Q: Do Pomeranians with blue eyes have an increased risk of eye related health issues? Do they go blind more easily?
A:
In most cases, no. The only time that an issue may arise is if the puppy was the result of breeding merle to merle, making the Pom a 'double merle'. This may lead to vision issues and other eye defects.
Q: Up until what age can a Pomeranian have changes to her eye color?
I'd swear that my 4 year old Pom has much lighter eyes than she used to.
A:
While the most noticeable changes will take place when the Pom is very young (from when eyes open at 2 weeks old up until 4 months old), there can definitely be subtle changes for quite some time.
As the Pom matures, eyes can lighten or darken somewhat… and then just when you think that the color has finally set in stone, when a dog starts to mature from adult to senior, there may be another slow and gradual change (more ahead on senior issues). With the very rare hazel eyes, it is common for there to be changes in intensity all throughout the dog's life.
Q: What is considered normal eye color changes with senior Pomeranians and what would point to a problem?
A:
As dogs age into seniors, it is not uncommon for the eyes to develop a blueish tint or a slight haze, particularly noticeable over the pupil area. You can sometimes see this with Poms that are 10+ years. The medical term for this is lenticular sclerosis or nuclear sclerosis. This is considered to be a normal part of aging for canines and does not affect vision to any notable degree.
However, it is important for this to not be mistaken for a clouding of the eyes due to cataracts, which can affect vision. While this most often affects older dogs, it can be present at birth (congenital) or develop early (juvenile).
With cataracts, there will a change to the eye color in one or both eyes (though usually both); this will be a blue, gray or white tint or haze to them.
It is important to report any clouding, hazing or color changes to the vet so that a determination can be made as to whether it is due to lenticular sclerosis, cataracts or another issue.
Q: If I were to try and breed for green eyed Pomeranians or blue eyed Poms (a possible goal in the very far future), what pairings could produce those eye colors?
A:
Green or hazel eyes are tied to Chocolates and Blues and blue eyes are tied to Blues and Merle, though blue eyed Pomeranians with any Merle are currently frowned upon by the AKC.
You would need to limit the sires and dams to those colors. For example, if you brought a black Pom
into the program, that would erase the potential green eyes.