26/02/2025
Happy Woof Wednesday!
Did you know that dalmatians are born completely white and their spots start to come in around 10 days old up to 18 months old? Some dalmatians carry a genetic trait where their spots come in the become deaf. Puppies are normally born deaf and develop their hearing around 3 weeks of age. So some dalmatians are born deaf, develop hearing, then turn deaf again depending on their disease process.
The disease process by which hearing is lost is associated with melanocytes. These are the cells that produce and contain the black pigment for the spots. It seems that melanocytes are also vital for the normal functioning of the inner ear.
This is the case with Mollie, Dr. Gulvin's dalmatian. She was returned to the breeder after 14 weeks of age because she became deaf. That's okay, hand signals work just fine for her. She even watches the other dogs and comes to the house when the other dogs look towards the door after we call them!
Want to read more? go to
Outline: Deafness, linked to a gene involved in their patchy piebald colouration, is common in Dalmatians. About 15-30% of dogs are affected and about 5% are deaf in both ears. Affected dogs are at greater risk of injury through, for example, road traffic accidents. Dogs should be tested for hearing...
