Eyes

Question

Stormi   QUESTION: Yes i have a 7 week chihuahua i noticed she has a blue color haze over her eyes...i dont think she is blind because she follows our fingers but i didnt know if something is wrong with her eyes. Thank you for your help. I have attached a picture of her...the blue you see is what i see looking at her in person.
Brandi

ANSWER: Hi Brandi...

This is something that I'd definitely want to get checked out by a qualified veterinarian.  If she had it in just one eye, I'd be thinking that it was due to a corneal ulcer, but it's also possible that she had a bad eye infection before you got her and her eyes are scarred.  Shih Tzu dogs often get a condition where they have a blue haze over the eyes that's quite serious, but I've never heard of this occurring with a Chi.

It's so important to have our dog's eyes examined professionally because it's so easy to cause harm to them when trying to treat undiagnosed conditions at home.

Is Stormi what is called a "blue Chihuahua" meaning that her coat is blue in color?  I was asking because it's said that "blue Chihuahuas" carry a defective gene.  I'm unaware if that gene affects the eyes, but it often causes a problem with their coats.

Let me know if I can be of any further help.

Jo Ann

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Stormu is a blue chihuahua if I remember correctly when we got her she did have a lot of yucky stuff coming out of her eyes and it was green it is no longer happening the stuff that does come out is white but its more like eye burgers like I get and it happens very little do you think I can wait until I take her for her next set of shots or do I just need to bite the bullet and take her in thank you for your time I'm really concerned about her

Answer
Hi again Brandi...

Okay, Stormi is a "blue Chihuahua" and they do have their own set of problems.  

In California they've passed a law that you can't sell a puppy before it's 8 weeks of age (this law applies in many states) and much of this has to do with the health problems that may show up in just a few weeks that can be of such a great concern.  The fact that you got your little one and she had "green stuff" coming out of her eyes tells me that she had a major eye infection going on.  It could have been conjunctivitis, but still....  

Brandi, I can tell you that the sooner you see to eye problems, the better the chance of having them successfully resolved and not having your puppy suffer from further damage.  Actually, every manufacturer of vaccines has a disclaimer that says that you should only vaccinate HEALTHY pups, so I DO think that you should see to this eye problem before even considering further vaccines.  Having said that, I do want you to keep Stormi away from areas where other dogs congregate and please don't visit animal shelters and places where you can pick up airborne viruses that you can bring home to Stormi on your clothes or shoes.

You are most certainly invited to join a Yahoo group I run and I think you have the ability to contact me privately so that I can  invite you to the group.

Please write me again and...better yet, join my Yahoo group.  I commend you for being so concerned for Stormi

Jo Ann