Lisa Peterson

Embark Veterinary is focused on providing comprehensive results in an efficient manner. Did you know over 95% of breeders receive their results less than 21 days after we receive their DNA kits? Still, we encourage breeders to plan ahead and order kits as soon as they know how many puppies or potential breeding dogs they...

   It’s always fun to highlight one of the most commonly observed traits in dogs, their unique coat types, and explain the underlying science that determines the outcome. Coats come in various forms ranging from the short, hard, wiry coats of terriers to the long, silky coats of many toy dogs. Part of a dog’s...

Your dog is one-of-a-kind. But have you ever wondered what makes them that way? Embark makes it our business to know your dog down to their DNA. Our scientists unlocked a secret to understanding dogs’ roan coat patterns — and they couldn’t have done it without the help of everyday dog owners who wanted to...

Embark scientists, working in collaboration with its citizen scientist customers, made the unique genetic discovery that the uniquely patterned coat of Cattle Dogs, Pointers, and other breeds known as “roaning” is strongly associated with a genomic region on chromosome 38 and likely regulated by the usherin gene (USH2A). Embark’s study R-locus for roaned coat is...

The Past DNA testing and profiling came of age less than 50 years ago – providing for a myriad of opportunities, including forensics, screening for predisposition to disease, and paternity testing. Paternity testing, by common definition: Typically, a DNA-based test to determine whether a given male could be the biological parent of a given offspring....

Veterans Day is a federal holiday meant to honor those who have served in the military. In celebration of Veterans Day, we sat down with Francess “Myrph” McMahon of Stand With Me, a nonprofit organization that places service dogs with veterans. Stand With Me takes a unique approach by teaching veterans to train their own...

Does your dog have serious dandruff, excessive scaling, or cracked skin? It may be due to a skin disorder called canine ichthyosis. While ichthyosis in dogs may be cosmetically unappealing, it may also cause considerable discomfort and lead to other systemic concerns. There is considerable ongoing research into skin disorders with both known and unknown...

Bleeding abnormalities  (coagulopathies) in dogs can occur for a variety of reasons: Infection, organ failure, toxins—or they can be caused by an inherited abnormality in the coagulation pathway. Although some breeds are known to have a higher incidence of blood disorders, coagulopathies can affect breeds of all types and sizes—from Doberman Pinschers to Shetland Sheepdogs,...

At Embark, we strive to provide the most comprehensive testing service available, continually conducting research and collaborating with leaders in the field to add new health conditions and traits tests to our Embark for Breeders suite of products. This process includes adding new probes to the research-grade microarray we use to test each dog’s DNA...

The AKC Canine Health Foundation (AKC CHF) and the Orthopedic Foundations for Animals (OFA) published the Review of the Current State of Genetic Testing – A Living Resource in 2020. It is an extremely useful guide for both novice and long-time breeders. Not only does it provide practical explanations of genetics and scientific testing methods...

Understanding genetic health risks, physical traits, and genetic coefficient of inbreeding for Pembroke Welsh Corgis Genetic health tests offered by Embark for Pembroke Welsh Corgis: Degenerative Myelopathy, DM (SOD1A) Exercise-Induced Collapse (DNM1) Progressive Retinal Atrophy, rcd3 (PDE6A) Von Willebrand Disease Type I (VWF) X-linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (IL2RG Variant 2) Chondrodystrophy and Intervertebral Disc Disease,...

More and more registries and breed organizations require it with your dog’s DNA results submission: Veterinary verification of identity. Of course, Embark’s DNA Test already includes multiple verification checks: We confirm that the genetic sex matches the owner-reported sex for a dog. We conduct a review of genetic breed ancestry. If needed, we even compare...