I am voting YES to permit the DCA to proceed in dialog with the AKC to determine the parameters by which the Low Uric Acid Dalmatians may be registered.

That Dalmatians have a fixed genetic defect that produces high urinary uric acid levels has been reported for nearly a century. The link between high urinary uric acid and the formation of urate stones is clear. Urate stones can and do lead to urinary obstruction, particularly in male Dalmatians, and with alarming rates.

Stone experts (Dr. Jody Lulich at University of Minnesota and Dr. Joseph Bartges at University of Tennessee) believe that from 10% to 20% of Dalmatians may be affected. Some believe that rate is higher. Urinary obstruction by urate stones leads to significant pain and suffering in the Dalmatian, not to mention the worry and stress for the owners of an affected dog. The problem costs $6,000,000.00 per year or more in the United States to manage. It is a very significant BREED SPECIFIC problem.

In my opinion, the science behind the Low Uric Acid Dalmatian breeding program is completely sound. There have been a number of discoveries since the AKC registered Stipples in 1984. Chief among these is the discovery of the specific gene on chromosome #3 that codes for a transporter protein that is missing in Dalmatians and associates with the breed specific defect. By reincorporating that DNA back into the Dalmatian, canine normal (low) urinary uric acid levels result. This very high quality work was performed under the auspices of an NIH funded, peer-reviewed, molecular genetics research program at UC Davis. The data are unimpeachable.

Also since the 1984 registration of a 5th generation descendant of the Dalmatian-Pointer cross there have been EIGHT (8) more generations bred. Current LUA Dalmatians are 13 generations away from the original cross. There are over 10,000 Dalmatians in these pedigrees. The genetic purity is over 99.98%, proven by DNA analysis as well as on pedigree records. These are exemplary data that are unique to our Breed efforts, and well beyond anything ever submitted to the AKC for registration.

In my opinion, the LUA Dalmatians are unequivocally DALMATIANS. The LUA Dalmatians solve an extremely important Breed specific health problem that causes significant disability in the Breed, and that imposes a high healthcare cost expenditure each year in the United States on their owners. Our efforts as breeders, owners and protectors of the Dalmatian Breed should fervently support any and all necessary steps to incorporate these dogs into our gene pools and to register them with the AKC.

Irvin B. Krukenkamp, MD, FACS, FAHA