22/02/2026
For the sake of transparency I wanted to come on here and talk about my Bang x Enzo breeding. I’ve been waiting a year to talk about this because I wanted to have a recheck before going public.
5 out of 8 puppies in my Bang x Enzo breeding were born with something called a “fetal nuclear y cataract”. The attached photo is from an ophthalmology book that the DVM ophthalmologist gave me. As you can see from the paragraph, this is a fluke thing that happened in utero. Bang did have a bacterial infection, which we treated, but found prior to breeding. So it’s possible this is a result of that infection.
I had my litter examined by two DACVO vets and got a third opinion from a DACVO on three of them (that’s what I had left locally). Two of the three vets agreed this was FNYC. These cataracts are not progressive. They don’t get bigger with age. They are tiny. They don’t affect their vision. This is not genetic, but if I do breed a dog from this litter all puppies will be examined by a DACVO.
Because of this issue I took a deep dive into BSD hereditary cataracts. HC is a problem in Belgians. Unfortunately there is no testing for it except to do regular eye exams. All BSD puppies should be examined by a vet at 8 weeks of age. Belgians with HC don’t seem to have eyesight issues and as far as anyone can tell - they aren’t progressive like they are in other breeds. Dave Vesley, a Groen breeder took a deep dive into research on HC. You can read his article here:
https://belgianshepherdhealthproject.org/articles/hereditary-cataracts-in-the-belgian-shepherd/
In his experience he had bred an affected dog and the dog only reproduced it in one puppy (that they know of). It’s difficult because I think HC dogs that aren’t affected can possibly carry and produce it. This is why eye exams are so important in the breed. And it’s important also to do them young, and throughout their lives so if they develop something you have a timeline.
I want to reiterate my litter DOESNT have HC. What they have will not get worse with age, they are too tiny to affect their vision, and it happened during gestation. Ellie had a recheck today and nothing has changed, if anything they are smaller because she has grown.
Bang & Stuck had their eye exams today as well and both were normal. Ana also had a normal eye exam. I check my dogs yearly and recommend the same to those who get a dog from me.
It is highly likely I will move forward with breeding Ellie, if I do I will be completely transparent again about this issue. And as always my litter will get eye exams! But I feel confident it’s not hereditary.
My biggest take away and something I want to just shout at all Belgian Breeders - get those eyes checked! It’s required for a CHIC number because there are eye issues in the breed. It’s a total disservice to not check breeding stock and puppies!
