Quote Originally Posted by Russ Lawson View Post
Deformity implies a disfigurement of the animal in all of those definitions... I agree absolutely that a colour/pattern mutation is a defect (because it is), but not a deformity (unless you want to get really technical down to the mutated proteins which are causing the mutation to be expressed as it is).
I agree to a certain point but is a variation in color a defect? Are different colored dogs or even people defects? Maybe its just my interpretation but to me a defect implies something wrong. Deformity would imply a physical malformation. A variation in color or pattern is more of a mutation which is not necesarily a negative as a defect or deformity imply.

Thats how I interpret it at least.