Concerning email from Embark DNA/Genetic Health Testing. Anyone please help me understand bc I’m scared. *not immediately life threatening

@essell I don’t plan on informing the vet or anyone of this until after I hopefully can secure insurance.

That scares me that they wouldn’t provide insurance based off this genetic variant.

I have absolutely no idea how pet insurance works so I don’t know anything for sure, but I plan on figuring it out. And figuring it out before I figure it out. If that makes sense.

I obviously don’t want that information to get out. Just as a precaution I changed all information on embark such as names, made all information private (for now) and anything that could possibly be used to link back to him.
 
@angelbaby35 They’re not diagnosing your dog. They’re letting you know that your dog could potentially develop those issues one day.

If your dog has never shown symptoms for any disorders like that there’s nothing to worry about, nor consult a vet for. If he starts showing symptoms in the future, you could use this info to help a vet narrow down a diagnosis.
 
@tennesseegirl1993 I understand, I still want to seek out a vet, hopefully I can find one in my area with some kind of knowledge or expertise in this field, if for nothing more than to ease my mind. Thank you for the response
 
@angelbaby35 This is one of the more common dwarfism genes. All Dachshunds have it. All Beagles have it. All Cocker Spaniels have it. All Cavaliers have it. Most small breeds have it in at least some percentage. Along with making the limbs shorter it causes premature calcification of the intervertebral discs. This does not necessarily guarantee that those discs will herniate, it just increases those chances because they aren't as flexible.

It's just something to keep in the back of your head going forward. Keep him at a healthy weight and avoid jumps that're steep enough to place heavy stress on his back. Some dogs show pain in very subtle ways, so keep that in mind as the potential cause of any strange behavior.
 
@rickymargan I’m still waiting to find out what breeds are in his DNA, I appreciate the advice and plan on doing things like lowering my bed, he’s only approximately 3 and has not shown any signs, and my bed is his safe place so I don’t see any way around teaching him to use steps to get to the bed or stopping him from jumping into the bed, as he could jump clear over the bed if he wanted. So I’ll bring the bed down to him. It’s not extra high up or anything but I plan to take every precaution.

Thank you
 
@angelbaby35 All this means is that if you have a dachshund or similar breed, they have to have stairs to get on to furniture and are not allowed to jump from a height because they risk hurting their spine. Pass the email and results on to your vet just so they can log the findings on to the medical notes.
 
@angelbaby35 Do you have insurance on your dog? I'm assuming the DNA tests aren't in a database, so now is the time to get insurance before taking to the vet. Once it's in your vet record it will be preexisting and generally not covered. Find a insurance that will cover the condition just in case. Try not to stress too much though, as mentioned in their report cockers are higher risk for it and mine have never had an issue. It just means it can happen, not that it will.
 
@harleyr Excellent advice. So far his vet visits have been perfect and his records indicate nothing but great health. Thank you for this, it’s exactly what I need to do.
 
@angelbaby35 My dog also got the IVDD risk from Embark. I made a decision not to use any collars or head halters to give his body less stress per their recommendations. I also don’t think it’s a bad idea to share with your vet. I’m using it as cautionary and hoping we can prevent that from ever occurring.
 
@angelbaby35 I have a pup that had this show up. My vet just told me that it means he shouldn’t be used to breed cuz he would pass it down and it would likely exhibit in the puppies. He might have issues from it but it’ll be when he’s older.
 
I want to send a thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to me. It’s nice to know there are people out there willing to help & provide info. It definitely calmed me down, gave me some great insight and information and a plan moving forward. I can’t express enough gratitude. Thank you all so much.
 
@angelbaby35 Hey, I am dealing with mild IVDD right now and just wanted to add that in addition to pet insurance, I would suggest crate training your dog (if they aren't already). Long periods of crate rest are necessary for IVDD and it is much easier on the dog if they already feel that the crate is a safe/comfy space. I know the email sounds super scary, but it doesn't mean your dog will definitely get it and worst case scenario you know what to look for and can catch it early.
 
@seekermig Ah yes, someone else had suggested this. I will have to borrow a crate from someone and see how he reacts. There’s a good chance he will want nothing to do with it, and think he’s being punished or something. He has free roam of my condo and is so well behaved I rarely ever have to raise my voice to him. But it’s better to know now, and try to slowly get him ok with the crate incase

I appreciate this, and hope your pup is doing ok
 
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