Our 5 week old yellow (white) lab's nose is a pink to light
brownish color and he also has a pinkish color around his
eyes and lips. Will this color stay or will it darken
as he gets any older? I have read over the internet
that this is rare and called "Dudley". Then I read
on
the AKC page that this is a disqualification. This puppy was the
pick of the litter of 13 puppies and we were told that he has all the positive
traits in a lab. Please help.
Dr. DeMichael: My first question is why did the
breeder let you take a five week old puppy from the litter!
My second question is: what color are the parents?
If one parent is yellow and one is chocolate my answer
would likely be different than if both were yellow or one
was yellow and one was black.
Yellow Labrador pups are born with a pink nose, lips,
pads, etc. until the pigmentation cells begin to exert
their influence and a black color begins to fill in. This
pigmentation process usually begins within several days
of birth and develops over the first several weeks of life.
Some may take a bit longer than others, but very definite
signs are clearly present by five weeks in the vast majority
of cases. As example, right now I have a litter of two
and a half week old yellow pups in a whelping box behind
me. At this stage, every one of them has a black nose,
pads, mouth, etc.
A "Dudley" is usually the product of a chocolate and yellow
mating. For this reason, i.e. pigmentation effects, it
is unfavorable to breed these two colors. However, in a
smaller percentage of cases a Dudley can occur from the
mating of two black parents who carry a certain genetic
make-up for coat and pigment color.
Puppies change daily. The best medicine I have found to
treat most cases dealing with pediatrics is sunshine and
time.
Now I must add my personal subjective opinion having raised
many, many pups and foals over the years. As mentioned,
young animals change so very rapidly that it is very, very
difficult to judge at 5 weeks of age, what he/she will
look like as an adult. They go through such different and
individual growth spurts that what looks terrible at six
weeks of age may look great at six months. As for "pick
of the litter" this may mean something entirely different
to you as it might to me. It is all relative to what traits
you feel are most desirable to your preferences. I could
go on and give you many examples but that should give you
the picture.
In closing, if you purchased a puppy as a potential "show" dog
or one that you could at least compete in the ring with,
then you should have the right to have a dog with proper
pigmentation. This goes for breeding purposes as well.
If you were primarily interested in a family companion
that would not be shown or bred, the outcome of the pigmentation
issue may not be of major consequence.
You know what my biggest concern is? Why a 5 week old
pup was released to you.
I hope this is some help.
