What are the Best Dog Foods for Salukis?
The devoted Saluki is a dog breed characterized by its grace and elegance. A dog with energy to spare, the Saluki bonds deeply to its family, but can be reserved and even shy with strangers. Keeping the Saluki in excellent health is the priority of every owner. Whether your dog is a puppy, a mature adult, or a senior, our list of premium foods can help you find the right diet to support your Saluki’s health and active lifestyle.
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Breed Info
Breed Group:Hound | AKC Saluki Profile
Ideal Weight:Female Adult: 46 to 59 pounds
Male Adult: 46 to 59 pounds
Exercise Need:45 to 75 minutes per day
Breed Summary
The Saluki, also referred to as the gazelle hound, Arabian hound, and the Persian greyhound, was originally bred in the Fertile Crescent. The Saluki is a sighthound as it was bred to hunt by sight rather than scent. Highly prized for their beauty, symmetry, and grace, the breed was believed to have been a divine present from Allah.
Easily identified by their slender bodies, the Saluki is one of the world’s fastest canines. They have moderately high activity requirements, meaning daily exercise is a must to keep this dog breed physically and mentally satisfied.
A typical hound, the Saluki resists learning new things and should not be allowed off-leash due to the breed’s penchant for chasing small animals. While the Saluki can be loving with its family members, it is not known for being an overly affectionate breed.
The Saluki must always be kept securely contained as the breed will roam if given the opportunity. With its immense speed and stamina, the Saluki can travel far distances with ease.
A breed that thrives in the company of its loved ones, the Saluki will not prosper if separated from its family for any length of time. This means the breed can be prone to developing separation anxiety.
Fun fact: Experts purport that the Saluki may trace its roots to the very first dogs. Images of dogs resembling the Saluki have been discovered in Egyptian tombs dating back to over 4,000 years ago.
Physical Traits
Slender, agile, athletic, graceful, active
Personality Traits
Loyal, aloof, gentle, quiet, loving
Health Considerations
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The Salukis is a breed that is known for its overall good health. However, as with all dog breeds, there are a few ailments which can plague this charming breed. These include anesthesia sensitivity, hemangiosarcoma, cardiomyopathy, and hypothyroidism.
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Hypothyroidism
hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid does not produce enough hormones proper functioning of the body. The right diet can provide support for this condition; however, this must be administered in conjunction with medication to restore proper thyroid function.
Recommendations:
Large bites (to slow chewing)・ L-carnitine・ Low calorie・ Low fat・ Low iodine
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Are Fresh Food Diets Good for Salukis?
Only if they’re properly balanced.
Many well-intentioned Salukis parents spend a lot of time preparing meals at home, but health benefits are lost if meals aren’t properly portioned and balanced with all the nutrients dogs need. Recently, a few companies have done an excellent job ensuring accurate portions and nutrient balance by delivering pre-prepped fresh meals customized to the size and needs of your dog. Farmer’s Dog, Ollie and Nom Nom have each been approved by our nutrition team as delivering truly quality and well-balanced meals. They can be a little expensive (usually 3-4x more per day than kibble), but many find the added health benefits worth the cost. They do offer discounts to new customers, though, if you’d like to try one out.
Pros and Cons of Fresh Food Diets
✓ Diets balanced by Nutritionists・ ✓ Customized portions for weight control・ ✓ Superior digestive and immune health ・✕ More expensive than standard dog food
Foods We Recommend for Salukis Puppies
How long do Salukiss need puppy food?
Until they're 12 to 16 months old.
Salukis are very focused on growing, and how we feed them should help them do just that. Since they have so much growing to do, they need higher amounts of nutrients than adult dogs, especially proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and — don’t forget — water. It’s still important to not overfeed puppies, so make sure to portion food and keep treats to no more than 10% of their caloric intake. Since balance is so important, we recommend that your young Salukis is eating food that is made just for puppies from a reputable brand.
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Foods We Recommend for Salukis Adults
When should Salukis start transitioning to adult food?
When they're 12 to 16 months old
From a nutrition standpoint, Salukis become adults once they reach about 90% of their expected weight. Once adults, our two key nutrition goals are balance and maintenance. We want balance because a dog’s body is responsible for a lot of things, like digestion, fighting infection, keeping muscles strong, and chasing squirrels. These are all important tasks, so we want to make sure each body function gets its share of nutrients. We also need to maintain a healthy weight. Underfed dogs are at risk for malnourishment, and overfed dogs can become obese — both of which lead to even worse problems for a Saluki
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Foods We Recommend for Salukis Seniors
When should Salukis start transitioning to senior food?
All dogs can age differently, but medium dogs like Salukis can start to benefit from senior food around 7 to 8 years old
Ever watch kids running around the playground and wish you had that energy again? Yeah. Dogs get there, too. The metabolic processes in senior Salukis slow down as they age, which often means they aren’t needing quite as many calories as they did in their prime. Smart dog food companies have formulated senior diets to ease up on calories but still help them feel full and give them adequate maintenance protein. Still, like humans, everybody is different. Sometimes older dogs need just as many calories, or more, depending on how their bodies progress. So keep a close eye on their body condition, and look for dog foods made for seniors.
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Our assessment analyzes your dog’s breed, age, and health considerations to recommend a science-based diet from over 10,000 options. Help maintain mobility, cognitive health, and quality of life.
Affiliate Disclosure:
We do not accept money to recommend pet foods. However, we do receive referral fees from online retailers (such as Chewy or Amazon) on qualifying purchases. Our recommendations are neutral, and diet recommendations are made without considering whether we will receive a referral fee.