Pharaoh Hound care: anesthesia, exercise and fencing

A Pharaoh Hound is a sighthound, and that is the first thing to tell any vet who treats one. Greyhounds, the best-studied member of the group, clear some injectable anesthetics slowly, and advice on sighthound anesthesia rules out thiopental and related drugs. Pharaoh Hounds have not been studied in the same depth, so the same caution is the sensible default. Beyond that, the breed needs a great deal of running, secure fencing and enough food to stay lean without becoming thin.

A coursing hound from Malta

The American Kennel Club describes the Pharaoh Hound as a sprinting hound bred to course small game over rough, rocky ground. It gives a height of 23 to 25 inches (58 to 64 cm) for males and 21 to 24 inches (53 to 61 cm) for females, a weight of 45 to 55 pounds (20 to 25 kg) and a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. The breed's name links it with ancient Egypt, but the Royal Kennel Club notes that its home was Malta, where it was used to hunt rabbits, and that it only arrived in the UK in the 1970s.

The AKC also records the trait behind the breed's nickname, the "Blushing Dog". A Pharaoh Hound blushes when it is happy or excited. The AKC also notes that the leather of the nose, ears and eye rims matches the tan coat. It is normal and needs no treatment.

Anesthesia and sighthounds

A review of anesthesia in sighthounds lists several features of the group that affect surgery. Their lean build and large surface area relative to body size make them lose heat quickly under anesthesia. Nervous dogs can overheat from stress. And the liver breaks down some intravenous anesthetics slowly, which prolongs recovery, especially after thiopental. The review advises against thiopental and other thiobarbiturates in these dogs. It recommends sedative premedication, good pain relief, close temperature monitoring, and avoiding drugs such as chloramphenicol that slow drug breakdown further.

Later work on Greyhounds points to one reason. Their livers make less of an enzyme called CYP2B11, which is thought to clear several of these drugs. A 2020 genetic study traced this to variants in the CYP2B11 gene. Greyhounds carried the variant with the strongest effect more often than any of the 63 other breeds tested, while a milder variant was spread across most breeds. How far this applies to Pharaoh Hounds individually is not known.

Blood tests need care too. A study of 192 dogs from eight sighthound breeds, Pharaoh Hounds among them, found significant differences in routine blood and biochemistry values between the breeds. The authors advise against applying Greyhound reference ranges to other sighthounds, and a result slightly outside a standard range should be read with the breed in mind.

Health

Few inherited diseases have been studied in the Pharaoh Hound, and the Royal Kennel Club lists no required health tests for the breed, although it points to a breed club health scheme. The AKC quotes the head of the US breed club's health committee as saying that most hip, elbow, kneecap and eye screening results in the breed are normal. A lack of known problems is still not proof of good health, so routine checks matter.

One published report is worth knowing about. It describes severe zinc-responsive dermatosis in three puppies of one Pharaoh Hound litter. At three months they had crusted, itchy skin, peeling footpads, poor appetite and stunted growth, with low blood zinc. Oral zinc did not work, intravenous zinc helped only partly, and the dogs needed it every three to four weeks to prevent new skin lesions. This is a single litter, not evidence of a breed-wide problem. A puppy with crusting skin and poor growth needs a vet, and zinc supplements should not be added at home, since the cause and the route of treatment have to be established first.

Exercise and prey drive

The Royal Kennel Club puts the breed's exercise need at more than two hours a day, which is more than many owners expect of a dog that is calm indoors. Walks on a lead cover part of it. The rest needs to be running at full speed, which in practice means a large, securely fenced field, lure coursing or a hired secure dog field.

Fencing is the part the AKC stresses. Pharaoh Hounds hunt by sight and scent, and a hound that sees a rabbit or a cat will usually chase it regardless of training. Keep the dog on a lead anywhere that is not enclosed, check fences for gaps and height, and teach a reliable recall in the knowledge that it may still fail at the moment it matters.

The coat is short and fine, and a lean dog has little insulation. In cold, wet or windy weather many Pharaoh Hounds are more comfortable in a dog coat, and they should not be left outside for long periods in winter.

Grooming

Grooming takes little time. The Royal Kennel Club lists it as once a week, and the breed does shed. A rubber mitt or soft brush is enough. Bathe only when the dog is dirty. Nails on a light-footed dog often need trimming every few weeks, and teeth should be brushed several times a week with a dog toothpaste. Check the large, upright ears during grooming for dirt, redness or smell.

Food and body condition

There are no breed-specific nutrient requirements, and a complete and balanced adult food suits most Pharaoh Hounds. Portions can be estimated with the formula in the Merck Veterinary Manual: resting energy requirement (RER) is 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75. A neutered adult needs about 1.6 times RER, an intact adult 1.8 times and a dog that gains weight easily 1.4 times. Rounded to the nearest 5 kcal:

Merck notes that individual dogs can need 30% more or less than the calculation, and a Pharaoh Hound that gets the exercise the breed needs is likely to sit at the upper end or above it. Judge by the dog, not the table. A fit Pharaoh Hound has a clear waist and tuck-up, the outline of the last ribs may just show, and the hip bones should not look sharp. Visible spine, prominent hip bones or loss of muscle over the hindquarters mean the dog needs more food, or a vet check if eating well.

Two meals a day suit most adults. A deep-chested dog is best not fed immediately before hard running, so allow an hour or so either side of a big meal.

Sources

1. Pharaoh Hound dog breed information. American Kennel Club.
2. Pharaoh Hound breed information. The Royal Kennel Club.
3. Anesthesia of the sighthound. Clinical Techniques in Small Animal Practice, 1999.
4. Pharmacogenomics of poor drug metabolism in Greyhounds: Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B11 genetic variation, breed distribution, and functional characterization. Scientific Reports, 2020.
5. Haematological and biochemical variations among eight sighthound breeds. Australian Veterinary Journal, 2013.
6. Severe zinc responsive dermatosis in a litter of Pharaoh Hounds. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 2010.
7. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual, 2024.