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Dalmatians - Pictures - Deafness

Dalmatians are one of the breeds that are prone to congenital deafness. Besides problems for breeders and owners this condition causes a lot of controversial issues. Veterinarians are trying to determine the risks of deafness in dogs of different sexes, color patterns, and other categories. Researches have come to particular conclusions and figured out some of the factors influencing the development of this disease.

The rate of deafness in Dalmatians is rather high. They suffer from this condition about twice as mush as other breeds of dog. About 30% of Dalmatians are born with hearing problems, 22% of which being unilaterary and 8% totally deaf.

It is clear that inheritance is a major factor responsible for a dog's health condition. Deafness' rate is higher when puppies come from unsound dogs. It is a must for any breeder to test parent dogs and to carefully study pedigrees, even though experience suggests that it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of diseased progeny.

Statistics and results of a special research study also state that a Dalmatian's sex or coat color (black spots on white coat, or liver spots on white coat) do not influence the possibility of deafness occurring. At the same time, Dalmatians with patches are less likely to carry dangerous genes. On the contrary, blue-eyed dogs seem to suffer more often from deafness than standard species.

It is interesting to know that rate of deaf Dalmatians in the US is generally higher than in some other countries. Compared to Great Britain (21%) and the Netherlands (18%), US dogs suffer almost 1.5 times as much (30%).

The fault seems to lay with differences in breed standard in various countries. Scientists claim that acceptance of any a blue eye in America will result in a great number of deaf progeny. So will breedings of unilaterally deaf dogs.

Dalmatians - Pictures - Management of Deaf Dogs

Unilateral deafness is revealed when a puppy grows to be about 3 weeks old. They are usually spayed/neutered and appear to be wonderful pets. The only concern of a unilaterally deaf Dalmatian owner is the close attention involved. One should devote full time to watching over such a pet, since it needs directions. There is also an opinion that deaf dogs more frequently develop behavioral disorders than overall sound ones.

Totally deaf Dalmatians are usually euthanatized. This practice may seem inhuman to some people. However, experienced breeders and breed club officers often speak in favor of euthanasia, since not many succeeded in keeping totally deaf Dalmatians.

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