Dalmatian Health Care & Feeding

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Dalmatian Health Problems

Or check out my advice for raising a healthy Dalmatian puppy or adult dog:

Complete list of Dalmatian health problems

Urinary disease

The Dalmatian Club conducted a health survey that included 763 Dalmatians. The average lifespan was reported to be just under 10 years and the most common cause of death was urinary/kidney/liver disease (32%).

Indeed, the urinary tract is a major weakness in Dalmatians, who are prone to forming urinary stones throughout their life.

This is because all Dalmatians are born with a defective urinary system that cannot break down uric acid, which is a normal byproduct whenever your dog digests food.

Breeds with a normal urinary system can break down uric acid and pass it harmlessly in their urine. In Dalmatians, uric acid accumulates into crystals, which can clump into stones in the bladder.

Males form about 95% of the stones in the breed, and about one-third of males is a stone former. Unfortunately, stones can be life-threatening in males because a stone can completely block their long, narrow urinary tract. A female's urinary tract is shorter and wider and thus passes stones more readily.

Along with uric acid stones, struvite and calcium oxalate stones can also form in Dalmatians.

Inherited deafness

The second major health problem in Dalmatians is deafness (inherited deafness, not old-age deafness).

About 33% of all Dalmatians (1 of every 3) are born deaf in one or both ears.

Specifically, about 12% are deaf in both ears (bilateral deafness), while another 22% are deaf in one ear (unilateral deafness).

Skin and coat conditions

One of every 2-3 Dalmatians is affected by some type of skin condition, especially allergies, which cause itchy skin and can lead to chronic bacterial infections.

Dalmatian Bronzing Syndrome is a type of folliculitis that causes inflammatory bumps and patchy hair loss so that the coat looks moth-eaten. When serium oozes out during the inflammatory process, pigments in that serum stain the coat a permanent pinkish-bronze.

Dalmatians are also susceptible to sunburn and thus to skin cancer (especially squamous cell carcinoma).

Demodectic mange can occur in young Dalmatians.

Epilepsy & thyroid disease

Recurrent seizures with an unknown cause (idiopathic) are called epilepsy. The number of Dalmatians with epilepsy has become a concern. Research is continuing into the heritability of epilepsy in Dalmatians.

Thyroid disease is also increasing in Dalmatians. About one in four Dalmatians are affected by thyroid disease.

Miscellaneous

Eye diseases include cataracts, corneal dystrophy, glaucoma, eyelish abnormalities, and others.

The good news is that the orthopedic diseases that are rampant in many breeds are less so in Dalmatians. Hip dysplasia occurs, but when the hip X-rays of over 3900 Dalmatians were evaluated, 4% were deemed dysplastic. That's pretty good for this size dog.

Very serious health issues reported occasionally in Dalmatians include copper toxicosis, laryngeal paralysis, megaesophagus, polyneuropathy, and lysosomal storage disease.

Preventing health problems

Some health problems are inherited. For example, if your dog inherits from his parents the genes for an eye disease called PRA, he will go blind and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

But most health problems can be prevented by the ways you raise your dog.

My best-selling book, 11 Things You Must Do Right To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy shows you how to raise your Dalmatian in all the right ways that help prevent health problems. Become your dog's health care champion!