Although Salukis are generally a hearty breed carved out of a harsh environment, all dog breeds are afflicted with health concerns that prospective owners should be aware of. Saluki owners can expect their dogs to live, on average, to about 12 years old with outliers falling on either side of the bell curve. It's important that prospective buyers ask any breeder producing litters they may be interested in about the health testing on the sires & dams in question, so they don't walk into avoidable heartbreak. Genetic problems occur even with the most conscientious breeders because dogs are imperfect living being and not all diseases are mapped, but the best breeders will do screenings and make choices that make producing issues less likely. Personally, I do not breed anything or use any stud dog that does not at least have a clear echocardiogram on file, and I do not breed bitches that are younger than four years old as Saluki health problems tend to not show up in early adulthood.
As of September 6th, 2023, Salukis have an established CHIC program, but it may take some time for breeding stock to regularly meet CHIC requirements because the required SSADHD test was also newly added to OFA on the same date, and there was also a bit of transition with where to test this disease with the recent closing of Vetgen. At the very least, at this time Salukis should have an Advanced Echocardiogram on file, preferably within the last year or two. Salukis are prone to having a few different heart problems, but most often there may be some valve leakage that may or may not affect them throughout their lives. Frequently Salukis affected by these problems are subclinical and thus not detected through auscultation until later on in life (if at all). This is not to be confused with an athletic heart which may cause a murmur that doesn't affect the health of the dog. Athletic hearts are common among this breed and an echocardiogram is the best way to determine if a murmur has an innocent cause or not. There are also instances of DCM, arrhythmia, PDA, and other heart issues within the breed that necessitate an echocardiogram before breeding.
Eye exams are an elective component of the Saluki CHIC program, and I believe a worthwhile test as it is usually cheap as far as health testing goes. Sometimes there are Salukis who will have breeder options pop up, and I think those are important to track and avoid breeding two with the same defect together.
Hemangiosarcoma and Lymphoma frequently are the cause of death of Salukis, and unfortunately there are no genetic tests for that just yet, but it's important to ask your prospective breeder about the health history of the pedigree to make sure that there have not been numerous cases of ancestors dying young of one particular problem that could potentially be passed along to the puppy in question. Unfortunately, these problems usually occur after the age of breeding. Hopefully Saluki breeders will use the OFA DNA repository to help contribute to future researchers who may find genetic links to these diseases.
Salukis will sometimes come up positive for carrying the Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) gene, like many other breeds, but there don't seem to be many instances of Saluki succumbing to this disease. Salukis do have two known relevant genetic tests for NCL8 & SSADHD. It is unknown how widespread these genetic problems are at this time, and so it is important that breeders begin testing their breeding stock for these problems. Personally, I would not buy from a particular litter unless there is enough testing in the line to guarantee that the puppies are not affected as there have been both carrier and affected dogs produced in the United States.
I think it's worth running diversity panels on Salukis for better matchmaking in the future as it is a rare breed and all rarer breeds are vulnerable to breed diversity problems whether or not there is an open studbook. There is currently not a widespread program being used in the United States for Saluki diversity; however, some European Saluki breeders are using a diversity test through the Feragen lab in Austria.
Liver shunts, seizures, cystinuria, etc.: There are other problems that afflict our beloved breed less frequently that are worth asking your breeder about. As far as bladder stones/cystinuria, there have been no formal studies that I am aware of specifically for Salukis, but according to my experience and aligning with those who have shared their stories with me, cystinuria seems to affect intact males who are mostly (but not always) consuming a high protein diet. This disease can cause bladder stones that cannot be dissolved and generally need to be surgically removed. Occasionally, these stones have a deadly consequence. I have not heard of any female affected Salukis at this time. If your male puppy/dog has a relative who is afflicted by this, you may want to watch the protein % that the dog consumes, float his dinner in water, and have his urine checked for cysteine (through UPenn). If you have a dog who forms cystine stones, I would recommend neutering as that usually prevents reoccurrences. There is no genetic test for this particular type of cystinuria at this time.
Seizures seem to occur somewhat rarely in the breed, but is not limited to one line of Salukis. It is worth asking any breeder you inquire with about seizure history within the dogs they've produced. Liver shunts do occur in the breed and while there is no genetic test for it, if it is known to occur in the line of dogs that the puppy is related to, the puppies should ideally have Bile Acid Tests before going home. This does cause a delay sometimes in getting the puppy home by a week or two while waiting for results as it can't be done accurately when they're really young, but it is better to wait a couple of weeks than to get a puppy who is likely to have a devastatingly shortened lifespan. It is also prudent to ask your potential Saluki's breeder about instances of allergies and other autoimmune problems within their lines as thrombocytopenia, IMHA, and other autoimmune problems are not unknown within the breed.
See: Saluki Health Research for breed specific heart, cancer, and thyroid information.
As of September 6th, 2023, Salukis have an established CHIC program, but it may take some time for breeding stock to regularly meet CHIC requirements because the required SSADHD test was also newly added to OFA on the same date, and there was also a bit of transition with where to test this disease with the recent closing of Vetgen. At the very least, at this time Salukis should have an Advanced Echocardiogram on file, preferably within the last year or two. Salukis are prone to having a few different heart problems, but most often there may be some valve leakage that may or may not affect them throughout their lives. Frequently Salukis affected by these problems are subclinical and thus not detected through auscultation until later on in life (if at all). This is not to be confused with an athletic heart which may cause a murmur that doesn't affect the health of the dog. Athletic hearts are common among this breed and an echocardiogram is the best way to determine if a murmur has an innocent cause or not. There are also instances of DCM, arrhythmia, PDA, and other heart issues within the breed that necessitate an echocardiogram before breeding.
Eye exams are an elective component of the Saluki CHIC program, and I believe a worthwhile test as it is usually cheap as far as health testing goes. Sometimes there are Salukis who will have breeder options pop up, and I think those are important to track and avoid breeding two with the same defect together.
Hemangiosarcoma and Lymphoma frequently are the cause of death of Salukis, and unfortunately there are no genetic tests for that just yet, but it's important to ask your prospective breeder about the health history of the pedigree to make sure that there have not been numerous cases of ancestors dying young of one particular problem that could potentially be passed along to the puppy in question. Unfortunately, these problems usually occur after the age of breeding. Hopefully Saluki breeders will use the OFA DNA repository to help contribute to future researchers who may find genetic links to these diseases.
Salukis will sometimes come up positive for carrying the Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) gene, like many other breeds, but there don't seem to be many instances of Saluki succumbing to this disease. Salukis do have two known relevant genetic tests for NCL8 & SSADHD. It is unknown how widespread these genetic problems are at this time, and so it is important that breeders begin testing their breeding stock for these problems. Personally, I would not buy from a particular litter unless there is enough testing in the line to guarantee that the puppies are not affected as there have been both carrier and affected dogs produced in the United States.
I think it's worth running diversity panels on Salukis for better matchmaking in the future as it is a rare breed and all rarer breeds are vulnerable to breed diversity problems whether or not there is an open studbook. There is currently not a widespread program being used in the United States for Saluki diversity; however, some European Saluki breeders are using a diversity test through the Feragen lab in Austria.
Liver shunts, seizures, cystinuria, etc.: There are other problems that afflict our beloved breed less frequently that are worth asking your breeder about. As far as bladder stones/cystinuria, there have been no formal studies that I am aware of specifically for Salukis, but according to my experience and aligning with those who have shared their stories with me, cystinuria seems to affect intact males who are mostly (but not always) consuming a high protein diet. This disease can cause bladder stones that cannot be dissolved and generally need to be surgically removed. Occasionally, these stones have a deadly consequence. I have not heard of any female affected Salukis at this time. If your male puppy/dog has a relative who is afflicted by this, you may want to watch the protein % that the dog consumes, float his dinner in water, and have his urine checked for cysteine (through UPenn). If you have a dog who forms cystine stones, I would recommend neutering as that usually prevents reoccurrences. There is no genetic test for this particular type of cystinuria at this time.
Seizures seem to occur somewhat rarely in the breed, but is not limited to one line of Salukis. It is worth asking any breeder you inquire with about seizure history within the dogs they've produced. Liver shunts do occur in the breed and while there is no genetic test for it, if it is known to occur in the line of dogs that the puppy is related to, the puppies should ideally have Bile Acid Tests before going home. This does cause a delay sometimes in getting the puppy home by a week or two while waiting for results as it can't be done accurately when they're really young, but it is better to wait a couple of weeks than to get a puppy who is likely to have a devastatingly shortened lifespan. It is also prudent to ask your potential Saluki's breeder about instances of allergies and other autoimmune problems within their lines as thrombocytopenia, IMHA, and other autoimmune problems are not unknown within the breed.
See: Saluki Health Research for breed specific heart, cancer, and thyroid information.