News - IRISH WOLFHOUND HEALTH GROUP

So a new era begins, and we have the support of CYTOPATH, a lab located in Ledbury, Herefordshire, who are happy to come on board with agreed fixed testing rates for bile acid tests at a level we have enjoyed in previous years.

The procedure remains the same as indicated on the previous testing forms, with one main exception: breeders need to order a pre-addressed envelope from CYTOPATH well in advance of the test being done. All the information needed is on the testing forms which are available for download here.

We are delighted and grateful that Cytopath have agreed to support the scheme and look forward to many years working with them.

Philippa came to prominence among the pedigree dog world when she created the Karlton Index, an independent dog health index, set up to measure how a breed community deals with the health issues within their breed. The first Index was created in 2011 and a further measure was recorded in 2013. Due to her amazing vitality and charisma, she was by this time fully engaged in dog health and welfare commitments across the field, and was an influential voice in the wider dog world. Unfortunately, she was a somewhat a victim of her own success and because of other commitments, the index measurement planned for 2015, was postponed until 2016 and never completed.

In 2015 she was invited to chair our seminar and those of you who attended will remember what a fantastic job she did, adding a new dimension to the day.

She was scheduled to repeat her fantastic performance for our 2017 seminar but having accepted, she later had to let us know that she was actually too ill to attend. We were devastated, not so much for us, but for Philippa, her family and the wider dog community.

Philippa's dedication to all canine health and welfare was inspiring and her pioneering work in challenging us all to question and improve is a great legacy. She had so much more to give, and we will miss her.

Irish Wolfhounds are in the next round of breeds required to produce a plan with the KC so we are inviting all owners of UK Irish Wolfhounds, whether or not registered, to complete a simple survey to provide the KC with an up to date and accurate snapshot of the breed’s current health status. The survey is anonymous and your answers, along with other sources of scientific evidence, will provide important data for our BHCP. 

The first section is about dogs that are alive and that you currently own; the second section refers to any dogs that you have owned that have died in the last ten years. For breeders there is also a separate additional survey specifically about your breeding experiences over the last ten years. 

On behalf of all at the IWHG, I'd like to say a big thank you to the team at DeWolf Dog Training for their fantastic donation of £596. DeWolf's volunteer team raise money from sales of cakes and blankets at their various courses throughout the year and at their annual charity quiz night. So thank you to all who dedicated their time and talents to raising this wonderful sum, it's hugely appreciated.