Devoted to the health and welfare of Irish Wolfhounds
Regional heart testing
This is an initiative designed to offer all wolfhound owners, be they pet, rescue or show dogs, regular heart screening at very accessible rates and at the same time provide valuable information for ongoing research into heart disease in Irish Wolfhounds by Dr Serena Brownlie.
Dr Brownlie has been conducting her research for many years and will continue to do so by attending breed club shows and occasional weekends at breeders' premises. The main areas of concern are AF (Atrial Fibrillation) and DCM (Dilated Cardiomyopathy) and how they are inherited. For this we need to test far more dogs, and on a yearly basis, to build a more complete picture. In particular, we need to see older dogs with healthy hearts.
Sheena Milne, cardiologist for the SE Region
The screening is non-invasive and includes a stethoscope examination, an ECG (which usually requires your dog to lie on the floor), and an ultrasound scan (with the dog standing - there is no need to shave or sedate the dog). All information provided and results are confidential and are forwarded to Dr Brownlie to add to the database. Certificates are provided for owners to give to their own vets and any dogs requiring further investigation/ treatment are referred back to their own vets for onward referral.
Payment is subsidised by the Health Group to ensure that everyone pays the same at each session and that it is affordable for all. The cost per dog is currently £40.00 for the full screening, which is excellent value and we are also grateful to our cardiologists for making this possible too.
Regular heart testing is recommended as the check-up is not a one-off exercise - it only confirms the state of the dog's heart at that particular time, but it cannot guarantee that the dog's heart will remain unaffected in the future. The advantage of testing is that full screening can identify heart disease before clinical signs have presented, and with early intervention and modern drugs there is the possibility of normal life expectancy being attained and a good quality of life for your dog for the longest time.
So far, the UK has been split into ten regions: South West, South East, North West, North East, East Anglia, Wales, the Midlands, the North & Borders and Scotland & Northern Ireland. Initially, we are conducting two weekend days a year, one each in the Spring and Autumn, where local wolfhound owners and breeders can book in dogs that do not attend shows. We now have coverage in all these areas and should demand grow, and where cardiologists are available, we will endeavour to provide more sessions.
For those attending the breed Championship shows, Dr Brownlie will continue to conduct those sessions herself.
If you would like to receive information about heart testing sessions in your area, please email Rebecca Peek or call her on 07860 142867.
PLEASE SUPPORT REGIONAL HEART TESTING ~
IT IS THERE FOR YOU AND YOUR HOUNDS.
We are setting up new dates for the 2012 heart testing sessions so please keep checking the website for sessions near you. Don't forget, spaces are very limited so please contact Rebecca Peek as soon as possible if you would like to reserve a space, even if the session date hasn't yet been set.
We have kept the cost per dog at £40 for yet another year!
Click here for a list of dates and venues - updated 16 May 2013
February 2012
Calling all super-veterans - your breed needs you! This year, the IWHG has agreed to subsidise the cost of heart testing all veterans 8 years and over in order to meet the urgent needs of the breed specific research programmes. All dogs will be required to provide DNA samples for these projects as well as attend an IWHG Regional Heart Testing Session, all very simple and straightforward and at no cost to the owners. If you have a wolfhound aged 8 or more that you would like to include, please contact us urgently. Your Golden Oldie will be making an invaluable contribution. Thank you.
Numbers are being strictly limited per session,
so please book early to avoid disappointment.
Email Rebecca Peek or phone 07860 142867
