Promoting the welfare, good name of the
pharaoh hound
since 1968
PATELLA LUXATION IN THE PHARAOH HOUND
The Pharaoh Hound is a comparatively healthy breed but there have been reported incidences of luxating patellae (slipping knee caps) since Pharaoh Hounds were first imported into the UK in the mid-1960s.
The Pharaoh Hound Club took steps in the late 1980s to establish the extent of this health problem, which was almost certainly inherited, in order to reduce the incidence and ultimately to eradicate the condition in the breed if possible.
A test was developed that could easily be carried out by a veterinary surgeon without recourse to anaesthetic. The Pharaoh Hound Club has blank certificates available for anyone – breeders or individual owners of Pharaoh Hounds – and can be downloaded from this page or can be obtained by post from the Secretary. Testing should only be carried out on animals over the age of twelve months.
This is a voluntary scheme and can only work with the co-operation of everyone who owns a Pharaoh Hound and has the health of the breed at heart. With a limited gene pool, it is imperative to identify individual dogs that are affected by this serious condition and remove them from the breeding programme. Thereafter care should be taken when selecting potential mates to ensure, as far as possible, that there is no patella luxation in closely related animals.
The test certificates are available from the Secretary and should be returned to the same, completed by a veterinary surgeon, after testing. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to return all test certificates, regardless of the result. We can only hope to keep this condition under control if we have all relevant information available to us. Your co-operation is essential and will play a valuable part in overcoming this debilitating condition in the breed we all love. The Pharaoh Hound Club urges everyone with a Pharaoh Hound to take part in this scheme.
