsible for blue eyes in these dogs. This gene makes the pigment light, which results in making the eye, fur, and nose color light. The cells in their bodies don’t create enough pigment. That’s the reason these dogs’ eye color remains bright blue forever.
Melanin level
The quantity of melanin-producing in the body also plays a vital role in making the eye color dark or bright. Melanin is the dark brown to black pigment present in the hair, eyes, and iris area. More melanin production means dogs will have dark eyes, and low melanin production means dogs will have bright color eyes.
Merle gene can also have its effect on melanin level. The merle gene alters the eumelanin level (dark melanin pigment). This alteration can be the cause of pigment loss, making the eye color bright blue.
Do Blue Eyes of Merle French Bulldogs are Actually Blue?
Not at all; they just appear to be blue; however, in reality, they are colorless. The dogs with blue eyes don’t contain any pigment. According to ScienceAlert, blue eyes are actually colorless. But why they appear to be blue? When the light enters the eye and scatters back, it creates a blue hue due to the Tyndall effect. That’s why the blue color of eyes depends upon the amount of available light when you are looking at them.
For your understanding, just think about the sky and water. Both are colorless, but they appear blue due to the light condition.
Eye Problems Associated With Blue Eyes in Merle French Bulldogs
It’s not always the case, but blue eyes can cause the following problems in these dogs. These eye abnormalities can occur in one or both eyes.
Cataracts
These dogs can have cataracts problems, which can make their vision blurry. It happens due to the changes in water balance in the lens of the eyes or due to the proteins break down in the lens. The lens of the eyes may look like a cloudy window in this condition.
Coloboma
In this condition, the part of the eye goes completely missing, causing the irregular or odd shape of the eye.
Blindness
If both parents of the merle French bulldog carry the merle genes, then there is a possibility that their merle French bulldog puppy may become blind. It’s not always the case, but it can happen.
Final Verdict
Merle French bulldogs are most likely to have blue eyes, which are colorless in reality but appear to be blue. There are various reasons behind that. It’s true, blue eyes make the dog look very appealing, but blue eyes can cause various eye issues. It’s not always the case that a blue-eyed merle French bulldog will have eye problems, but there are some chances that it may suffer from some problems.
