eiyieyie, am I the only one who thought they were Blue? Mack is gorgeous Kendra! This whole Blueborn thing is so sad, I'm so happy he ended up with you to take care of him.

I am unaware of the "blue" yorkies. Can someone direct me to a link where I can read more about this?

I agree with the others, thanks so much for helping to educate people, and while I know your boy isn’t as sick as some, I’m glad you don’t sugarcoat the facts to make it sound like they will all be as healthy as Mack. It kills me when I read that some breeders are trying to profit from these babies, by calling them “rare” and I hope no buyer ever is tempted to seek one out unless it’s a rescue type of situation. Glad Mack found a good mama!

search my screen name!! There's are kinds of info!

Dogs that are born blue carry the dilute gene of dd, which should NOT be in the Yorkshire Terrier breed because it causes the "Blue born puppy." It is a genetic mutation in color. These little puppies are prone to other health problems like skin issues, blindness, deafness and more.

So can this show up in just any line? Do they know where it comes from? I can see how a byb or puppy mill would not care a bit about the issue but does it also show up in what some consider a "reputable" breeder's line?

It actually has. I have NO CLUE where it came from. I don't think anyone does! And its sadly happening more and more.

Oh, no. I'd hate to think of the temptation it would be for a breeder to just chuck a blue born puppy and pretend it didn't happen. I know many would not do that but I also know that there are those who would. And what a disaster to an established line!

You can read about "dilute' in lots of places since the dilution factor (DD, Dd, dd) exists in dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. I had a dilute calico cat...blue, cream, and white...not red, black and white. She was a beautiful, sweet, smart and wonderful girl who loved the camera, but was more fragile than the non-dilute colored cats. She was hyper-sensitive to certain foods, etc. and spent more time with the vet than all the others due to sensitivities. All of my dilute cats have been more fragile.

Dilute is not responsible for the color change from black to blue in Yorkies...there is a greying gene which changes black to blue. How "dilute" got into the Yorkie breed may never become known, but to get into the lines, it had to have been present, probably as a "carrier" (where it would have been 'invisible') in a breeding animal at some point...maybe from the start...dunno. It would manifest when paired as "dd" otherwise it would propagate as a "carrier" with Dd or be 'absent' as DD.

My babies
 

Hi Kendra, I have a blue born as well. Dozer is now 7 months. I actually took him and his sister Fendi (not blue) knowing he could have health issues. He doesn't have the energy his sister has and takes longer to process request but he can fetch, shake, plays tug a war, and likes the water. He is a loving baby that I wouldn't trade for anything. (Yes both are fixed).

Just a few weeks ago I sent someone from a FB yorkie group here because she had a blue born. Kendra, your education and resources on this subject are for sure making a difference.
Sadly so many people are backyard breeders without even knowing it. They think 'oh I'll just have one litter' or 'oh it'd be fun to have puppies' or 'oh I'll make some money' and they don't think of all the possible things that could go wrong. Unless you are dedicated to doing the testing and making sure you are breeding for health and temperment (which if your doing it right won't make you any money) please spay and neuter. Sadly I see yorkies in the shelter all the time, just because they are cute won't save them from being pts if their time is up.

It is important that people that do not know about all this "blue born puppy" stuff are aware that it is NOT the same "blue" that is on the color code in the breed standard. I think it is very important the the phrase "blue born puppy" be absolutely totally clarified as NOT the color in the breed standard "gold and blue" or "tan and blue"..... While those of us that are knowledgable about "blue born puppies" may not have even thought of a possible point of confusion in terminology, I was alerted to this possibility when another poster made the statement ,"I was unaware of 'blue' Yorkies".......I want to be absolutely certain that people understand a "blue born" is NOT the same thing as a "gold and blue" Yorkie, which is a color in the breed standard we strive for. I appreciate your phrasing in your explanation Kendra, "blue born", and not just mentioning the color "blue".....

Good point.

I didn't know what this meant either. I really thought it had something to do with the color blue. I had no idea what a dangerous condition it is. This is what a good forum is all about. Sharing experience and knowledge with others in order to protect this beautiful breed of animal.

I had no idea
 

I just brought Sophie home a couple of weeks ago. She has an unusual coat and eye color and I posted her pics on an FB page to see if anyone else has had a pup like this. Got a couple of cute puppy relies and then one that first confused me and then terrified me. The woman commented that she looks like she could have been blue born. First thought wth is blue born? Second was that google was scaring the crap out of me.

Sophie has been to the vets, I took care of that as soon as I got her. She was declared very healthy. I pointed out the fine wiry back hair and the vet agreed that it was fine but wasn't concerned about it. Blue born or something like that was not even in my thoughts. All I was curious about was what she may look like later. Every new parent is curious about their kids future :) I have ordered a genetic test but am really beside myself with worry. If she is blue born she will have the very best life I can give her and thankfully the other thing I took care of straight away was medical insurance. I just can't seem to find much info about quality of life. Right now she's super cuddly, insanely playful and well aside from weird fur and light eyes she great.

There are really no pics of blue born pups aside from newborn that I can find so I am unable to tell. I can't believe that anyone would intentionally sell a sickly pup. If the test is positive I know where the breeder lives.....