Health>Post Mortem

 

Dear Owner

Nobody likes to think of the time when we might lose our Wheaten friend and companion. The moment we do lose them is very emotional and sensitive for us and a time when the pain of grief can cloud our better judgement.

At a time like this, suggestions of a post mortem are almost unthinkable, but the last loving act could be to allow your Wheaten to provide valuable medical information that may benefit the breed in future; the health of every Wheaten is important, even if it has not been bred from.

Of course, this is a difficult task to take on board so soon after death, but it may help and reassure you that it may not be necessary for a ‘full body’ post mortem to be carried out. Often, all that may be required unless there are serious concerns over the cause of death, is to take a sample, using keyhole surgery, from the kidney and/or intestine.

If you would like your Wheaten to make this valuable contribution to wheaten health, it may help to discuss the possibility with your Veterinary Practice so that they can be aware of your wishes well in advance so he/she can discretely carry out the necessary procedures, when the time comes, on your behalf.

If it is suspected that your dog has died of an hereditary disease, please inform your breeder, and (in the UK) the SCWT Club of GB.

Further details about the PM process are given below.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this matter.

Regards

Wheaten Health Initiative

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Information for Owners and Veterinarians:

The request for pathological examination must come directly from your veterinary surgeon, and the post mortem report will also go back to the referring veterinarian, who would then relay the report and results to you.

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the Animal Health Trust (AHT), work closely together and have experience performing Post Mortem on the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. Both the RVC and the AHT will charge for their services, as will your Vet. Only your Vet can ascertain the cost of these procedures, and the amount will also depend on whether it is a whole body or tissue samples which are required.

The SCWT Club of GB has a health fund and may help with the cost of the post mortem. Contact details for the Club are at the back of this Handbook and also available on our web site.

DNA will also be collected on PM (if it has not already been previously stored).

Important:

Please give your Vet all this information so he/she knows the correct storage procedure and who to contact – this is very important.

Ideally the post mortem needs to take place:

• Within 48 hours of death or euthanasia. However, in the case of samples of the intestine, it is important that these are taken as soon as possible after death.
  


• The body should be refrigerated ( not frozen)
  


• If death occurs over a weekend, please do not send anything to the RVC or AHT until Monday morning. 
  


• Please include a summary of the clinical history leading up to death, or euthanasia, with the body/tissue samples.
  


• If a whole body post mortem is not necessary, advice regarding the appropriate tissues required for collection can be obtained by contacting one of the pathologists at the RVC or the AHT.
  


• The RVC and the AHT are able to give advice to the referring veterinary surgeon, on a case by case basis, submission of the whole body or parts thereof and the cost of the procedure.

Who to contact:

The pathology departments of the Royal Veterinary College and the Animal Health Trust have experience of the diagnosis of Protein Losing Enteropathy ( PLE), Protein Losing Nephropathy (PLN), Renal Dysplasia (RD) and Addison’s disease, including the criteria used to distinguish between a kidney affected by RD and one which is affected by PLN.  The RVC has close contact with the AHT and is working with them on various projects.

Vet Referral Only:

Dr Karin Allenspach med.vet. FVH Dipl ECVIM-CA PhD FHEA MRCVS
Senior Lecturer Small Animal Internal Medicine
Head of Medicine Service, Veterinary Clinical Sciences
The Royal Veterinary College
Hawkshead Lane
North Mymms
Hatfield
Hertfordshire
AL9 7TA

Phone: 01707 666333 Email: kallenspach@rvc.ac.uk Web site: www.rvc.ac.uk

If Dr Allenspach is not available, please contact:
Prof. Ken Smith, BVM&S, PhD, FRCPath, MRCVS
Professor of Companion Animal Pathology, Royal Veterinary College
Phone: 01707 666208 Fax: 01707 661464
Email: ksmith@rvc.ac.uk Web site: www.rvc.ac.uk

Animal Health Trust - Diagnostic Laboratory Services
Lanwades Park
Kentford
Newmarket
Suffolk
CB8 7UU
Phone: 01638 552993 Fax: 01638 555643

Diagnostic Laborotory Services E-mail: diagnostics@aht.org.uk Web site: www.aht.org.uk

The AHT pack also includes information regarding Post Mortems, this can be downloaded from Publications>AHT Testing Pack.