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As reputable breeders of the breed for many years it is important that we mention the fact that the breed has a few very important health issues. The main ones for you to be aware of are that in the first section, with some minor ones listed at the bottom of this page. Please read what we have below and visit the links so that you are familiar with these issues.
Deafness is a genetic disorder found in the breed and can be detected before any pups are sold using a BAER test which most reputable breeders will do before putting pups up for sale. At the same time having parents of pups with both ears tested and hearing will reduce the incidence of this disorder over time (which is what we are doing). As this article points out a dalmatian with one ear hearing is almost impossible to detect and is fine for anyone looking for a pet, whereas the completely deaf dog should never be offered for sale.
the deaf dalmatian article link here
For a background on bladder stones:-
click here for reliable link on information on stones in dalmatians
Hence the bladder stone issue is important to be aware of if you have a male dalmatian in particular and ensuring that protein is kept low in the diet and that the dog always has water available to it, with ALL dry food soaked in water before giving it to your dog.
Heart problems have been known to occur in the breed, even if fairly rare. Reputable breeders will insist that the pups be tested by a vet prior to sale and should be able to rule this out in pups before sale. Always take your pup for its follow up vaccinations and get the pups heart checked at the same time.
There are other issues in the breed to be aware of (not life threatening nor major) but nevertheless are important to know when choosing this breed:-
a) the dalmatian sheds hair quite alot and the hairs are barb like that easily sit on clothes or anywhere the dog goes. Owners are aware and pick appropriate colours of clothing to wear and materials that do not attract the hair as much. At the same time owners who love the breed accept the issue and work around it.
b) the breed is very active (as they were bred to accompany horse drawn carriages and could travel 20km+ per day) and can be a nuisance if they are not exercised well and are not left to get bored. The breed prefers to be with people and is not really a pure outdoor dog with little interaction from its owners.
c) coat rashing (pyoderma) does occur from time to time and often is also related to high protein/purine diets. People who want help on this issue need to take their dogs off all meat, move the dog to dry food with low protein or perhaps move to pasta only for some time until the rashing recedes. Extreme cases may also need an injection from the vet. Another treatment that can improve the situation would be to wash the dog in anti fungal shampoo which most vets will have available.
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