Though we may think it’s one more thing to add to the cuteness of our four-legged companions, Heterochromia is actually a birth defect that affects both humans and pets.
In this post we will go over the different types of hetero, what breeds are more likely to suffer from this defect and overall, what heterochromia is.
Types of Heterochromia
Heterochromia shows up in the following three ways:
Heterochromia iridis: Also known as complete heterochromia, this is when one eye is an entirely different color from the other one. This is the most common form seen in cats and dogs.
Sectoral heterochromia: This occurs when the iris is only partially blue. This form is rarer than Iridis but still more noted than central:
Central heterochromia: With this type of heterochromia, the blue coloring radiates the outer rim of the pupil, mixing with another color in a spiked pattern. This is the rarest form of hetero in animals but more common in humans. In fact, it’s so common in humans that most people don’t realize they have it.
Heterochromia is most common among these breeds:
Australian cattle dogs
Australian shepherds
Border collies
Chihuahuas
Dachshunds
Dalmatians
Great Danes
Shetland sheepdogs
Siberian huskies
Shih tzus
Dogs with hetero do not typically suffer from blindness or vision problems nor do they suffer from hearing loss, another common myth about hereditary heterochromia. However, it does not mean the dog does not suffer from a health problem. Heterochromia can come from an eye injury or eye condition such as cataracts or glaucoma. However, most cases of hetero are hereditary and present at birth and inherited from a parent or grandparent.
Heterochromia is not treatable for this reason. Also, heterochromia is uncommon in dogs as only 3.5% of the canine population will have this enigma. Surprisingly it is way more common in felines. So, your pup having those pretty blue and brown eyes just makes them a little bit more special than they already are.
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