Dalmatians @thepointof
Situated near Dartmoor in Devon, England we are easily accessible. We have had Dalmatians since 2007, for over 17 years and they are part of our family life.
We are passionate about promoting the health of our dogs and are excited to be involved in LUA breeding with our recent Litter.
Our first dalmatian was Yarra, who was kind and gentle. She embraced our growing family and loved being with us as we travelled across europe. We bred from her in 2012 and had a litter of 7 puppies. We are still in contact with many of our first litter and enjoy sharing stories and have created a great support network together. We kept our beloved Samphire from our first litter and enjoyed many years with mother and daughter. Maple is our third Dalmatian as a family, as a LUA she is very special and we are excited to announce the safe arrival of her 13 puppies on the 15th June 2024.
Breeding healthy Dalmatians
Low Uric Acid
As a breed, most Dalmatians are prone to form urinary calculi (stones) due to excessive amounts of uric acid creating crystals. This inherited condition is called HUU (Hyeruricosuria) disease. Urinary tract obstruction is a serious condition when a stone forms and can completely block the uretha, this is very painful and can result in surgery. There are some ways to prevent stones from forming by feeding a low purine diet, however this not always sucessful.
The disease is an autosomal-recessive condition. This means that a dog must inherit two copies of an abnormal HUU mutation gene (one from its mother and one from its father) before its health is AFFECTED (known as a HUA dalmatian).
A dog which inherits one copy of the abnormal gene will have no signs of the disease, and will be a CARRIER and may pass the gene onto their offspring.
Maple (Dalstorm Incan Promise) is CLEAR with no evidence of the HUU mutation, which means that we expect all of her puppies to be CARRIERS and show no sign of the disease. All our puppies will have a DNA test which will confirm their HUU status.
CLEAR or CARRIER Dalmatians are known as LUA (Low Uric Acid) and are therefore free from the risk of forming bladder stones and can be fed freely on a normal diet without any worry about purine content.
BAER hearing tests
Deafness at birth (known as congenital deafness) can be inherited by the Dalmatian breed. The BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) test is used to check the hearing of a dog. The test checks is the brain responds to noise and is a reliable way to see if a dog is deaf (in one or both ears) or unaffected.
All of our Dalmatians to date have been UNAFFECTED by deafness and we will ensure that our puppies will have a BAER hearing test before they leave our care to ensure that you know their status and can care for them.
HIP and ELBOW Score
Hip Dysplasis is a complex inherited condition where the hip joint does not develop correctly. As a dog gest older, the joint will deteriorate through wear and tear which can cause varying degressof pain, discomfort, siffness and lameness.
The British Veterinary Association and the Kennel Club recommend Hip Dysplsia screening for Dalmatians prior to breeding, to ensure that any issues are not passed onto their litters.
Maple has had both her hips and elbows scored. The degree to which the dog is potentially affected is given by a score with 0 displaying the least degree of hip dysplasia and 106 the most for hips, or 10 for elbows.
The median score for Dalmatian hip scores over the last 5 years is 10, therefore Maple has excellent results.
