Afghan Hound care: grooming, exercise and chest problems

An adult Afghan Hound's coat needs grooming every day, and the dog needs more exercise than most owners expect: the Kennel Club puts it at more than two hours a day. One health point stands out for the breed. In a study of dogs with chylothorax, a build-up of fatty lymph fluid in the chest, Afghan Hounds were the breed most often affected, so labored or rapid breathing in this breed always needs a prompt vet visit.

The breed in brief

According to the Kennel Club's breed profile, the Afghan is a sighthound from Afghanistan, built for speed and used to hunt deer, gazelle, hare and fox. It may have been developed from Salukis brought from Persia, and the long coat probably developed as protection against the cold of the mountains. The size range reflects different types for desert plains and mountains. The American Kennel Club gives a height of 25 to 27 inches (64 to 69 cm), a weight of 50 to 60 pounds (23 to 27 kg) and a life expectancy of 12 to 18 years.

Coat care

The adult coat is long and fine, closer in texture to human hair than to the double coat of most large breeds. It tangles easily, collects burrs and leaves, and mats fastest where it rubs: behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpits and on the backs of the legs. Mats pull on the skin, trap moisture and can hide sores.

• Brush daily. Work in small sections with a pin brush and a wide-toothed comb, starting at the ends of the hair and moving toward the skin. Brushing a dry, dirty coat breaks hair, so a light conditioning spray helps.
• Bathe regularly. Dirt and skin oil make the coat mat faster, so Afghans in full coat are bathed far more often than short-coated dogs. Use a conditioner, and dry the coat fully with a blower while brushing; a coat left to air-dry tangles.
• Check the ears. The long, heavily feathered ears hold moisture and debris. Look inside once a week for redness, discharge or odor, which need a vet.
• Expect a difficult phase in adolescence. When the puppy coat gives way to the adult coat, matting can form almost overnight, and daily brushing matters most then.
• Trim the feet. Hair between the pads reduces grip on smooth floors and collects ice and mud.

A pet Afghan can be kept in a shorter clip, and that is a reasonable choice for a dog that goes through woods and fields every day. Diet affects the coat less than grooming does. A complete and balanced food supplies what the hair needs, and a dull, thinning or brittle coat on a well-fed dog is a reason to see a vet, since skin disease and hormonal problems such as hypothyroidism can show there first.

Exercise and safety

Afghans are sprinters with a strong chase instinct. Walks on a lead are not enough on their own; the dog needs regular chances to run flat out somewhere safely enclosed. A few practical points follow from how the breed was used.

• Recall is unreliable. An Afghan that sees a hare or a cat will usually chase it, and at full speed it can be out of sight in seconds. Off lead, use fully fenced areas; in open country use a long line.
• Check fences. Many Afghans jump well, so a low garden fence may not hold one.
• Small animals are a risk. Some Afghans live happily with a cat they grew up with and still chase unfamiliar cats, rabbits and very small dogs.
• Lure coursing and straight racing give the dog a controlled outlet for chasing, and sighthound clubs run events. Build fitness gradually and let a young dog finish growing before hard training.
• Mental work counts. Scent games, food puzzles and new walking routes suit an independent dog. Short training sessions with high-value rewards work better than repetition.

How much to feed

The Merck Veterinary Manual's estimate starts with resting energy requirement (RER), 70 multiplied by body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75, in kcal a day. Adult dogs are then fed about 1.6 times RER if neutered, 1.8 times if intact and 1.4 times if prone to obesity. For typical Afghan weights, rounded to the nearest 10 kcal:

A dog that courses or runs off lead every day may need noticeably more; an older house dog, less. The coat hides body shape almost completely, so judge condition by feel. Run your hands over the ribs, spine and hip bones once a week, and weigh the dog monthly.

Afghans are often described as fussy eaters. A dog that sometimes leaves a meal and is otherwise bright and keeping its weight needs a consistent food, set mealtimes and uneaten food removed after 20 minutes, not a rotating choice of toppers. A sudden or lasting loss of appetite, or weight loss, is a medical question.

Afghans are deep-chested, and gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat) is a risk in dogs of that shape, although we found no study that measures it in this breed. In a prospective study of 1,637 large and giant breed dogs, risk rose with age, with a close relative that had had bloat, with fast eating and with a raised food bowl. Feed from a bowl on the floor, slow down a dog that gulps, and treat unproductive retching with a swollen belly as an emergency.

Health conditions to know about

Chylothorax and lung lobe torsion

Chylothorax is a build-up of chyle, the milky, fat-rich fluid carried in the lymphatic system, in the chest cavity. The Merck Veterinary Manual's owner guide describes it as relatively rare in dogs, with the cause often unknown. Fluid in the chest shows as rapid, shallow breathing, labored breathing in and weakness. The breed link is old but consistent. In a series of 34 dogs with chylothorax, the Afghan Hound was the breed most often affected, making up 37.5% of the cases with no identified cause.

A related problem is lung lobe torsion, in which a lobe of the lung twists on its stalk. It is rare, but in a study of 22 dogs with lung lobe torsion Afghan Hounds were overrepresented, and the authors noted an association with chylothorax, especially in Afghans. Both conditions need specialist imaging and often surgery. Coughing, breathing effort you can see from across the room, reluctance to lie down or blue-tinged gums mean the dog needs a vet the same day.

Hips

The Kennel Club lists hip scoring under the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme among the recommended tests for Afghan breeders, so ask to see both parents' results. Keeping the dog lean, especially while it grows, is the part an owner controls.

Anesthesia

Sighthounds have a reputation for handling some anesthetic drugs differently. The best evidence is in Greyhounds: in a comparison of barbiturate anesthesia in Greyhounds and mixed-breed dogs, Greyhounds took three to four times longer to stand after thiobarbiturates, and some needed more than 8 hours. We found no equivalent study in Afghans, and thiobarbiturates are used far less today. It is still sensible to mention the breed when booking any procedure under anesthesia, including dental cleaning, so the vet can plan drugs, warming and recovery for a lean sighthound.

Living with an Afghan

The breed is typically aloof with strangers and affectionate with its own people. Early, steady socialization with people, places and handling makes grooming and vet visits far easier later. Harsh corrections tend to make an independent hound shut down, while short sessions with good food rewards work. Despite the coat, Afghans carry little body fat, so a clipped or wet dog feels the cold, and in hot weather exercise belongs in the cooler parts of the day with shade and water available.

Sources

1. Afghan Hound. The Kennel Club.
2. Afghan Hound dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
3. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.
4. Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000.
5. Accumulation of Fluid or Air in the Chest Cavity in Dogs. Merck Veterinary Manual, Dog Owners edition.
6. Chylothorax in 34 dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 1986.
7. Lung lobe torsion in dogs: 22 cases (1981-1999). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000.
8. Barbiturate anesthesia in greyhound and mixed-breed dogs: comparative cardiopulmonary effects, anesthetic effects, and recovery rates. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 1986.