HEALTH
THE IRISH WOLFHOUND CLUB HEALTH FUND
(IWCHF)
It was proposed by Mrs Ruth Jenkins & seconded by Mrs J Malley, that the Club should form a sub-committee to raise funds for research into health problems in the breed. The IWCHF was therefore set up and all monies raised go towards funding research into various health projects involving Irish Wolfhounds. It is the hope of our Club Members that the IWCHF will help find ways to improve the health of our magnificent breed and that this will benefit Irish Wolfhounds the World over.
The allocation of monies donated to the IWCHF is decided by the membership at the Club's AGM each year. The areas of health to be considered for donations are:
Porto Systemic Shunt (Livershunt)
Gastric Dilation Volvulus (Gastric Torsion or 'Bloat')
Cancer
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
Heart Disease
Since breeders have a responsibility to maintain the health of the breed, it is expected that they should be major contributors to this fund. To this end, it was agreed at one of the Club's Annual General Meetings that breeders should donate £5 for every puppy sold and £10 for each stud fee received.
Whether they are breeders or not, many Club members kindly make donations to the IWCHF when entering Club shows.
The Irish Wolfhound Internet Trust also regularly supports the fund, with generous donations towards research into Livershunt.
Over the last 25 years or so, The Irish Wolfhound Club has made donations totalling around £28,000 towards health research which benefits Irish Wolfhounds.
These donations have been allocated as follows:
Annual donations of £200 to one of the five main Veterinary Colleges that have treated Wolfhounds suffering from various forms of illness. A total of £5,200 has been donated in this way so far.
Between October 1982 and January 1984, The Irish Wolfhound Club donated £3,000 to help fund the research of Dr Larry Owen into the treatment of cancer in large breeds.
In 1998, The Irish Wolfhound Club donated £1,200 to Liverpool University's Veterinary College to help fund their research into gastric torsion.
At the 1999 AGM, Club members approved a donation of £4,200 to Dr Sargan at Cambridge for his research into Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). This donation was intended specifically for the purchase and one year's running costs of a machine used in the development of a DNA test that would help identify the gene responsible for PRA in Irish Wolfhounds.
At the 2003 AGM it was agreed to donate £1,000 to Dr Serena Brownlie's Heart Research programme. A further £200 was donated to Dr Brownlie via the Canine Supporters Charity, and a further £1,000 was raised by The Irish Wolfhound Magazine.
The Irish Wolfhound Magazine also raised £5,000 for research into gastric torsion.
At the Club's AGM in March 2004, the members present agreed to make a donation of £5,200 to Liverpool University for equipment to help research into canine arthritis and £1,500 to the Heart Research Fund.
FREE HEART TESTING FOR SUPER-VETERANS!!!
Calling all super-veterans - your breed needs you!
This year, the Irish Wolfhound Health Group has agreed to subsidise
the cost of heart testing all veterans 8 years and over
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 visit the IWHG site for more information.
Your Golden Oldie will be making an invaluable contribution. Thank you.
In 2004, the Irish Wolfhound Health Group was set up. This group is made up of representatives from The Irish Wolfhound Club, The Irish Wolfhound Society and The Irish Wolfhound Club of Northern Ireland and was formed specifically to look at health issues in a unified way. The IWC is presently represented on the IWHG by five members of the IWC committee, as follows: Noel Box, Jean Malley, Clive Painter, Peter Pask and Allys Simpson.
The Irish Wolfhound Club would like to thank everybody who has donated to the Health Fund, which would not be able to function without your continuing generosity.
Any donations will be gratefully acknowledged via these pages.
Please contact the Club Secretary.
~ Thank you in anticipation ~