Why green eye ???

[MissEllieMae]

Everyone know that red eye is a problem when taking pics of people who are directly in front of the camera but why are Miss Ellie's eyes green ?

[Nancy1999]

Here's an explanation about eye shine and how it relates to the type of coat. It is thought that a green eye shine indicates a silky coat, and this is related to the "tapetum", that causes the metallic like shine of the yorkie coat. Their hair is not black/black when it's silky, it's more of a metallic/black that can range from grayish silver to charcoal black, but if their coat will be silky, they often have green eye shine. This green eye shine is eliminated if the picture is taken in daylight or if additional lighting is used, it's only happens if you use a flash. Your baby will probably have a beautiful silky coat.

The eye in all animals except pigs and man have a reflective layer along the back of the retina called the tapetum. This layer serves to reflect light to allow maximal usage of the available light. In some animals the tapetum is colored in others it is not.

The reddish color that you see in human eyes is the reflection of the blood vessels in the back of the eye because the tapetum is NOT colored. This is the same in the "red eye" of the Yorkie.

The blue and green you see in the Yorkie's are from a pigmentation in the tapetum -- how this relates to coats I am not sure.....but could be that pigmentation of the eye and coat texture are related genetically. Tapetums are very beautiful -- metallic, brilliant colors in most animals.

You can watch Yorkies, clipped down or in full coat, outside in the sunshine ... and you can easily separate them into two groups - those with a "blue cast" to the coat, and those with a "gold cast" to the coat.

Those with gold or bronze cast to the coat have eyes that reflect a flash bulb or flashlight with the "red eye" or "shiny" red reflection to the pupil.......no pigment.

Those blue cast dogs always seem to reflect blue or green from the pupil.....pigment.
The "red eye" dog has a thicker, softer, more opaque (not shiny silky) coat ... silky coated pups look kind of straggly.

What is going on is that those with the gold/bronze cast has LESS eumelanin (black) and more phaomelanin (yellow). Typically phaomelanin (yellow) does NOT get put in the tapetum. So NO tapetal pigment results in red color from the blood vessels. Whereas the blue cast dogs have more eumelanin resulting in a pigmented tapetum and the reflection that you see is bluish or green. It's very similar in chocolate and black Labs-- chocolate labs tend to have pale gold or red tapetums while the black labs have brilliant green and blue tapetums.

Again it has to do with overall production of melanin (pigment) and where it is put. It also has to do with whether the dog carries the genes for true blue, clerical blue or black AND whether they also carry the gene for progressive graying (dilute). That is my explanation I have learned from study of the breed and genes and pigment.

Is it any wonder that Yorkies are difficult to breed to the standard......Eye Shine

[MissEllieMae]

Thank you Nancy. Couldn't have been answered better.

[motomomma317]

I just wanted to mention... I love it when dogs look like there smiling. Too cute.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by motomomma317

I just wanted to mention... I love it when dogs look like there smiling. Too cute.

Lol, he does look rather pleased with himself, he knows he's beautiful!

[RDB911]

interesting info..thanks for sharing Nancy

PS great pics

[Rhetts_mama]

Hmmm...now I'm going to have to try and get a picture of Rhett with the flash to figure out for sure what kind of coat he is going to have.

[Rhetts_mama]

So if I am reading this right, Rhett will most likely have the darker silky coat. Right?

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Rhetts_mama

So if I am reading this right, Rhett will most likely have the darker silky coat. Right?

Yes, I see the green, and his coat will probably be silky, but it's hard to say how dark, from the looks of his coat right now, it looks like he will retain the darkness. Females tend to get lighter as they grow older, and especially after pregnancy, so the darkness is related to hormones I'm sure. By the way, I'm only referring to the saddle area, not his head color. His head looks like it will be the tan color, but if he's like Joey and his head may turn white first, this too is a sign of a silky coat. I think Joey was around 11 months when he turned from white headed to tan headed. It literally seemed overnight. Rhett looks like he will have a much richer gold on his face, and it's beautiful.

[BellaDonna]

I have this blue reflection with Bella. It is almost impossible for me to get an indoor picture of her without it. She looks like she has lazer eyes!

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by BellaDonna

I have this blue reflection with Bella. It is almost impossible for me to get an indoor picture of her without it. She looks like she has lazer eyes!

Wow, those are unusual, they do have green in them but it's more of a blue green, almost aqua blue, very neat looking! I found I can eliminate it in Joey if I shine a light in his direction, you can even use a desk lamp with a 60 watt bulb shined toward his face, and it takes the flash effect away. How old is Bella, sometimes the green eye doesn't happen until over 8 months, but that looks different than the typical blue eye you get with puppies.

[BellaDonna]

Those pics are 2 and 3 weeks old when she was 15 and 16 weeks. She will be 20 weeks on Thursday.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by BellaDonna

Those pics are 2 and 3 weeks old when she was 15 and 16 weeks. She will be 20 weeks on Thursday.

I've never seen one so young have any shine like that, this is really neat. I think you will get a different color of green as she gets older, but I'm really wondering about what her coat will be like, I'm guessing very silky. I think red shine and brown/gold shine, have cotton coats. If I were you, I'd take lots of baby pictures, that's so cool.

[tarczely]

axel eyes show up blue, so I don't know ...noticed it when he was a puppy!

[yorkie-boxermom]

I have one boxer who's eyes look blue and one boxer who's eyes look amber in pictures.