Screening Clinics
Heart Screening
The Irish Wolfhound Foundation sponsors heart screening for heart disease research at Irish Wolfhound specialty shows and events in the US and Canada. Screening tests offered include EKG’s and echocardiograms.
*Preregistration*
Preregistration is required so things will go smoothly at the clinic. Preregistration requires completing your LCS II form, after which you will see links to the registration forms. Or you may call Frances Abrams at 937-371-3609 for forms. Online registration is preferred.
Screening Tests Offered and Suggested Donations
- EKGs (recommended annually for all IWs) are offered for dogs of all ages and suggested at $80 for dogs ages 2 through 5 or $30 for dogs 6 and older with a cardiologist evaluation of the EKG. Please note, OFA will no longer register dogs with EKG and auscultation only. Dogs found to be equivocal in this testing may be offered an echocardiogram if time permits.
- Echocardiograms (a.k.a., echoes) are suggested at $250 per hound for normal hounds between 2 and 5 years old, and $100 for hounds who are 6 or older OR hounds of any age with previously diagnosed heart conditions. Echoes also include an EKG. OFA forms will be available for dogs over 24 months of age if requested by the owner. The owner will have to complete their portion of the form and send in the form and fee to OFA.
All tests include auscultation by a Board-certified cardiologist.
Screening costs are subsidized by the IWF, and all data collected will be used by the Foundation to support ongoing heart studies. Additional donations to the Foundation are much appreciated and wisely used to fund our mission of Health, Education, & Rescue.
Screening Scheduling
Preregistration will assure that you have a time and date assigned for testing. You will get an acknowledgement by email. Forms will be prepared for your dog and brought to the show/event site. There may be some slight changes in time due to the show/event schedule. Please let Frances know as soon as possible if you cannot make your appointment.
DNA Blood Draws
The IWF will also be drawing blood for the IWF DNA bank. We will have copies of our blood draw consent form available. We would be grateful if your hound can donate a small blood sample at the specialty if they have not done so already.
Forms
In addition to preregistering, you can save some time at the clinic by filling out the venipuncture consent form if your hound has never given blood before for our DNA bank. The LCSII form and registration forms send data directly to us; the venipuncture form you'll need to fill out online, print and sign and bring it to the clinic.
LCSII Entry/Update Form with Link to Registration Forms
Venipuncture Consent Form
Questions?
See our FAQ, or contact Frances Abrams at iwfhealth@gmail.com or 937-371-3609.
Upcoming Clinic Opportunities
There are currently no screening clinics scheduled in the near future. If you would like to organize one for your event, please contact us at iwfhealth@gmail.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
All Irish Wolfhounds 2 years of age or older.
Heart disease in Irish Wolfhounds is often treatable if detected early. Getting your IW's heart screened is important for everyone, not just breeders! All adult Irish Wolfhounds should be screened annually.
Yes, as long as it's a purebred Irish Wolfhound. We need to know when the dog was born (guesses OK), what he's called and who owns him. That's it! If you don't have a registered name or number that's OK; just put "N/A" on the sign up form.
Yes, your hound must be 2 years or older, since most heart disease in Irish Wolfhounds is not due to congenital defects, but rather develops as the hound ages.
An echocardiogram (or "echo") is painless and non-invasive, and allows the cardiologist to visualize and assess the overall health of the heart via ultrasonic imaging. Some of the things an echo can show are leakage of blood through the valves, the size of the heart, abnormal communications between the left and the right sides of the heart, and heart muscle contractility.
An EKG (or electrocardiogram) is a paper or digital recording of the electrical signals in the heart. It is used to determine heart rate, heart rhythm and other information regarding the heart's condition. An annual EKG is one of the requirements for dogs in OFA's CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) program.
There isn't one. Either abbreviation can be used to refer to an electrocardiogram, where leads are attached to the dog in several places to measure the electrical activity in the heart. EKG is probably the more frequently used term, but ECG is used more by cardiologists.
Check on the timing of your appointment, as it may change slightly during the show. Come to the heart screening area about 10 minutes before your assigned time. If you haven't filled out an LCSII health and diet form online you can pick one up and complete it when you arrive. An EKG and auscultation takes about 10 minutes. Allow 15-20 minutes for EKG, auscultation and echo.
Other than a small amount of pinching, there is no pain involved, and most dogs patiently tolerate the procedures. If you have an echocardiogram done, the coat is wiped clean with alcohol after testing and the dog should be dry and ready to show within a few minutes.
Absolutely. All testing is done in a standing position with the owner or a designated handler present to keep the dog as calm as possible.
We only request a blood sample if the dog is participating in one of our studies for the first time. With your permission, the IWF collects small amounts of blood for research. This blood is saved in the IWF DNA databank for future use.
No. The electrocardiograms (a.k.a., EKGs or ECGs) and echocardiograms provided at dog shows is meant as a screening examination for IWH type cardiomyopathy for either breeding stock or pet IWs and to support on-going studies of the IWF. If your IW has already been diagnosed with heart disease, or you suspect that it may be affected, you should establish a relationship with a local cardiologist to manage your dog's heart disease.
Sometimes, if there are time slots available. However it greatly simplifies things if the online signup process is used.
No, not unless you choose to register your dog's individual results publically with OFA.
We do send data to the OFA/ACVIM Advanced Cardiac Database (ACA) for statistical purposes. As part of a clinic, the ACA form is completed and the basic information is submitted to the statistical database. That data is never published for individual dogs without owner consent. If you wish to publish your dog's results you will need to mark the completed ACA screening form accordingly, sign it, and send it in to OFA with a registration fee.
Note that only published results are acceptable for a CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) designation.