Is it true?...albino boxer

douma · #1 24th October 2002, 10:42 PM

It is seems too strange to me and i would like your opinion
A woman breeder told me that you have to put the albinos boxer down when birth ,because whether or not they will die after 2-3 months

i have never heard something like that and i can't believe it

What do you think about?

brwneyesk8 · #2 25th October 2002, 06:20 PM

I saw a white boxer at the pet store (JUST LOOKING!!)

and I could see spots beneath the coat, but his eyes were blue.
Is he not an albino? Just a white boxer, right? He was so cute!
BIG paws! I didn't notice what color his nose was though.
What is the chance of a white boxer having hearing problems. Also, do they develop the problems at birth or later on?

I'll seach the forums for info, but if you know and you reply, thanks!!

douma · #3 25th October 2002, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Debbie Magon
Firstly many years of research has proven true abinos are rare in the canine world.
To be a true albino a dog must be lacking in all pigmentations.
The eyes would be blue, the nose and eye rims would not be black and no spotting or ticking would be seen in the white coat.

Yes,we are speaking about true albino dogs and she told me that they would put down albinos and would give as gift a white boxer as gift to a good family .
When i told her that i have seen an albino Great Dane who used to live many years she told me that GD is a different breed and doesn't have the some problems like a boxer!!!WHAT YOU COULD SAY!!

This woman you spoke to is certainly not a very good breeder as she knows little of the boxer and his history.
These people had little or no scientific knowledge of the variables in the boxer as a breed.

:

You are SO right

Thanks

JulieM · #4 26th October 2002, 06:44 AM

White Dobermans have blue eyes, but they are tyrosinase positive albino (although the "breeders" of the "rare white" Dobes will use the blue eyes as "proof" that they are not albino). They do not, however, have skin pigmentation and so have pink eyerims, nose and lips. Blue-eyed Boxers just lack pigmentation in the iris, and I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a white Boxer with a completely pink nose (at maturity

).

Albinism generally carries other health problems, as well, from photosensitivity or photophobia to vision, liver, kidney, skin, or neurological problems. Some forms of albinism are fatal. This site has a lot of information on albinism in Dobes and in other breeds (and species): www.whitedobes.com

mygirlmollie · #5 26th October 2002, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Hearing is controlled by the pigment gene there fore the more pigmentation (spots) a white dog possesses the higher the chance it will have hearing.

How very interesting, that's something I didn't know.

brwneyesk8 · #6 26th October 2002, 04:57 PM

Why is hearing controlled by the pigment gene? Or, better yet, How is hearing controlled by the pigment gene?

JulieM · #7 26th October 2002, 08:08 PM

Lack of pigmentation in the inner ear causes the sensory hair cells to die, which causes deafness.

brwneyesk8 · #8 26th October 2002, 09:30 PM

That's interesting. Thank you for the information. I hadn't thought about it that way.

JulieM · #9 27th October 2002, 06:07 AM

Albino Dobes are not really rare in this country, as there are several people purposely breeding them and they have formed their own White Doberman Club.

The whitedobes.com site that I mentioned has information on the health problems associated with albinism here:
http://www.geocities.com/~amazondoc/...l#albinohealth

Be sure to check the links, too, as they have information on research done on albinos in various species and the common problems found. Albinism is a mutation, and so is very different from a pigment-lacking white dog.

Certainly "normally" bred, pigmented dogs can have similar symptoms as albinos - just as colored Boxers can be deaf - but the fact remains that these problems occur with more frequency and are connected to the albinism (or the lack of pigment in white Boxers).

The link above also discusses the longevity of albino Dobes. I found it quite telling that, while the DPCA's Longevity Program recognizes dogs that live to be 10 years or older, the WDC's Longevity Program recognizes dogs that live to be 7. The average age for Dobes is 8; the DPCA's aim was to promote those dogs that are living longer than average; apparently the WDC is just happy to have dogs that make it to "almost-average" age....

The DPCA, when the first albinos appeared in the breed, formed a Committee to look into the matter. Their statement is here:
http://www.dpca.org/albinoinfo1.html

Sube Ru's mom · #10 28th October 2002, 09:36 AM

Julie- i went on the website but i couldnt find a picture of the "albino doberman" i was curious to see what it looked like. Would an albino boxer look the same way except that it is a boxer?
do you have a link with a pic?

JulieM · #11 28th October 2002, 09:43 AM

Here's one:

http://www.whitedoberman.org/bridge1.html

Sube Ru's mom · #12 28th October 2002, 09:47 AM

julie- nevermind i found a pic. IMO i do not think they are the prettiest dog, but that is my thought. I saw on another site where they were crossing a albino dob with a white boxer- WHY???
and they had 10 pups. they were cute, BUT LEAVE THE BREEDS ALONE.
Sorry this was OT but i was curious

I have never seen a albino boxer, but i can not imagine that you would be able to do the same things with an albino that you can do with a white or other color boxer because they are so sensitive to light and such, what do you think?