Devoted to the health and welfare of Irish Wolfhounds
News
June 2009
The Irish Wolfhound Health Group (IWHG) has written that the Animal Health Trust needs many more samples for its study on osteosarcoma in Irish Wolfhounds.
The Animal Health Trust (AHT) Oncology Research Group continues to need the help of Irish Wolfhound owners to collect samples for its study seeking to identify inherited genetic defects that increase the risk of Wolfhounds developing osteosarcoma. Between June 2005 and June 2009, with the support of The Irish Wolfhound Club and The Irish Wolfhound Society and their members, samples from 212 Wolfhounds have been collected, including 36 from dogs with osteosarcoma. The AHT successfully applied to the United States-based Morris Animal Foundation for funding, and in September 2008 started a study looking for differences between genetic markers present in DNA samples from 28 Wolfhounds with osteosarcoma and 20 Wolfhounds that had never had cancer. Unfortunately, so far it has not been possible to identify genetic markers that are only present in the DNA samples from dogs with osteosarcoma, and so many more samples from both Wolfhounds with osteosarcoma, and Wolfhounds aged 6 or above who have never had cancer, are required. If you would like to submit a sample for this study, please contact Lisa Jeffery (Tel: 01638 751000, extension 1214) at the AHT. In addition, if you have previously submitted a sample for this project and your dog has subsequently developed cancer please notify the AHT.
This is an IWHG supported study.
Kennel Club/Dogs Trust Inquiry
At the beginning of February 2009, the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust appointed Professor Sir Patrick Bateson of Cambridge University to conduct an independent inquiry into the breeding of dogs.The Inquiry is funded jointly by Dogs Trust and the Kennel Club but is operating independently of both organisations and has the support of DEFRA (Defra). In order to inform its deliberations and eventual conclusions, the Inquiry team called for evidence from the broadest possible range of interested parties. The IWHG, in conjunction with the IW Club, the IW Society and IWCNI, responded with a breed voice, seeing this as an opportunity to air our concerns over welfare issues that affect the whole of the dog breeding population and not just the pedigree breeder. This link will take you through to our document 'Call For Evidence'. We will keep you informed of any updates.
Kennel Club Accredited Breeders Scheme
We are delighted to announce that our proposals about ABS Health Requirements and Recommendations for Irish Wolfhounds have been taken on board and actioned by the KC. The latest Health List on the KC website shows that testing for Elbow Dyplasia has been removed, Progressive Retinal Atrophy has been reclassified as a Recommendation and Heart Testing has been added as a Breed Recommendation. Click here for details of our original proposals.
Osteosarcoma Study - Mike Starkey (Animal Health Trust)
In April 2008, Dr Mike Starkey asked the Group if we would support an application to the Kennel Club Charitable Trust for funds for the Osteosarcoma Study. However, before the application could be made he came back with the news that not only had an application to the American Kennel Club been successful, but also another to the US-based Morris Animal Foundation. Consequently, the Study had been awarded $52,401 (then about £29,400) for a one year project. The project had just begun, and he sincerely hoped that within 12 months they would be within sight of locating one or more inherited genetic mutations that increase the likelihood of Irish Wolfhounds developing osteosarcoma.
Although he has started the research study and secured grant funding, he still needs to collect samples from Irish Wolfhounds for the second phase of the study, and so hopes that Irish Wolfhound owners will continue to support the study in this way.
