Why Do Huskies Have Different Colored Eyes? You Might Be Surprised

If your husky has different colored eyes, don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with your dog. The vision of your dog is all right.

Huskies have different colored eyes because of heterochromia. This condition occurs due to the uneven distribution of melanin. This results in Husky eyes being different in color from each other.

If you want to know exactly why Husky eyes are different colored, you will find the answer here. You must continue reading to clear all doubts and fears arising in your mind. 

What Causes Heterochromia?

If you have seen a Husky whose eyes are different in color, you have seen an animal having heterochromia. It is not the case that only huskies have this condition. Any animal, bird, and human too can have this condition.

This condition is caused by an excess or shortage of melanin in the eyes. Now, what is melanin? Melanin is a pigment that adds color to your eyes. This pigment is present in eyes, hair, and skin. 

A Husky can have heterochromia due to any illness, but this is a very rare case. The primary reason behind this phenomenon is based on genetic grounds. Mostly, a Husky whose Husky eyes are different in color has received this trait from its parent. 

Most of the time, genes are responsible for this condition. This is known as congenital heterochromia. According to some studies conducted, this situation is often a result of insufficient genetic diversity.

The huskies who possess a piebald collaboration have more chances of having different colored eyes. Apart from huskies, some other animals are prone to this condition. These animals include Malamutes, Great Danes, and Dalmatians. Apart from these, the list also includes Shephard dogs, Dachshund, Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, and many more. 

What Are The Different Types of Heterochromia?

You can find different types of heterochromia. The types are mentioned below:

• Complete Heterochromia

You may have seen a Husky eye to be completely blue, and the other eye is of a completely different color. This condition is known as complete heterochromia.

• Partial Heterochromia

This refers to a condition when the pigmentation is in different areas of the Husky eyes.

Different Beliefs about Heterochromia

The Native Americans consider a blue Husky eye a ‘ghost eye.’ They put these huskies in a superior position. They believe that the blue eye is connected to incidents of Heaven, and the Husky can have a vision of Heaven. According to their belief, the other eye is to view things happening on the Earth.

Effects of Heterochromia on Health

Many people believe that animals with blue eyes are suffering from various issues. Some believe that these huskies are deaf. They also think they cannot see in their blue Husky eye. However, none of these thoughts or believes are true.

It is just a myth that the Huskies having heterochromia are more prone to suffer from issues like deafness and blindness. If such things happen in a husky with heterochromia, it will just be a case of coincidence. 

As already mentioned earlier, huskies having a piebald correlation has more chances of having heterochromia. A study suggests that this piebald correlation is related to deafness and blindness in a similar manner. In simple words, a dog having a piebald correlation have more chances to be blind and deaf.

So, people tend to confuse these things. In reality, heterochromia has nothing to do with blindness and deafness. You can have peace of mind if your husky is having the condition of heterochromia.

Another belief among people is that husky is blind in the lighter-colored eye. In reality, this is not the case. However, exceptions are there.

Do Huskies Suffer Pain Due to Heterochromia?

Don’t worry, your husky is not experiencing any kind of pain due to the condition of heterochromia. However, according to some researches, huskies with different-colored Husky eyes are more sensitive to light. This is the case of the lighter-colored because it consists of a lower amount of melanin.

The lighter-colored eye has less melanin which causes less blocking of light. This can be a bit uncomfortable for your husky. In such cases, you can help your pet by keeping it inside on bright days. Try keeping them away from sunlight on these days.

You can take them out at dawn or after the sunlight fades. Also, you can help your Husky by giving them goggles or sunglasses. You can find goggles that are specifically designed for dogs. Your pet will look cool in these goggles.

Do all Huskies with Heterochromia have blue eyes?

If you think that all the Huskies with this condition come with blue eyes, you are wrong. There are many Huskies with brown eyes too. In fact, 40 % of this breed comes with brown eyes. The color can range from dark chocolate brown to amber. These Husky eyes look very attractive.

There are some who believe that the breed of brown-colored is not pure. However, in reality, this is never the case. In fact, this is just another myth and is not based on any reason.

Bi-Eyed Huskies

Huskies are referred to as bi-eyed if the eyes are of two different vibrant colors. In most cases, one eye is blue, and the other Husky eye is brown. As per the researches, bi-eyed Huskies constitute about 15% of all Huskies.

These Huskies are not very common. However, there is no evidence that these Huskies suffer from blindness or any similar issues. They have properties similar to the other Huskies.

Husky with Parti-Colored Eyes 

This trait is even rarer than the bi-eyed Huskies. It constitutes about 5% of all huskies. In these dogs, you will find both blue and brown are blended in both the Husky eyes.

As this trait is very rarely found, some people can take property as a health problem. It may appear a bit strange to people. As researches show, these dogs are perfectly healthy and have no such issues.

Do Husky eyes Have Changing Colors?

Most of the Huskies have blue eyes at birth. When they become of the age 5 to 8 weeks, their eyes’ color usually starts to change. 

This color change matters on many factors. The primary factor is the genetic structure of the husky. Second, the color change depends on the amount of melanin present in the eyes.

As observations were made in a Husky, as a puppy, it had blue eyes. As it started growing, the blue eyes started changing into light browns. In rare cases, it can change into green eyes too. The color of Huskies’ eyes is usually very vibrant.

In this way, the color of their eyes is changed. Sometimes, it turns brown, and in some cases, the color remains the same. In few cases, it turns to bi-eyed condition. Very rarely, it turns to part-colored Husky eyes.

Some Other Surprising Features of Huskies

• Huskies are excellent runners. Also, these dogs can bear the freezing cold. They are, in fact, the ideal sled dog. They have the capacity to live on very little food. This makes them ideal for mountainous areas. 

• These dogs have a lot of features that keep them warm. They have a thick double coat. This feature helps them to be well insulated in the freezing winter months. Their over-coat is water-resistant. This helps them to survive in areas like Alaska.

• They keep their tails on their faces when they sleep. They do this to keep their tails warm with their breath. It also keeps their face and nose warm.

• If you are looking for a watchdog, the husky is not a good option for you. They are actually charming dogs who are very friendly, even with strangers. However, the dog has a fierce look. This fierce and angry look keeps all intruders away.

• Also, these dogs are great at escaping. They can easily escape from your home. So, you need to always keep an eye on them. However, they are loyal to their masters like any other dog.

• During the world war, these dogs were used as search and rescue dogs. They also helped in transportation and communications during the time. 

End Notes

Many dog-lovers find Huskies attractive due to their eye-color. Huskies have different-colored eyes, and this feature makes them special. This also makes the owner of the husky feel special. Their eyes are so beautiful that you will not be able to keep your eyes off.

Still today, many beliefs and myths are revolving around the eyes of the husky. But, most of these have no realistic backgrounds. The Huskies do not suffer from any health issues due to heterochromia.

The condition is caused by a genetic mutation, and you don’t need to worry about deafness or blindness. Most of the Huskies are absolutely fine and healthy.