Dalmatians and purines

Sadly, many Dalmatians suffer from a hereditary abnormality of the mechanism that is needed to eliminate waste or excess protein from the body. This complex abnormality can result in high levels of uric acid in the urine, which, if ignored, can have serious consequences on the health of a Dalmatian.

This high level of uric acid can cause solid, hard, urate stones to form in the kidneys and bladder, which can block the drainage of urine from the body. These blockages can cause severe pain to a dog and increase the risk of them experiencing kidney failure. It is also worth noting that, in extreme cases, hyperuricosuria can cause death.

One of the most effective ways to prevent Urinary problems in Dalmatians is to limit the quantity of Purines that a Dalmatian would digest.

Purines are a chemical compound found in almost all food but in differing proportions. Therefore a consistent diet of low to medium Purine foods is the most appropriate diet for a Dalmatian and could undoubtedly help prevent urinary issues such as hyperuricosuria.

To better understand which ingredients are low in Purines, it might be better first to understand which ingredients are high in Purines.

• Organ Meat – Liver, Kidneys, or Heart
• Seafood – Mackerel & Sardines
• Vegetables – Peas, Lentils & Spinach
• Game Meats – Venison, Pheasant, or Rabbit

Some of the high purine ingredients listed above are quite uncommon and, therefore, easily avoidable, such as Sardines and Venison. However, others such as Peas and Organ meat, maybe significantly more difficult to avoid as these are commonplace in many dog food formulas, especially those that are considered premium or high-quality.The vast majority of high-quality dog food recipes contain Peas and other legumes, like Chickpeas and Lentils, and the variety of recipes that is completely Pea or Legume free is very slim. 

• Starches – Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes
• Pumpkin & Squash
• Grains
• Fruits
• Poultry – Chicken & Turkey
• Red Meat – Beef, Pork & Lamb

Thankfully the list of Low and Medium Purine ingredients does give us some hope in our search for low-purine dog food. In particular, the inclusion of Potatoes and Grains. While generally speaking, we would not strongly recommend dog food formulas with high quantities of Grains or Potatoes; these may be a necessary evil for a Dalmatian with predisposed urinary issues who can not risk consuming large quantities of legumes. Always float your Dalmatians kibble in water. It's best for Dalmatians to get plenty of water to flush their system and they should never be expected to hold their bladder for extended periods of time. Dalmatians need to be able urinate as frequently as possible.