Wheaten Health Initiative’s principle objectives are educating and providing information
which, we hope, will help breeders, owners and veterinary professionals.
The information on our website is designed to assist you to understand more about the
words and terms that are used by the professionals caring for your dog, especially in
relation to the hereditary diseases which affect our breed.
This information is written within the context of the body systems that they affect.
Every Wheaten is an important member of a unique Breed and just because it has
never been bred from, does not mean that it isn’t still important. If it becomes
ill, or sadly dies, due to an hereditary disease, please inform your breeder and your
Breed Club's Health Team.
This means that if knowledge of the presence of disease is shared with others, it allows
for informed breeding decisions to be made in respect of related dogs.
It is possible for a dog to appear healthy even though an underlying disease may be present
and the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier is no exception to this. The underlying diseases that
can affect the Wheaten Terrier are Renal Dysplasia (RD); Protein Losing Enteropathy (PLE),
Protein Losing Nephropathy (PLN) and Addison’s disease.
Owners and breeders can establish the health status of their dogs by monitoring them on an
annual basis for signs of illness. This will aid with the early identification of disease,
ensuring that treatment can begin promptly and offer the best chance of success.
Ideally, every Wheaten should be tested annually and a copy of the test
results forwarded to the breeder and your
Breed Club's Health Team, so it can
be included in their health records.
Blood and Urine testing gives a ‘snapshot’ view of the dog’s health
status at the precise moment that the samples are taken and, as such, cannot give any guarantees
with regard to future health. This is not a perfect system but it is the best option available
until further advances in understanding these diseases are made.
Without your help, the future health of the breed cannot be assured.
A summary of the health information on this website is also available on the Health
Handbook page.