Temperament

Dalmatians are highly energetic dogs. They do well with children, however, proper physical and mental exercises are essential in order to avoid hyper activeness. They also demand a lot of human attention, and are hence not advised to be kept in houses with tight or busy schedules. Easy to potty train, they also make good apartment dogs. However a walk at least twice a day is required.

Health concerns:

Dalmatians also have a few health concerns, of which some can get quite serious. for example, the Dalmatian bronzing syndrome is a skin disease which affects many dogs, specially dalmatians, and if left untreated for a long time, it could even prove to be fatal.

Dalmatian Bronzing Syndrome:

This is a form of folliculitis which is seen mainly in dalmatians. The bacteria Staphylococcus intermedius causes the inflammation of the follicles in the skin hence, leading to another infection termed as pyoderma. This is an immune dysfunction disease as it causes due to breaches in the skin barrier, hence allowing the bacteria to infect. Constant itching results in alopecia (loss of hair) and the infected area is also stained by porphyrin pigments from the fluid called serum which exudates from the inflamed follicles.

Clinical signs:

The main clinical signs noticed in Dalmatian bronzing syndrome are:

· Itching

· Patchy skin

· Hard crusts formed

· Skin has a bronze hue

· Hair loss around the infected area

· Dryness

Treatment:

Treatment depends on the severity of the conditions. in the initial stages antibacterial shampoos and creams are usually prescribed with hypoallergenic shampoos and antibiotics in severe conditions. The disease is best treated early as delayed treatment could cause more scaling, and hence damage of skin.