Deafness in Dalmatians

Preventing deafness in Dalmatians is a constant worry for reputable breeders because nearly the entire Dalmatian population carries the deafness gene. This does not mean that every Dalmatian will become deaf and if your Dalmatian has hearing as a puppy, it will hear as an adult. Approximately 70% of Dalmatians can hear with both ears, about 20% have hearing in one ear, which leaves 10% of Dalmatians deaf in both ears.

All puppies are born with their ear canals closed but they should open up at around two weeks old. Dalmatian puppies begin to hear at this age and breeders should know by the time the puppies are five weeks old if they have hearing. At six weeks old the deafness is distinguished by the deterioration in the Corti organs, the group of nerve cells inside the ear that detect sound. If the Dalmatian puppy can not hear due to this defect, it cannot be reversed or corrected.

Most breeders can tell when a puppy is deaf using a variety of noise tests that involve observing the puppy to see if it can find the source of the noise or locate the direction the sound is coming from. If the puppy can not always locate the direction of the noise it might indicate deafness in one ear. For positive deafness results a BAER (Bilateral Auditory Evoked Response) test can be done when the puppy is about five weeks old. It measures the brain response to auditory stimuli in each ear and can detect any impairment. A certificate is issued with a copy of the test results.

The Dalmatian Club of America takes a strong position that deaf puppies should not knowingly be placed in a new home. If a deaf puppy is accidentally sold, it should be replaced with a hearing puppy. The Club recommends that a veterinarian should humanely destroy deaf Dalmatian puppies. The Dalmatian Club stresses that careful breeding can produce better than average hearing in Dalmatians. Breeders should use Dalmatians that can hear in both ears for breeding stock. If a litter is born that includes deaf pups, it is not recommended to breed the parent dogs again.

Deaf Dalmatian puppies are generally bred by commercial breeders or puppy mills whose only interest is producing as many puppies for profit as possible. Another source of deaf puppies are inexperienced Dalmatian owners who can not identify deaf pups, may not even be aware of the deafness gene in the Dalmatian, and are not willing to have the puppies put down. Breeders are fully responsible for their puppies guaranteeing the puppy is healthy, and must be prepared to take responsibility for any deaf puppies.

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