This message is from: Mark and Lisa McGinley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"B. Hendricks" wrote: > > > This also occurs in other animals (lethal white) and quite often in > Australian Shepherd dogs, where if the white pups do survive, they are > either blind or deaf or both. This only happens when two Merles, either Red Merles or Blue Merles are bred together. The Merling gene is the one that causes the swirling patchy pattern in an otherwise solid color Aussie. It's also a recessive gene. There is a 25% chance (genetically) of getting a lethal white. Some breeders don't breed Merle to Merle crosses for this reason. This is also why even excessively white healthy dogs are faulted at shows. Mark McGinley Mariposa
