Close to 3 in 10 Dalmatians are born with measurable hearing loss in one or both ears, and every single Dalmatian — not just the unlucky ones — has an abnormal uric-acid metabolism that requires a low-purine diet for life to head off painful, sometimes surgical, bladder and kidney stones; reputable breeders test and disclose both, casual sellers often mention neither.
13.2years, median
0.7 years above the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 4,569 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 13 to 13.3 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, medium breeds as a group had a median of 12.5 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is medium and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0Health tests to ask the breeder for
Dalmatian Club of America sets the tests a Dalmatian needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, OVC Evaluation or PennHIP Evaluation)
- Congenital Deafness (OFA evaluation based on BAER test)
- ONE elective from: Autoimmune Thyroiditis (OFA evaluation); Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist
When to spay or neuter: the guidelines split at 45 pounds grown, five to six months under it and after growth is complete over it, and the UC Davis study gives a guideline by breed for 35 breeds. The spay and neuter page has both, and the two weeks after.
Itchy skin: Merck lists the Dalmatian among the breeds prone to atopic dermatitis, a lifelong allergy to things like pollen, mold and dust that usually starts between six months and three years of age. Why does my dog keep itching? has how vets tell it apart from fleas, mites and food allergy, and the treatments.
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis (OFA evaluation)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Dalmatian near you
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Living with a Dalmatian
Dalmatians are high-drive dogs originally bred to run alongside carriages for miles, and that stamina doesn't switch off indoors — expect a genuinely demanding exercise requirement and a dog that gets destructive without it. The famous short coat still sheds year-round and is notoriously hard to remove from furniture and clothing, and every dog needs a purine-conscious diet for life, not just the minority that go on to develop stones.
Health you should know about
- Congenital deafness — the largest published study (over 5,000 dogs, from the LSU deafness research program cited by the Dalmatian Club of America) found about 30% with some hearing loss (roughly 22% unilateral, 8% bilaterally/totally deaf); a second, smaller study found somewhat lower rates. BAER testing identifies affected puppies before they're sold.
- Hyperuricosuria / urate urolithiasis — Dalmatians lack the normal liver transporter for uric acid, so the entire breed (not a subset) excretes unusually high uric acid and is prone to forming urate bladder and kidney stones; a lifelong low-purine diet and monitoring reduce, but don't eliminate, the risk, especially in older males.
- Autoimmune thyroiditis — reported in roughly 1 in 9 dogs in one breed health survey.
- Skin conditions — including allergic and solar dermatitis, reported as common in the breed.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Sources — 5 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 5 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.