I had to come back and comment again. Is your vet determining she is merle simply because she has blue eyes? Because being merle would also affect her coat coloring. I looked at your pictures but I couldn't see her coloring well and in some pics she had on clothes.
These are merle dogs sometimes called dappled.
http://www.dappledachshundpuppies.co...MG_3524_2_.JPG http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...iqxAC7h79ATzTK http://www.dogsindepth.com/herding_d..._merle_h03.jpg
Dalmatians carry the sw piebald gene, not merle. This is called extreme piebald. They can also produce puppies with blue eyes. This is because the same gene responsible for their lack of color...can also suppress the pigment in the eye which results in the blue color.
Many breeds produce deaf puppies but scientifically there is a prevalence in breeds which carry sp, sw piebald and the merle gene.
Not all blue eyed dogs are deaf and not all deaf dogs have blue eyes. Not all white dogs with blue eyes are deaf but they are more
prone. White cats with blue eyes are also frequently deaf.
There are many many breeds who carry piebald genes...boston terriers, cotons (who are all white and considered one big white spot), beagles, english cockers, bull terriers, jack russels..and the list goes on and on.
Your breeder needs to be informed and she should never repeat that breeding. Personally I wouldn't advise breeding to any animal which has produced a deaf puppy.
A long time ago there was a blue eyed puppy for sale on puppyfind. This is the only blue eyed biewer I have ever seen.
Hth.