Embark DNA Test

[Britster]

Sooo for those who don't know, I purchased Jackson from a "back yard breeder" I guess you'd call it. Answered a classifieds ad in the paper. It was a woman in Baltimore City who had a litter of Yorkie puppies.

So basically, not a good breeder lol. I always questioned if Jackson was maybe a Silky Terrier or had some in him. He has all of the features/personality traits from what I've seen. He is longer than he is tall, he has a longer muzzle, bigger ears, etc.

Odds are that he was just a badly bred not up to standard Yorkie as I know Silky's are more rare. However I was under the impression that some will use Silky mama's because they are often bigger and can produce more pups. I had read that happens sometimes with shady breeders.

Embark DNA tests seem to be the most accurate. They have a ton of research behind them, I've read a TON of raving reviews. Besides breed, they also do health tests for certain genetic issues, so I was curious.

Well... *drum roll please*... Jackson, my 18lb long bodied big eared boy , is 100% pure Yorkie!

He also tested CLEAR for all of the things they test for.

Good news! Jackson tested clear for 3 genetic conditions that are common in his breed.

CONDITION LIST
Progressive Retinal Atrophy - prcd
Progressive rod-cone degeneration (PRCD Exon 1)
EYES

Primary Lens Luxation
(ADAMTS17)
EYES

L-2-Hydroxyglutaricaciduria
(L2HGDH)
BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD

Also clear of 162 other genetic diseases they test for.


The only "warning" I got was

Low Normal
TEST RESULT
Jackson has one copy of a mutation associated with reduced ALT activity as measured on veterinary blood chemistry panels. Please inform your veterinarian that Jackson has this genotype, as ALT is often used as an indicator of liver health and Jackson is likely to have a lower than average resting ALT activity. As such, an increase in Jackson’s ALT activity could be evidence of liver damage, even if it is within normal limits by standard ALT reference ranges.

So I'll definitely be bringing all of this information into my vet to discuss.

Very very cool information to have and I love how much stuff they gave me.

Here is the shareable link: https://my.embarkvet.com/dog/jackson67

Only thing they got way off was his weight. They said predicted adult weight 9lbs and he's like 18lbs lol.

[KatysMom]

Originally Posted by Britster

... *drum roll please*... Jackson, my 18lb long bodied big eared boy , is 100% pure Yorkie! ... tested CLEAR for all of the things they test for ... Also clear of 162 other genetic diseases they test for.
Very very cool information ...

That is sooo cool. Love it!

You wrote, "Only thing they got way off was his weight. They said predicted adult weight 9lbs and he's like 18lbs lol."

Well, obviously they underestimated just how much a bundle of love he really is.

Hope you'll post back with reaction from your vet, including comments about the ALT warning. (Another something I'd never heard of...)

Thank you for sharing. --KatysMom

[Lovetodream88]

Since Joey is his mini me then I feel that means Joey is too lol. Seriously I’m actually interested in doing this on my youngest two since it checks the health stuff and I have no back round on Joey and am pretty sure Penny came from a puppy mill.

[yorkiemini]

For certain we have always known Action Jackson was outstanding
Now he has the genes to back it up!

[alaskayorkie]

That's really cool! I never doubted Jackson for a second!

I might have to do that just for fun!

[Wylie's Mom]

Cool! I love stuff like this! So interesting. And ALL yorkie ! But I woulda loved his "genetic mix" no matter what the results!

[Sgbraun19]

Lol! He's super cute though!!

[Rachael1983]

Very cool!

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

Since Joey is his mini me then I feel that means Joey is too lol. Seriously I’m actually interested in doing this on my youngest two since it checks the health stuff and I have no back round on Joey and am pretty sure Penny came from a puppy mill.

It's a lot of fun to and good info to have! It's not cheap but you can sometimes find coupons etc. I think I paid around $150 on amazon.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Cool! I love stuff like this! So interesting. And ALL yorkie ! But I woulda loved his "genetic mix" no matter what the results!

[lpt]

This is so cool! I had no idea that DNA screening/testing was available for dogs. I can 'hear' how relieved you are to get such reassuring news!

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Britster

It's a lot of fun to and good info to have! It's not cheap but you can sometimes find coupons etc. I think I paid around $150 on amazon.

I will probably either save up for it or do one at a time.

[MzLynnC]

Are they improving on these test for Yorkies - such as CT. What about the other 160 things they check for - are these related to Yorkies at all?

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by MzLynnC

Are they improving on these test for Yorkies - such as CT. What about the other 160 things they check for - are these related to Yorkies at all?

No new tests for Yorkies yet. The other 150+ diseases they test for are not proven to be relevant to Yorkies.

[KatysMom]

My uneducated two cents--I'm 1000% into this testing. Wish with all my heart that the many really great vets and clinics out there out there would ALL JOIN UP to support this stuff.

The whole system needs a ton of good health data to make the DNA studies meaningful to the pet health industry AND owners AND breeders.

Now I'll return you to you regularly scheduled programming. --KatysMom