Health Testing
Verifying the health of our breeding dogs is extremely important to us. This information gives us the ability to make informed decisions about breeding that can help us to improve our future generations of litters. Copies of the official health testing results and x-rays for each of our breeding dogs, as well as outside studs, can be found on their individual profile pages, under our “Meet The Pack” menu tab. Each dog’s profile also includes links to their Embark breed + health profiles, as well as their OFA health testing profiles in OFA’s public database. This ensures that you can view each dog’s results directly.
Genetic screening against hereditary disorders
All of our breeding Tamaskan Dogs and Wolfdogs are tested through Embark Vet DNA, which is a canine genetics laboratory who is partnered with Cornell University. They offer an extensive genetic health testing panel that screens for over 200+ conditions. Since the Tamaskan Dog breed and Wolfdogs were both founded by mixing together different breeds of dogs, it is important for us to screen for all genetic disorders that are associated with the various heritage breeds that make up each of our litters.
Embark Vet DNA testing also includes the most accurate breed test available on the global market, a coat color panel, body type panel, and even analyzes the genetic homozygosity of each dog in the form of their genetic Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI) percentage.
Every litter we produce is also Embarked. We swab the puppies around 2 weeks of age, so that their results can hopefully be complete by the time the puppies are old enough to go to their new homes. Each puppy’s new owner will receive shared ownership of their puppy’s Embark profile.
There are also some disorders which Embark does not include on their genetic panel, such as Canine Pituitary Dwarfism. For disorders such as CPD which are not included on Embark’s genetic panel, we test our breeding Tamaskan Dogs and Wolfdogs with German Shepherd Dog heritage (including Czechoslovakian Vlcak and Saarloos Wolfdog heritage) through other genetics laboratories who offer those tests.
Although there are unfortunately hundreds of genetic disorders with no DNA test available yet, we care about the health and quality of life for all of our puppies and will put forth every effort to verify the genetic health and wellbeing of our Tamaskan Dogs and Wolfdogs prior to producing any litters.
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) Health Certifications
All of our breeding Tamaskan Dogs and Wolfdogs will have their health officially certified through OFA’s regulated evaluation and screening processes:
X-rays of the hips and elbows are taken at 24 months of age or later, which are then submitted to OFA for review and official scoring. In this manner, we screen each of our breeding wolfdogs against Hip and Elbow Dysplasia. Wolfdogs are large, mixed breed dogs who are often crossed with breeds that have an elevated risk of hip and elbow dysplasia. Verifying the joint health of our breeding wolfdogs is critical to us, so that we know we are giving their future puppies the best possible chance at living healthy, pain-free lives. Occasionally, we may obtain preliminary OFA hip scores prior to 24 months of age on our young breeding prospects, so that we can take a peek under the skin. However, we will always follow-up with official scoring at 24+ months of age before a breeding takes place.
Our wolfdogs must receive a passing score for their Hips from OFA: Excellent, Good, or Fair; and a passing Elbow score of Normal. Any failing (dysplastic) hip scores of Borderline, Mild, Moderate, or Severe will result in the dog being spayed/neutered and treatment will be sought to mitigate their condition. Any result aside from Normal for elbows will also result in the dog being spayed/neutered.
*Penn-Hip is another hip scoring system which verifies the laxity of the hip joint and is an excellent tool to include when evaluating the structure and quality of a dog’s hip joints. We would like to include this in our health testing process in the future, but are still trying to locate a veterinarian within a reasonable distance to us who is certified with Penn-Hip and would be willing to see our wolfdogs. Unfortunately, not all vet clinics are willing to see/treat wolfdogs, even if you do live in a legal area.
By manual examination, our wolfdogs are also screened by our veterinarian for irregularities in their patellas (“knee joints”). They also receive a cardiac auscultation, which is where their heartbeat is monitored by the veterinarian with a stethoscope to detect any irregularities. All of our breeding Tamaskan Dogs and Wolfdogs will have a current OFA Cardiac Auscultation certification for that year prior to any breeding taking place. All of our litters will receive a basic cardiac auscultation as part of their puppy wellness exam as part of the requirements needed to obtain their Health Certificates from our veterinarian for travel to their new homes.
OFA CAER Eye Exams
We bring our Tamaskan Dogs and Wolfdogs to a certified canine ophthalmologist clinic in Dallas, TX, where Dr. Enders and his team perform the OFA CAER eye exam. (CAER stands for Companion Animal Eye Registry.) This exam requires the pupils to be dilated, so that the ophthalmologist can examine the interior structures of each eyeball and verify that they are healthy and free of any evidence of genetic disorders or injury. This exam is painless and very quick.
The majority of known eye disorders have no genetic test developed, so annual physical eye exams are critical to monitor ocular health and screen against any disorders that are known to manifest later in life. All of our breeding Tamaskan Dogs and Wolfdogs will have a current OFA CAER eye certification for that year prior to any breeding taking place. All of our litters receive their first OFA CAER eye exam prior to going home.
Some of our Tamaskan Dogs and Wolfdogs have also been tested with a gonioscopy by our canine ophthalmologist. This exam tests the interior drainage of the eye, to ensure there are no deformities which could impede the proper function of the tear ducts. This is a painless and quick procedure which is conducted prior to the CAER exam. We had the pleasure of watching Dr. Enders perform this exam on two of our young males for the first time in 2021, Genn and Teddy.
The OFA eye health certificate will specify whether or not the dog has also received a gonioscopy. You can view Teddy’s certificate on his profile page to see an example of a wolfdog who has a CAER + Gonioscopy certification.
Health Guarantees
Our Pet Only Purchase Contract and our Co-Ownership Contract both include health guarantees for our puppies’ genetic health, joint health, as well as their general natural health and wellbeing. You can read more about these guarantees in our Contracts, of which we have Samples available for download on our Contracts page.
Note: Traditional spaying or neutering of our puppies prior to 18 months of age will VOID our Joint Health Guarantee, because these procedures remove the sex hormones which are critical to regulating and controlling skeletal growth.
Ovary-Sparing Spay or Vasectomy are acceptable procedures to perform on our puppies prior to 18 months of age in order to prevent reproduction, while still preserving the critically important sex hormones produced by the ovaries and testes, which control proper growth.