Afghan Hounds
Country of Origin: Afghanistan
Weight: 20-27 kg
Height: 61–73 cm
Coat: Long and fine
Colour: Various
Life Span: 11-13 years
These tall, silky coated dogs were brought to the United Kingdom in the 1920s from the mountains of Afghanistan and are easily distinguished by their high hipbones, ring-curled tail and long topknot of hair. They are highly desirable show-dogs and pets due to their beauty and dignified temperament but, although their coat can be of any colour, parti-colouring and white marks on the head are discouraged and considered a sign of impure breeding.
If properly taken care of, Afghan Hounds can have a lifespan of up to 18 years! They do, however, have some major health and allergy issues that can make them quite high-maintenance pets; sensitivity to anaesthesia due to their low levels of body fat being a particularly major problem. Although the most common cause of death in Afghan Hounds is cancer, they are also one of the most likely breeds of dog to develop chylothorax; a condition that causes a build-up of chyle fluid in the dog’s chest, resulting in a twisting of the lung that requires emergency surgery. If surgery is not provided, the condition results in the hardening of the dog’s internal organs due to the build up of internal scar tissue laid down to protect the organs from the chyle fluid. Chylothorax is not necessarily fatal, but often is unless surgery is provided quickly.
Interesting fact: an Afghan Hound called Snuppy was the first ever genuine cloned dog in history, created by Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk in 2005!
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
