Alphadal Aint She Sweet Running
​Alphadal Dalmatians
Health.......
The two main health issues that affect Dalmatians are Hearing & Urinary Stones.
HEARING
As with many other animals with white fur, Dalmatians can be affected by deafness in one or both ears. It is therefore important to ensure that all Dalmatians are tested. The test for deafness is called the BAER test which stands for Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response. The test is carried out on puppies over 6 weeks old or above and can also be done on adults. No other test for hearing is reliable; therefore we BAER test all our puppies and send them to their new homes with their own certificates. Sometimes a puppy can be found to be unilaterally hearing which means they can only hear in one ear, generally, without testing, it is difficult to tell if a puppy is unilatterally hearing, and they can live a long and happy life with almost no difference to a full hearing puppy. Occasionally a puppy can be found to be deaf, we never have a deaf puppy put to sleep, in fact we own a deaf Dalmatian ourselves and he was easy to train, but we used hand signals to do this. Our deaf boy Zak has taught us so much about what amazing lives deaf pups can lead.
Below is a video of a puppy undergoing a BAER test…….
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URINARY STONES
As is the same in humans and Great Apes, Dalmatians cannot break down purines. When Dalmatians eat purines, a class of chemicals that are found in many types of food and most abundant in organ meats and some types of fish and shellfish, they cannot break them down, so instead they convert them into uric acid.
Occasionally, from this uric acid, crystals can form in the urinary bladder where they can cause inflammation and discomfort. Sometimes crystals can form in the urine and if these crystals combine together they can form a small stone. As time goes on these stones may get bigger.
If a stone moves from the bladder into the urethra it can block the tube leading to straining and an inability to pass urine. This can be extremely serious.
In some cases the stones can actually be dissolved in the bladder by changing the diet or administering medication, but occasionally treatment involves the surgical removal of the stones. Although we have never had an issue with urinary stones we do know this is something to be aware of and feed our dogs a low purine RAW diet with plenty of fresh water and regular opportunities to empty their bladders.
