Embark dog DNA test kits; what is it and what can show up in it: 

***TOP GUN McNAB SHEPHERDS indorses and uses the Embark DNA Testing Format***

Full list of over 270+ health conditions they test for in every kit, in over 16 different areas. 

This is the SOD1A Variant*

Brain and Spinal Cord (Neurologic)

• Gene: SOD1A
• Inheritance type: recessive

The dog equivalent of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, DM is a progressive degenerative disorder of the spinal cord. Because the nerves that control the hind limbs are the first to degenerate, the most common clinical signs are back muscle wasting and gait abnormalities.

Please note: While we test for the SOD1A variant, we do not test for the SOD1B variant at this time. Degenerative Myelopathy genotype results apply only to SOD1A.

Eyes (Ophthalmologic)

• Gene: NHEJ1 (Intron 4)
• Inheritance type: recessive

Named for its high prevalence in Collie dogs, Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA) is more correctly termed choroidal hypoplasia. The choroid anchors the retina to the underlying structures and supplies it with oxygen and nourishment. CEA is a developmental disease of the choroid.

Show more…Gastrointestinal (Gastrointestinal)

• Gene: CUBN (Exon 53)
• Inheritance type: recessive

This is a gastrointestinal disease where dogs cannot absorb cobalamin, often causing them to be small with poor energy levels. Cobalamin is required for synthesis of certain amino acids and is an important factor for a number of other metabolic processes. Dogs cannot generate their own cobalamin but must consume it in their diet. However, dogs with IGS cannot absorb cobalamin from their meals.

• Gene: ABCB1
• Inheritance type: codominant

Sensitivity to certain classes of drugs, notably the parasiticide ivermectin, as well as certain gastroprotection and anti-cancer medications, occurs in dogs with a mutation in the ABCB1 gene.

• Gene: CLCN1 (Exon 23)
• Inheritance type: recessive

This condition is characterized by prolonged muscle contraction and stiffness that usually resolves with normal exercise.

Multisystem (Multisystem)

• Gene: CLN5 (Exon 4)
• Inheritance type: recessive

A lysosome is a structure within the cell that digests and removes waste. When the lysosome cannot recycle waste properly, the waste accumulates and causes the cell to die. This form of lysosomal storage disease causes juvenile to adult onset neurologic signs.

A mutation in the CLN5 gene was first identified in Border Collies with NCL. CLN5 codes for a protein important for the function of other lysosomal enzymes. Border collies with NCL are reported to develop neurologic signs as early as 15 months of age; however, this can vary between individual dogs, as can symptom severity.

Primary Lens Luxation (ADAMTS17)

Eyes (Ophthalmologic)

• Gene: ADAMTS17
• Inheritance type: additive

PLL occurs when the lens spontaneously detaches from its normal residence within the pupil, leading to reduced visual acuity. Anterior lens luxation is when the lens falls forward and posterior lens luxation is when the lens falls backwards in the eye.

Blood (Hematologic)

• Gene: VPS13B Exon 19
• Inheritance type: recessive

Neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infections, are generated in the bone marrow. After an appropriate time to mature, they leave the bone marrow and enter the circulation. The neutrophils of dogs with TNS never fully mature but remained "trapped" in various stages of immaturity in the bone marrow.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy: (DCM and DCM2)

Cardiomyopathy is a non-specific term meaning diseased heart muscle.  There are several different types of cardiomyopathy; for example, one type is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy where the muscle of the heart thickens and the internal chambers of the heart are small due to encroachment of the excess muscle.  In contrast, with dilated cardiomyopathy the muscular heart is actually thinned from stretching to accommodate abnormally large, dilated heart chambers.  While in other species and in other breeds of dogs there are many
causes of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), in the Doberman the disease is primary, a genetic predisposition, not caused by other medical problems.  The primary problem in Doberman DCM is within the heart muscle cell, an inability to contract normally which leads to abnormal function of the heart.  To compensate for the poor contractile ability the heart dilates increasing the chamber size which in the early stages of disease will improve output of the heart (stroke volume).  At this time the disease is in the asymptomatic or occult stage.  However, with further progression of disease, there comes a time when further dilation of the heart no longer improves stroke volume but in fact leads to increasing pressure within the heart (heart failure).  This in turn causes a back up of blood in the blood vessels in the lungs and in turn causes fluid to leak out into the lungs leading to difficulty breathing, and eventually death.  Another potential cause of death with Doberman DCM is arrhythmias.  With the abnormal stretching of the heart electrical abnormalities can occur, some are of a benign nature but may aid in early detection of disease, but malignant forms can occur leading to sudden death.

Diagnosis of DCM

Overt disease: When the disease is in the symptomatic or overt stage, diagnosis is not difficult. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, coughing, poor appetite and weight loss, fainting episodes.   Physical examination will reveal a heart murmur, a gallop (an extra heart sound which indicates heart failure) and often irregular beats.  Chest X-ray will show an enlarged heart and fluid in the lungs.  Echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) will show a dilated left ventricle and atrium, with poor function and mitral valve insufficiency (leaking of the valve).
Occult disease: When the disease is in an asymptomatic or occult stage, the diagnosis maybe suspected by testing, but at this date these criteria are not uniform from center to center.  Echocardiography of healthy Dobermans recently studied at the UDC nationals and it was found that the average fractional shortening of these healthy dogs was 26% using a short axis view, and 22.5% using a long axis view.  In other breeds a fractional shortening of 25% or less in the short axis view is considered abnormal.  This either indicates that a large percentage of healthy Dobermans have occult DCM or that the Doberman heart at baseline is not comparable to that of most breeds.  As such, to diagnose occult DCM, most centers now require not only a depressed fractional shortening, but some evidence of functional impairment such as dilated heart chambers or frequent ventricular arrhythmias.  While diagnostic criteria may vary from center to center, the largest ongoing study is being performed by Dr. Michael O’Grady at the University of Guelph, and his criteria are the best defined and studied to date.  To diagnose occult DCM, Dr. O’Grady requires the following echocardiographic findings, measured in the parasternal long axis view/  A fractional shortening of less than 20% with the following left ventricular chamber measurements: greater than 49 mm at the end of diastole (when the ventricle is completely filled), greater than 42 mm at the end of systole (when the ventricle has completed emptying).  This diagnosis is collaborated by a progression of 3-5 mm since a prior examination.  Alternatively, the diagnosis can be suspected by frequent ventricular arrhythmia €“ the criteria currently in use by Dr. O’Grady is greater than 50 PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) per hour, however this study is on-going.  This is measured by a Holter monitor, which is and ECG running continuously for a 24 hour period.

Treatment of DCM

Overt disease: Once heart failure has occurred, treatment is symptomatic and palliative.  Life expectancy is limited, generally less than six months.  Treatment usually consists of diuretics to rid the lungs of fluid and an angiotensin converting exzyme (ACE) inhibitor to decrease the workload of the failing heart.  Some veterinary cardiologists also use digoxin to attempt to increase the contractility of the heart muscle, others do not believe it is helpful in this setting.    If the dog has an arrhythmia than a drug will be used specifically for this purpose, there are several different types of drugs which may be chosen.  A newer medication, Pimobendan (increases contractility of the heart and decreases workload) is currently undergoing trials. While nutritional supplements such as L-carnitine, co-enzyme Q are sometimes recommended, there is no scientific evidence that these are helpful in treatment of Doberman DCM.
Occult disease:  There is some evidence that treatment with ACE inhibitors in the asymptomatic or occult stage will slow progression of the disease, prolonging life and time until the onset of symptomatic disease.

Prevention of DCM

The cause of this disease is unknown.   Many theories (such as carnitine or taurine deficiency)  have been tested with no positive results.  It is likely a heritable disease but the mode of genetic transmission is still unknown. There is not known preventative strategy for DCM.  The best strategy for an individual dog is to have annual cardiac screening to diagnose the disease in its early occult stage.  With diagnosis treatment with ACE inhibitors will not only prolong life but improve the quality of life.

More info:

Dr. Meurs review of canine dilated cardiomyopathy

submitted by
Helayne Silver MD
DPCA Public Education Committee

  The Truth About Docking a Dog’s Tail (and Whether It’s Ever Necessary)

Tail docking in dogs, also known as canine caudectomy, started over 2,000 years ago and was first created to protect hunting dogs, as it was thought that their tails made them easier to catch by predators. In England, this soon became a regular surgery starting in 1786. When working dogs had their tails docked, the owners received a tax break.

 The most common reason to dock in recent history is to decrease injury risk to working dogs—dogs who hunt, herd, or otherwise work in the field. The reasoning behind it is these dogs have long, strong tails that get beat up and bloody in fieldwork or hunting,” Dr. Kangas explains. “Since certain breeds have a smooth, short coat, there is not a lot of protection on the tail.”

Many people don’t see a need for docking anymore, other than for controversial cosmetic purposes.

Dr. Kangas sees two primary reasons why docking is not as common as it used to be:

· Purebred dogs are not being used as traditional working dogs, but serve more as companion pets. “They are more like family members that don’t necessarily have the same lifestyle that would require docking,” Dr. Kangas explains.

· Changing views on minimizing surgery. “More people are skipping surgery on things that could be considered cosmetic rather than functional,” Dr. Kangas says.

Dr. Mahaney says there are a few benefits to having a shorter tail, even if they don’t apply to the majority of dogs.

“There are less body tissues—skin, muscle, vertebrae, blood vessels—and hair to potentially become damaged or dirty,” Dr. Mahaney says. “But most dogs don’t have mobility problems that prevent them from standing or walking and having normally functioning bowels, so they’re able to maintain a clean tail.”

Dr. Mahaney also thinks docking in the modern era is largely for aesthetic purposes. With purebred dogs, tail docking is done to suffice the standards for the breed as established by an organization like the American Kennel Club,” Dr. Mahaney explains.

Tail amputation for medical reasons is technically not considered docking. There are definitely medical reasons to amputate tails,” Dr. Kangas says. “There may be reasons to dock preventatively, too. Tail amputation is far more dangerous than tail docking when the dog is a newborn.”

Docking for cosmetic purposes is a hotly contested topic, with many dog owners and vets staunchly opposing the practice and even advocating outlawing the procedure. Although there is a decline in the number of dogs who need their tails docked for functional or medical purposes, those cases still exist. As the Wade story explains, it’s risky to assume every dog with a docked tail had it done purely for looks.

The practice is banned or restricted in 36 countries; in the United States, docking must be performed by a licensed veterinarian but some vets are voluntarily refusing to perform this procedure, as it is believed to be largely cosmetic in this day and age.

Anywhere between 50 and 70 breeds are known to have their tails docked, including:

· Boxers

· Rottweilers

· Pit bulls

· German shorthaired pointers

· Schnauzers

Some dogs have even had their tails “bred out” of them, such as some Pembroke Welsh corgis and the Australian stumpy tail cattle dog.

McNabs and their Tail tale: 

Fact: Alexander McNab never docked the tails on his dogs! Every picture and drawing of Alexander’s dogs that has ever been ever turned up has shown the dog with a full tail. Alexander’s dogs worked sheep. Sheep have never been known to step on the tails of dogs, so there was no reason to dock them.

So, when did docked tails in McNabs show up? Around the turn of the century Alexander hosted the very first McNab Herding trails on his ranch, by this time, quite a few of the locals owned one or more of his dogs.  

The event was rather uneventful until a rancher from Boonville who brought out his two McNabs. When it came to his turn to take his dogs into the field, the dogs immediately made a beeline for the sheep and before anyone could react all of the sheep lay dead. After a lot of cussing and apologizing for his dogs behavior, the cowboy explained that he had been working his dogs on cattle, a few of the other ranchers were interested in seeing how the McNabs worked the cattle. So, Alexander brought in a few head of his cattle and the rancher turned the dogs out into the pasture. 

The ranchers watching his McNabs working the cattle were so impressed that it changed their ideas of what these dogs were capable of doing. 

The downside of turning their dogs loose on these bigger creatures was the risk factor for injury. Having your prized and highly valued McNab getting kicked or stepped on could cost you a dog, so to prevent often fatal tail injuries, the ranchers began docking tails. There are other reasons given, but I can’t see a McNab slow or stupid enough to get his tail stuck in a stock gate, some other breeds yes, but not a McNab.

Natural Bob Tails:

There are working breeds that carry a natural bob-tail gene, although it’s not an original McNab trait, somewhere along the lines a McNab was crossed with one of these dogs and the gene was carried and passed down  (Australian Stumpy Tailed Cattledog, Black Mouth Cur and Queensland Healer were the more common breeds to have a natural bob tail gene). 

There are some McNab lines will produce a Natural Bob Tail offspring ever now and then, others (as in my lines) it’s not uncommon for ½ or the litter to be Natural Bob Tailed pups. They seldom have the same length tails. It can be as short as you see most herding dogs tails cut, all the way to a 7/8” long tail (usually missing the white tip.  

Not sure if anyone else has as much experience as I do being as my male Maverick (RIP) passed the natural bob tail gene down to Chaser. Chaser and Flora have been producing puppies since the middle of 2019, I would say a third of the puppies they have produced have had natural bob tails of varying lengths as well has long tailed puppies in each litter. 

I have spent hundreds of hours watching them play in my puppy playground which features all kinds of challenging obstacles, balancing boards and other activities that require coordination skills. Never once have I seen a long-tailed pup show more coordination than a natural bob tailed pup and vice-versa. I will have one pup that stands out in every litter and it bounces back between it being a long-tailed and the Natural bob tailed pup.

Pk, so that’s the tale of McNab Tails! Hope you enjoyed reading this, you are now one of the “informed”

David A Procida 

References: 

https://www.rover.com/blog/why-dock-dog-tails

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking_(dog)

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/1120/contents/made

basc.org.uk/advice/tail-docking

And not to forget, thank you Russ Oakley for your valued input!