A Curious Canine Oddity: Update 09/2024

The Eyes Have It

Logan is the sweetest, smartest,  and most interesting dog you’ll ever meet.  As an Aussiedoodle,  he is blessed with the long statuesque legs of a poodle and runs like the wind.  He dons a thick, curly black coat, and a docked tail, is hypoallergenic, and begets large, mesmerizing eyes that cast a spell of love on anyone he meets.  Logan’s intelligence is a natural gift since both the Australian Sheepdog and the poodle are extremely intelligent. A great example of this is Logan’s sincere interest in television. He watches it with zest, distinguishing different animals by barking or howling at them. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s able to read soon.

The subject of this post, however, is not about Logan the darling, but rather his strange facial oddity.  When Logan was 2 years old, the hair around his eyes turned snow white.!  Why did this happen at such a young age and is the breed at fault?   After extensive research, I could find no definitive answer, no absolute.

Vitiligo

Unfortunately, there is little information on why some dogs have white, circular hair around their eyes, other than Vitiligo, a disorder even scientists have no clear answer or cure for.  In dogs, vitiligo is a pigmentation abnormality of the melanocytes during young adulthood. Some studies have found that stress or an autoimmune response may also be responsible. (2) (5)

Although Vitiligo is considered a rare hereditary skin condition; it is not fatal, or even harmful to the dog, other than the “shock factor” he and his family are subjected to.

A Dog Named Rowdy

I was about to give up hope that any other dog looked similar to Logan when I stumbled upon an article from Rover.com entitled “When Black Dogs Turn White”, and was introduced to Rowdy.

Rowdy, a striking black lab, shocked the small town of Canby, Oregon, and the world when the story of his eyes went viral on the internet.  The article showcased the large white circles around Rowdy’s eyes and how they contrasted with his ebony coat. By exposing this singular case of Vitiligo and giving Rowdy’s condition a name, pet owners like Logan’s and Rowdy’s can sleep better at night knowing all is well.

Breeds Predisposed to Vitiligo (5)

1. Daschunds, 2. Siberian Huskies, 3. Belgian Tervuren, 4. Golden Retrievers 5.Yellow Labradors, 6.German Shepherds, 7. Doberman Pinscher, 8. Old English Sheepdog, 9. German Shorthaired Pointers,  10. Rottweilers

References

1.https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/aussiedoodle

2.https://wagwalking.com/condition/vitiligo

3.https://www.hillspet.com/pet-care/behavior-appearance/vitiligo-in-dogs-and-cats?lightboxfired=true#

4.https://www.rover.com/blog/all-about-dog-vitiligo-in/

5https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/vitiligo-dogs-and-cats-everything-you-need-know