Online Publication of Heart Screening Results
This is an initiative by the Irish Wolfhound Health Group whereby owners and breeders can, if they wish, publish the heart screening results of their hounds. It is open to all owners who have screened their hounds using a qualified Veterinary Cardiovascular Society cardiologist using three stage screening comprising:
- auscultation (stethoscope)
- electrocardiography (ECG)
- echocardiography (ultrasound scan)
Due to the webmaster's ongoing ill-health we regret we are no longer able to accept heart screening results.LinkOnline form for submitting resultsOpen a pre-set email to send results
The IWHG offers screening sessions through its Regional Heart Screening Scheme at a significantly reduced rate of £100 per dog. Results are automatically submitted to our research programmes. For more details on where and when these sessions are happening click here.
If you wish to publish details of your hound’s annual heart screening results please complete the online form below and include a scanned copy of the Veterinary Certificate of Heart Testing.
Alternatively, a form can be downloaded here for submission by post, together with a copy of the Veterinary Certificate of Heart Testing.
You will be notifed by email when your results are online.
On completion of screening you receive a Veterinary Certificate of Heart Testing signed by the cardiologist with information about your dog’s heart rate and rhythm, the presence or absence of any heart murmur, the results of ECG and ultrasound. The certificate can be interpreted as follows:
- NORMAL the dog is clear of any abnormal heart defects at the date of the test and would be acceptable to breed from. It is recommended that breeders test their dogs annually to monitor continued heart function.
- EQUIVOCAL a recommendation to retest in six months would fall into the category of an ‘equivocal’ reading. It does not necessarily mean that there is a heart problem but may be an anomaly that wil disappear at the next test and the result be clear. A recommendation to retest in six months monitors the situation to ensure that nothing more worrying is developing.
- ABNORMAL an abnormal heart reading may be anything from a minor disruption to the normal heart function through to more serious problems such as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). It is recommended that dogs with this reading are not bred from.
If at the time of screening the cardiologist has serious concerns about the health of the dog, the owner will be advised to take the dog to their own vet as soon as possible for examination and potential referral to a specialist.
Due to the webmaster's ongoing ill-health we regret we are no longer able to accept heart screening results.
