You're probably here because there's a Dalmatian in your life who'd like to try Butternut, and you'd like to find out whether our meals are suitable for these spotty wonders.

The short answer is: it's a little complicated. Bear with us and we'll explain.

Some Dalmatians carry a particular gene which means that their body struggles to eliminate waste body protein (specifically purines), which can lead to inflammation of the bladder, urinary tract infections, blood in the urine, or bladder stones. For these dogs, a low protein and purine diet is usually needed and we wouldn't recommend that they eat Butternut.

This inherited condition is called Hyperuricosuria (HUU), also known as Urate Stone Disorder (USD). It's caused by a recessive gene (SLC2); meaning dogs must carry two copies of this gene (one inherited from their mum and one from their dad) to be affected. A single carrier dog (with one gene only) can be free of Urate Stone Disorder symptoms and have no urinary issues. These dogs may be able to eat Butternut with no problems - happy days.

If your Dalmatian is a carrier of this gene and does have Hyperuricosuria then, sadly, we wouldn't recommend feeding them our meals due to the high protein and purine levels. They’ll most likely require a prescription diet.

If this is all news to you and you'd like to check whether your Dalmatian is clear of, or carrying HUU/USD gene, we'd recommend getting in touch with your local vet for advice on how to get this checked out.