Helpful Hound Hints

This page is dedicated to sharing information helpful to the IW owners both novice and veterans. Health, training, and grooming tips are but some of the areas we may cover here. If you would like to contribute something to this page, please contact the webmaster, Tracey Luty.

(The RMIWA reserves the right to pre-approve publishing of materials. All materials must be submitted in electronic format.)

Go To: Canine Vaccine Guidlines How to Buy a Puppy Laparoscopic Gastropexy IW Foundation Info

Canine Vaccine Guidelines

The attached file is the 2006 recommendations by the American Animal Hospital Association on vaccines for your canine. This same publication is found on http://aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/VaccineGuidelines06Revised.pdf Please click here to view the publication.

How to buy a Puppy

From a Rocky Mountain News article "Rescued from the Puppy Mill" 12/30/2005 by David Montero

How to adopt a puppy

Puppy buying tips from the American Kennel Club, Doris Day Animal League and Colorado Pet Animal Care and Facilities Committee:

	Location: Always go to the location where the animals are bred to see the conditions in which the puppies' parents live.
	Bonding: Puppies should be with their mother and should not be separated from her for the first 8 weeks. Beware of breeders who sell puppies before then.
	Room to run: There should be room for the dogs to run and exercise. Beware of places that keep dogs in cramped spaces. Dog runs should be kept clean.
	Questions: A breeder who asks lots of questions about an owner and wants to know where the dog will be living is a GOOD sign. It shows the owner cares about the puppy's future and wants it to be in an appropriate home.
	Certification: Check to see if a breeder is certified through the American Kennel Club. Those breeders are subject to regular inspections.

From a Rocky Mountain News article "Hold put on puppies and kittens" 1/27/2006 by Gary Gerhardt

    State Department of Agriculture officials issued a reminder Tuesday that if you buy a puppy or kitten from anyone [in Colorado], you can’t take it home until it’s at least eight weeks old.
"We have this regulation in place to protect the health and well being of pet animals," Keith Roehr, an agriculture department veterinarian, said. "It lessens the risk of these pets having nutritional problems and stress-related diseases, especially when their immune systems aren’t fully developed."
    Examples of possible viral diseases young animals can contract include distemper and parvovirus, while a common nutritional problem is hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, which can be fatal.
    Pet store owners say the agriculture department and local animal control departments constantly monitor all of their activities. If you know of a business or individual who is violating the regulation, CRS 35-80-108, you can contact the Pet Animal Care program at 303-239-4167.
Copyright 2006, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.

Laparoscopic Gastropexy (Bloat and Torsion or GDV prevention):

On October 25, 2003, Dr. Nathan Miller, veterinary surgeon at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver, Colorado presented a talk to the membership of the RMIWA on the relatively new surgical procedure, laparoscopic assisted gastropexy.

For the Irish Wolfhound owner, the fear of bloat and torsion or what is medically termed gastric dilation volvulus (GDV) is often with us. The hound's stomach fills with air (bloat) and this usually causes the stomach to turn in the abdomen (torsion). The twisting can result in a 180-270º turn thus cutting off blood circulation to the stomach and possibly the spleen and other organs. GDV is a life threatening emergency with any dog even young and strong ones. If GDV occurs without the owner's knowledge or in a hound with cardiac concerns, the result is unfortunately frequently death.

In order to greatly reduce the likelihood of torsion in their hounds, many owners have opted for gastropexy surgery (tacking the stomach) on their hounds. This is easily done when a bitch is being spayed or if a surgery is being performed to treat an occurrence of GDV. However, for males or otherwise healthy IWs, we hesitate to have invasive surgery performed for prophylactic purposes.

Laparoscopy is a technique that has been in use many years in humans and animals to reduce the "invasiveness" of surgery. Laparoscopy uses fiber optics, a small video camera and specially designed surgical instruments to allow the surgery to be performed through 2 relatively small slits. In the case of canine gastropexy, 2 small slits are made in the abdomen (one for the camera and one for the instruments) and the surgery is performed from the "outside" of the dog. With this surgical method, the recovery time is quicker and the surgical risks are lower. Prophylactic laparoscopic-assisted gastropexy in layman's terms is preventative surgery using the laparoscopic procedure to attach the stomach to the ribs.

The following links are to Dr. Miller's presentation slides that he has been kind enough to share with our club. This presentation is the property of Dr. Miller. Please contact him if you are interested in more information on the presentation.

Nathan Miller, DVM

Dr. Miller's Presentation - PDF

Irish Wolfhound Foundation Website

The Irish Wolfhound Foundation is a non-profit organization to promote the appreciation, knowledge, and understanding of Irish Wolfhounds by raising and allocating funds for research, education, and rescue.

The website for that organization www.iwfoundation.org has information about health studies, education, rescue and the IW Foundation newsletter.

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Revised --- January 6, 2008