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Sorry, I'm taking the advice of my vets and the specialists at Queens Veterinary Hospital on this one I don't doubt that what you're saying might be true for Irish Wolfhounds, but that's because they generally don't live long enough to develop skeletal problems given the far more serious problems inherent to most lines.
Sadly you are also right about Wolfhound age - MALE average 6.3 years ;FEMALE 7.2 I have had 32 Wolfhounds and the longest lived were 9 years old ......as it happens they are not prone to any kind of Dysplasia nor are most hound types but osteo-chondritis actually becomes evident as young as 6 months in most dogs but it is usually due to over -excercise or too much protein in early growth .
@Sporky - Yes they do need excercise but can happily live short periods without it .......A common misconception with any of the Sighthound groups ( greyhound,Borzoi,Wolf/deerhound ,Afghan etc ) is that they need a lot of excercise -they don't surprisingly enough..........their life-purpose is to chase down and hunt ......most would chase a paper-bag in the wind across a field because they are highly sight/movement stimulated .
Their natural inclination is to lay in wait for long periods and then having sighted quarry to chase it down in one mad,frantic burst of speed and fury .....in the wild they would then eat and sleep it off .In fact ,what most sighthounds want is a 10 minute mad run and then lay down ......and kip for the rest of the day (greyhounds too ) Surprisingly ,they make great pets for people who are not so active as they are naturally inclined to doze for 16 hours a day when maturity is reached .
I have done quite a bit of lure- coursing and the biggest problem is that if they win a first round they generally can't be very much arsed to perform a second and third time !
http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/173/16/396.full
Admittedly I didn't read the full study, so I'm not sure of the breed-specific implications.
We tend to be hyper-aware of breed-based conditions for our dogs - we have two Chihuahuas (so hydrocephalus, collapsed trachea and luxating patella), husky-collie mix (hip dysplasia and arthritis) and an Akita (gastric torsion, eye disorders and any number of auto-immune disorders due to the genetic bottleneck from WWII). There's a lot to keep an eye out for...I definitely regret not getting the Akita's stomach tacked at the same time as her spay, because that would've at least reduced the chances of gastric torsion being fatal should it happen.
I have dealt with it a number of times and sadly seen 2 dogs die of it ( not mine ) I would imagine Akita 's (lovely dogs btw ) are quite prone and the eye issues are entropian related . I used to look after 2 Malamutes which have some vague simiarity.
There have been so many reports on causes of Torsion ( i did a lot of data collection for the Wolfhound Society on gastro dilation volvulus and Dr Serena Brownlie 's published heart studies in wolfhounds ) none of them have any conclusive answers but the usual suspect causes that I am sure you are vigilantly aware of - ironically,given that the catalyst for conversation was seasons there has been quite some evidence of bitches in season and stressing for a mate being the cause of a torsion onset being yet another cause .You can drive yourself mad and become quite OCD about it given that death can occur within a few hours .Most saved cases die relatively soon after due to the damage of necrosis and also those that were caught soon enough before necrosis still often die within months from a secondary attack even though they have been stapled or tacked . I used to feel and palpate the loin and stomach of each dog an hour or so after feeding and always last thing at night before bed as a matter of routine .Unaware people just don't realise the urgency of surgery.
You are obviously very "doggy " people and know exactly what's what.
Sprocket gets very cranky without 2 hours a day.
Walking her has been tiring, as she's obviously got heightened senses right now, so it just pulling like a train trying to follow a scent trail!
The result of that is her expelling a lot of energy, and she's now currently snoring her head off.
@Dominic there is absolutely no way we couldn't walk Poppy. She's a Springer Spaniel and has 2:30-3 hours walk a day normally, sometimes more at the weekend...if we stopped that she would end up being restless and probably a bit distressed.
No issues so far, trying to walk her 'out of the way' and successful thus far but still 2 weeks or so until we are through the other side.
Love irish wolfhounds though. There's one we see when we walk in our local woods. He's fucking massive and sounds like a horse galloping when he runs, which can be terrifying, but he's as gentle as anything.
I like Springers a lot and they are a fantastic working gundog -certainly the best dog for a walked-up day......they really get in there and put the birds up.....never tire of working .......now I know why you need to walk her so much as they are just so active.
I think all Spaniels are ......we had to look after an Irish Water Spaniel once and it was very hard work.
Admittedly, she did get some good sleeping done that evening...