WAFDAL

We are all well aware of the unique disposition of Dalmatians to form urate stones. This is due to high concentrations of uric acid in the urine bladder caused by an inherited lack of degradation of uric acid to allantoin (1,2). We also know that stone formation is a problem mainly among male dogs. In a study among Dalmatian owners in Norway and the Netherlands the incidence of stone formation in the Dalmatian population was reported to be less than 3%. Since the known affected dogs are mainly males, but the statistics are related to all Dalmatians, the frequency of male dogs with reported stone problems in northern Europe can be estimated to be around 5-6%. This does not mean that the other 95% are free of the problem. The fact is that high uric acid concentration in the urine is genetically fixed in the Dalmatian. In USA the number of dogs with stone problems is estimated to 5-20%. For a long time it has been known that this is caused by a genetic defect (compared to other dogs) which is inherited as a simple autosomal recessive trait. Recently the existence of and the location of this gene (SLC2A9) on the dog chromosome 3 has been determined and a genetic test has been developed (3). The cost of each DNA test is 65 dollars in the US. Continue reading →