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My family adopted a dog last September 2017 that was classified as a Chuiahuah mix breed. He has tannish and white coloring and looks an awful lot like a Pappilion type breed on the internet. This dog has not the appearance of a Chihuahua to me and has very light colored eyes where the eyes of the Pappilion type have dark eyes. he has the Butterfly type ears, his long legged and has the long feathered tail like the Pappilion my question is: This dog when he goes outside closes his eyes quite a bit, I am sure due to the lightness of his eyes. is this something that needs treatment? Any ideas or advice? We have not done any type of blood work done to verify the true breed of dog that he is.
DNA tests are not that reliable; I wouldn't waste the money. Visual identification is still the best way to guess or determine breed. Unfortunately, most people involved in dog rescue are not that dog knowledgeable; they simply love dogs. One look through petfinder will give you a good laugh at some of the breed labels they put on them! One group tried to pass off an ugly blue nose pit bull as a Thai Ridgeback! LMAO. Nevermind that a Thai Ridgeback is a very rare breed with only a 100 give or take in the US and commanding top dollar if you can even manage to get your hands on one. But yeah, this rescue just happened to have one. ~smh ~. Seriously, sometimes there are absolutely zero traits of the breeds they claim a dog to be; they just pull something out of thin air. If you think it looks most like a Papillion, it probably is but a purebred breeder would be able to give you better insight. I would ask the vet about the eyes.
My family adopted a dog last September 2017 that was classified as a Chuiahuah mix breed. He has tannish and white coloring and looks an awful lot like a Pappilion type breed on the internet. This dog has not the appearance of a Chihuahua to me and has very light colored eyes where the eyes of the Pappilion type have dark eyes. he has the Butterfly type ears, his long legged and has the long feathered tail like the Pappilion my question is: This dog when he goes outside closes his eyes quite a bit, I am sure due to the lightness of his eyes. is this something that needs treatment? Any ideas or advice? We have not done any type of blood work done to verify the true breed of dog that he is.
Does the breed really matter? Bloodwork can identify what's in there, but it won't be a 100% perfect answer. There is a lot of variation in both breeds and these sorts of traits are very common. If he seems light-sensitive have a vet examine his eyes. The pupil is what reacts to light primarily, not the iris. It may be nothing but a normal reflex, not a problem.
Other than that, regular vets can not diagnose eye problems. It requires a lot of expensive specialty diagnostic equipment. So, you need to go to a canine ophthalmologist .
If you check online for a nearby AKC show, sometimes they have a CERF clinic where an ophthalmologist does eye exams for a reduced price. You don't get a complete exam, but you do get a specialist to examine the eyes and there are a lot of things he can diagnose with what he has at the show.
If the show is offering CERF exams, you will have to call and set up an appointment. The doctor will be booked solid, so there are no walk-ins. You have to get there early so your dog can have the drops that dilate the pupil before the vet examines the dog.
The CERF clinic is at a lot of dog shows because responsible breeders won't breed a dog that doesn't have eyes certified clear of genetic disease and the certification must be redone once a year. So the show dog people get together and pool their funds to get a good group rate.
Shelters only give a best guess as to breed and they don't claim purebred unless they have papers to prove it as it should be. Last time I went we were looking at a tiny dog listed as a chihuahua but it had the look of a terrier. The worker said they just see it's a teeny tiny puppy and list it as chihuahua because of the size though they thought it'd be a mix of something else- it was anyone' guess.
In the end though it doesn't really matter. Maybe you have a tiny mutt or something mixed with a long-haired chihuahua either way the squinting doesn't sound related. Dogs sometimes do squint in bright sun or when they are smelling something but they are largely visual and will minimize squinting as much as possible in general (some are more scent oriented and others are more visual depending on breed biology). They wouldn't be walking around at dusk with squinty eyes on a half hour walk-about. Check with your vet to make sure your pups eyes are working properly if the squinting doesn't fit the environment (bright light, smelly things, walks where the attention is on you).
Agree, the dog needs to go to a vet and have it's eyes checked.
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