Sighthounds are different.

I hope that this booklet will help ensure that sighthounds don't receive unnecessary medication and can live to a ripe old age in good health.

Are Sighthounds "Real" Dogs?

That's a strange question – why wouldn't sighthounds be real dogs?

However, they differ from other dog breeds. Studies have shown that sighthounds are anatomically different from other dog breeds in many ways. All sighthounds have the same DNA, but it differs from that of other dog breeds.

It seems that at some stage of evolution, sighthounds were separated from the development of other dogs, or they originated from a different type of wolf, such as the Arabian wolf, Canis lupus arabs. This is a leggy, light wolf weighing about 18 kg. The evolutionary family tree looks like this:

The difference is roughly comparable to the ancestry of a horse and a donkey. If you breed both, a mule or a hinny is born. If, for example, a donkey or horse is castrated, the donkey will probably not survive. It's similar to how some veterinarians treat sighthounds. Often, their expertise isn't sufficient to treat a sighthound satisfactorily.

To remove tartar, the dog needs to be anesthetized. Typically, they recover from this without complications. However, if kidney or liver problems arise the next day or within the next 14 days, these are often not linked to the anesthesia. An anesthetic unsuitable for sighthounds can lead to damage to these organs.

I wrote this booklet to minimize medical errors. It has 38 pages, A5 format. First, it addresses the still partially scientifically unexplained evolutionary history of the sighthound. Afterwards, differences in blood composition and heart function are explained.

Another section deals with hormones. Anesthesia and medications are another topic. A section on bones and ligaments explains why the risk of fractures and sprains is greater than in other dogs.

This booklet is for interested laypeople, who are welcome to discuss the content with their trusted veterinarian.