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blue and white border collies


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Hi

I posted in health about blue and white BC's and possible health issues and got some good info. However I would still like to hear from anyone who owns one. We are looking and a pup from our breeder and he is a blue. He's alert and right away I liked him.( I don't look at color or sex just the dog.)Ive read they may have health issues and I am just curious I really like this guy, and would be so grateful for any input.

Thanks

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Now do you mean actully blue (like a grayish color) or a blue merle?

 

http://www.gis.net/~shepdog/BC_Museum/Perm...oks_Health.html

 

The health is the same as in any other BC. They can get:

 

PRA (progressive retinal atrophy)

COA (Collie eye anomly)

Epilepsy

hip displaysia

endocrine and immune disease

osteochondritis dessecans (OCD)

 

----

lighter pigmented BCs (including mostly white with some black, lilac and australian reds) are more prone to deafness.

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I'm not an expert in breeding or genetics but in general, the rarer colors are often more prone to genetic problems. A Blue might be perfectly healthy of course. It could well be that the majority of blues are as healthy as the average BC. I would imagine that the more the dogs are being bred for color, the greater the risk than a blue popping up when breeding for other qualities like working ability.

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Blue color pops up once and awhile seemingly randomly....I really can't advise on the health issues associated with the color. However, I would expect the breeder to be surprised by the outcome. If the breeder planned for blue pups then I'd steer clear....it's probably a misguided breeding plan.

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Thanks for the info. The breeder was very shocked this was a first for her. I have a girl Jen I got from her 4 years ago and she is your typical blk&white and a dream, So very smart.

I like the breeder and she lets me spend time just observing as I said, at first I don't even want to know sex I am just looking for the right dog.This is the first boy we've had in a long time and I'm excited. Thanks again.

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If it was truly a random blue that popped up, I wouldn't worry about health. So far as I know, there aren't any genetic health problems specifically associated with the blues and lilacs. The problems really pop up when breeders are breeding FOR blues or lilacs, and those problems occur not due to color, but bad breeding.

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