Wolfhound, a fully conscious choice

Have you decided to welcome an Irish Wolfhound into your home? You will have to know some fundamental information, including the amount of time to spend with him, what kind of food to give him, what rules to impose, the place where he will sleep, what means of transport you will need, the compromises you will have to make for holidays and week-end getaways. Money is a further factor that should not be discounted.

For your Irish Wolfhound buy quality food! Get advice from someone who has more experience than you. Remember that everything you will save by buying poor quality food you might later pay to the vet! There are plenty of different types of dog meals, I personally prefer to feed my Irish Wolfhoundfresh ingredients and quality kibble. Fresh meat or fish every day, in relation to the dog need, furthermore, fruit should never be missing (usually apples and bananas). My Irish Wolfhound eat three times a day, it is better to appease the dogs before the meals and keep them quiet for another hour after they have eaten. You can choose raw food diet (get advice from someone who has more experience than you). Otherwise, if you choose to feed your Irish Wolfhound with kibble, my advice buy those prepared with fresh ingredients with a low percentage of crude ash.

There are a lot of supplements, and I can only suggest what I use: C-vitamin, Omega 3-6-9 (to check the concentration of the product, about 1000 mg di EPA+DHA by day) and a good chondroprotector (during the first year the puppy will multiply his weight more than 100 times the weight of birth). I also suggest to give a probiotic daily (kefir or yogurt). For the purchase of dog foods and supplements I suggest to make the research on the web. Spanish and Greek web sites are often cheaper.

During the life of an Irish Wolfhoundyou sure go to the vet, especially in the first months of a puppy's life, for vaccinations and various check-ups. Alas! There could be some unforeseen expenses in the next years relating to possible health problems. Remember! A good breeder will attach the “liver shunt” test, which is a severe disease in this breed, to the puppy’s documentation. It’s important for your dog to have regular heart check. To prevent the infectious tracheobronchitis (kennel cough) there are specific vaccines that I highly recommend. The most common health problems in Irish Wolfhound are: dilated cardiomyopathy, osteosarcoma, bloat (or stomach dilatation), ciliary dystrophy, OCD, mega esophagus. Irish Wolfhound pneumonia is almost always fatal if the right antibiotic is not given promptly (I know Rocephin and Excenel), even a simple anesthesia could give serious complications, so I recommend that you find an expert vet of this breed.

Information on health at the following addresses:
http://www.iwfoundation.org/healthstudies.html
http://www.iwhealthgroup.co.uk/home.html

LIFESPAN

Statistics report that Irish Wolfhound average life is a little bit longer than 7 years.

MOVEMENT

In the first year of life, considering the super growth of the puppy, I suggest not to do too much physical activity. But don’t forget, however, that the Irish wolfhound, despite his size, is a sighthound, and he loves walking and running …he will have to walk and run! I suggest daily walks.

GROOMING

We often associate the word “grooming” only with dog shows. This is a mistake. I have learned over the years that regular grooming serves not only the purpose of beautifying the dog, but is also important for the prevention of various Irish Wolfhound skin problems. With a correctly groomed coat, it’s definitely easier to detect foreign bodies, irritation, allergies and so on. Correct grooming has the great function of regenerating the coat in a natural way. The grooming of an Irish Wolfhound is done by stripping. There are a lot of coat grooming tools available. Personally, during last years I have opted for expert groomers, then you learn to do it by yourself.

ACCOMMODATION

The Irish Wolfhound, by his sweet and loving temperament, can also adapt to live in an apartment, in which case it’s absolutely essential to go out regularly. I suggest you plan to have large cushions, sofas or beds where he can rest comfortably, and thus avoid bursitis. The Irish Wolfhound was selected for hunting on sight, he’s not a guard dog, but his size will be a good deterrent to criminals.

CONCLUSIONS

Only after carefully considering and evaluating all these different factors, will you be ready to receive one of these wonderful creatures, but remember: there’s no going back… you won’t be able to live without Irish Wolfhound!