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Deafness in Dalmatians |
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The elimination of deafness is one of the most important concerns of the responsible Dalmatian breeder. Only 6% of the Dalmatian population is thought to be entirely free of the deafness gene. This translates into roughly 1 in 4 Dalmatian being either unilaterally (hearing in one ear only) or bilaterally (totally) deaf. At birth, 8% of Dalmatian puppies are totally deaf, with another 18% being unilaterally deaf. |
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Deaf puppies may be hard to pick out amongst their littermates because they often mimic their littermates' behavior and can fool the breeder. Much controversy exists over what to do with a totally deaf puppy. Our code of ethics suggests that these puppies be humanely destroyed because they are at greater risk for mistreatment by frustrated owners and may eventually bite. Some sources disagree with this assessment.
Unilateral puppies make great pets. The only thing to be aware of is that they do not have directional hearing, and may get lost if they get separated and cannot see their owner (in the woods, for example.) For this reason, it is important to know the hearing status of your Dalmatian. Experienced breeders can determine if a puppy is unilaterally deaf by observation.
Reliable and proper determination of the hearing status of a Dalmatian requires a "Bilateral Auditory Evoked Response" (BAER) test. This test requires specialized equipment, not readily available. Click here for more information on BAER Hearing Testing
Here is a list of locations that can do proper BAER testing of dogs:
| Atlantic Veterinary College University of P.E.I. 550 University Avenue Charlottetown, PEI C1A 4P3 Dr. Shaw (902) 566-0950 |
Morningside Animal Clinic Dr. Susan Cochrane 4560 Kingston Road Scarborough, ON M1E 2P2 Phone (416) 284-9205 Fax (416) 287-3642 |
| Calgary Associated Dog Fanciers BAER Testing Clinics Charlene Maines Calgary, AB (403) 948-3257 |
Ontario Veterinary College Small Animal Clinic Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Dr. Joanne Parent (519) 823-8830 |
| Cornell University NYS College of Veterinary Medicine Ithaca, NY 14853 Dr. Gasteiger |
Western College of Veterinary Medicine University of Saskatchewan Dept. of Veterinary Physiology Saskatoon, SK S7V 5B4 Dr. Jillian Muir (306) 966-7126 |
| Animal Neurology and MRI Center 8560 N Canton Center Road Canton, MI 48187 Dr Michael Wolf & Dr Jared Galle Phone (734) 354-0262 Fax (734) 354-4939 Web site: www.animalneurology.com |
Sirius Veterinary Services Michael Ericson D.V.M. 31431 NE 108th Street Carnation, WA. 98014 Tel: (425) 788-8907 email: happyk9@earthlink.net |
This information is true to the best of my knowledge, and information links will be forthcoming. If you know of any other centers that can conduct BAER hearing testing on dogs, please forward that information to Warren Spragg for inclusion here
