Lifespan and disease predispositions in the Irish Wolfhound: a review

Urfer, S R; Gaillard, C; Steiger, A (2007). Lifespan and disease predispositions in the Irish Wolfhound: a review. Veterinary quarterly, 29(3), pp. 102-11. Germantown, NY: Taylor & Francis

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Several disease predispositions of Irish Wolfhounds are mentioned in the veterinary literature, but these lists vary greatly between different publications. This article reviews findings on lifespan as well as disease predispositions that have been reported in the literature. Hereditary mechanisms found so far are discussed, including their implications for breeding healthier dogs, the ethical necessity of which is stressed under the aspect of animal welfare. An open health registry, combined with the estimation of breeding values, seems to be the most promising approach. Furthermore, routine male castration is discouraged as being associated with an increased osteosarcoma risk. Mean lifespan estimates in Irish Wolfhounds vary between 4.95 and 8.75 years, but bias due to right censored data is common. The diseases reported to occur most frequently are dilated cardiomyopathy, osteogenic sarcoma, gastric dilation and volvulus and diseases of the osteochondrosis spectrum. Furthermore, intrahepatic portosystemic shunt plays an important role. Several other diseases have been reported in the literature, including rhinitis, epilepsy, progressive retinal atrophy, von Willebrand's Disease, and juvenile fibrocartilaginous embolism.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Institute of Genetics
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)

UniBE Contributor:

Gaillard, Claude, Steiger, Andreas

ISSN:

0165-2176

Publisher:

Taylor & Francis

Language:

English

Submitter:

Factscience Import

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:52

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:16

PubMed ID:

17970287

Web of Science ID:

000251020200002

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/22237 (FactScience: 32967)

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