[COMPLETED] Diet Survey 2018
Recently the FDA has been looking at a possible link between certain dog foods and an increased risk of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Since heart disease is a primary concern in our breed, the Irish Wolfhound Foundation is seeking more information on the extent to which this might affect our breed. Lisa Freeman DVM, PhD, DACVN, a board certified nutritionist from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, and Dr. Bill Tyrrell, who has tested our dogs hearts for many years helped us come up with a brief questionnaire for wolfhound owners This will help us examine the data we have for possible links.
Who is eligible:
Any Irish Wolfhound in the US or Canada who has had an echocardiogram in the past two years (May 2016 to July 2018) and whose owner can provide information about what main diet these dogs were eating at the time of the echocardiogram and the results of the echocardiogram. Dogs are still eligible even if they are no longer living as long as they meet the above criteria.
How to participate:
- First gather the data you have, including the echocardiogram and any information on the diet, supplements, and medications being used on that animal at the time of the echo and since then. We need the exact, full name of the diet with enough detail that would allow Dr. Freeman to purchase that same diet from the store if necessary.
- To take the survey please use this link: irishwolfhounddietsurvey
- The data from the survey will go directly to Dr. Freeman and the raw data will not be available to anyone other than her research team. In addition, all survey data will be completely anonymous unless you specifically give us permission to contact you for further information in the final question.
If you would like more information about what is known so far, we recommend you visit Dr. Tyrrell’s website or the review of this problem by Dr. Lisa Freeman DVM, PhD, DACVN.
Thanks for your help,
Frances Abrams, PhD, Research Liaison
The Irish Wolfhound Foundation
Additional Study Details
| Study Date(s): | 2018-08-07 to 2018-10-31 |
|---|---|
| Study Status: | Completed |
| Enrollment Status: | CLOSED to new enrollment |
| Lead Researcher(s): | Lisa Freeman, DVM and William Tyrrell, DVM |