Our HWV
At large
Health
All the HWV we own have had their DNA profile submitted to the animal health trust to aid in dna profiling the breed.
View the results of the AHT/HWVA health survey here.
View the results of the KC pure breed survey here.
The following are our views and opinions on HWV's health. We are more than happy to discuss this openly with anyone - just ask!
As a relatively new breed there is limited data on health problems within the breed. The breed as a whole is a generally healthy one however there are some issues which have been known to occur that are worth knowing about.
One of the problems that crops up fairly frequently is ear infections. This is largely due to the breed having deep ear canals. We are careful to keep our dogs ears as clean as possible to minimise problems. We are also particularly careful after they have been swimming.
Another relatively common problem is allergies. I tend to think of wires as being red heads. You may have heard people say how red heads are prone to allergies and it is something often echoed within other animal species eg horses. We personally have never experienced any major problems with our own dogs. We have been lucky that our dogs have not experienced much more than a mild irritation on the belly associated with scratching it in long grass. However more chronic allergic issues have been reported within the breed along with autoimmune problems including Addison's disease.
There are cases of entropian (eyelid turning in) and ectropian (eyelid sagging) within the breed. As an Optometrist I am interested in the subject! These things can be congenital or aquired so again is worth monitoring. Serious cases may need operating to stop the eyelashes damaging the front surface of the eye.
There have been a small number of cases of epilepsy reported in the breed. It must be stressed that this is uncommon but nevertheless worth mentioning. We feel it is very important to be up front about this because the only way that we can iron out health issues is with careful, informed breeding.
Hip dysplasia is not common but we BVA hip score our wires as a precaution. We use Southfield Veterinary Centre to hip score our dogs and would highly recommend them. The procedure is carried out under sedation there which is safer for the dog and only involves a short visit to the practice to do. Verity Griffiths from the practice has kindly allowed us to show her article about hip dysplasia which proves very interesting reading. Click here to read the article.
