The whole truth about the Merlè coloring

Does the Merlè coloring bring diseases? Let's clarify!

We ear and read too often about alleged terrible diseases related to Merlé-colored bullies.

Through this post, we will try to give you any information supported by some serious scientific data.

Let’s start to say that Merlé isn’t a true coloring but a patchy depigmentation effect on the coat.

Then the color changes according to the basic color of the dog. The gene responsible for this depigmentation is a dominant gene called "M", so if the dog has it its genetic background (Mm) this can be expressed in its phenotype.

This may suggest that Merlé litters are easy to obtain, but it is not true at all because the gene has a characteristic that can make it lethal. In fact, it is almost impossible to obtain all Merlé litters because two Merlé subjects can’t be paired.

If this was done, the puppies who inherited both Merlé "MM" genes from their parents would die in utero or be born with malformations so severe that they would not be able to live.

 Clearly this is well known, a serious and professional breeder would never pair two Merlé subjects (it would be so harmful for the mother and puppies,but it would be also not productive on an economic level).

However, we can say that Merlé subjects born from a Merlé and a non-Merlé parent are no less healthy than a bully of any other color.

In fact, an Mm subject is not only not a carrier of any disease due to its coloring or genetic status, but its health doesn’t depend on the coloring itself.

 In the article of the famous geneticist Denis Ferretti, who, although he is not a lover of the new colors, for intellectual honesty he is forced to admit that A MERLE DOG IS NOT LESS HEALTHY THAN A SUBJECT OF THE SAME RACE BUT WITH A STANDARD COLOR.

You can read the entire topic with the following link:

 So forget about all those metropolitan tales that intend to discredit Merlé coloring to those who, out of prejudice or personal interest, want to denigrate non-standard coloring.

There is a kind of social media war and even the real live, against this coloring that it is impossible for me that someone has not been alerted on the problem.

I wonder, why almost nobody knows that it is extremely dangerous to pair Caille’ or totally white subjects for a big risk that deaf puppies will be born.

Maybe because in the French Bulldog are colors considered standard?

But that's another topic.