Hi there, 3 months ago we adopted a yellow lab puppy (or what at the time we assumed was a lab mix) from our local shelter. The vet estimates that he was born between October-November 2019 which now makes him around 8 months old. In order to gain a bit more perspective on his health and genetics we had him tested with Embark's full panel. Even though he appears to be built a bit smaller than a typical lab and has facial characteristics that made both us and the vet believe that he may be part shar pei, the test indicated that he is 100% labrador, something which I was dreading as the shelter informed us that the area he was found in has a few infamously bad breeders. Furthermore, the test confirmed that his COI is 25% which i assume means that his parents were siblings. Additionally, the test confirmed that he has both genes associated with Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis which in his case is already evident as the edges of his nose are a bit dry and scaly (not worried about this as its manageable). Finally (and worst of all), the test indicated that he has 2 copies of a risk variant associated with Progressive Retinal Atrophy, which from what I understand means that he will, unfortunately, go blind on average by the age of 5. In the past 3 months he developed lameness in his front right leg and after an X-ray and subsequent CT scan he was diagnosed with osteochondrosis (OCD) on both shoulders (the right one is more severe and thus symptomatic) and his hind legs seem to have a degree of hip dysplasia which the vet recommends we monitor until he's a bit older. I wrote out the above for two reasons: a) to ask whether anyone has any input on the above or has similar experiences with such a high degree of inbreeding or with PRA b) to make my puppy's story public and to serve another warning against the dangers of reckless breeding.
Hi Nick, welcome to the forum I don't have any direct experience myself, but I want to thank you for writing about your story. I truly believe that access to real life experiences like these has the greatest power to change people's actions and expectations when they look for dog breeders. And in the mean time, I'm glad your dog has found such a caring owner in you - and I hope you're able to manage his health problems and share lots of great times together! Best wishes, Sarah
I always thought buying from a reputable breeder ironed out any health issues however I know understand that having a COI below the recommended level for the breed is not an essential requirement when an Assured breeder breeds her bitch. I have no proof that a COI of 8.8 against 6.6 has contributed to my dogs cancer at 18 months but feel greater consideration should have been given when the breeder used her friend’s stud dog because he had 0 elbow scores and was dark yellow.His parents shared a great grandfather. Your dog sounds very lucky to have fallen into your hands and I wish you all the best going forward.
You may be interested in the reply I received when I wrote to the kennel club regarding COI considerations. Assured breeders are required to demonstrate that inbreeding coefficients have been considered in their breeding strategy. This can be achieved by using either the inbreeding coefficient tool on Mate Select, or another database which contains more pedigree information, if available. This consideration should largely be of the COI of the resultant litter rather than of each parent, and viewed in the context of i) the number of generations over which it is calculated, and ii) the average coefficient of the breed. Some consideration of the number of offspring already sired by the male is advised. The Kennel Club always recommend trying to breed at or below the breed average inbreeding coefficient (COI) for the benefit of the health of the puppies and the breed as a whole. However, while the COI is an important factor to take into account when breeding, it is a measurement of risk and does not guarantee whether the puppies will or will not have known or unknown health conditions. Although the Kennel Club recommends breeding at lower inbreeding coefficients, a breeders decision should also be well balanced against the good qualities of the sire/dam that they are considering i.e. health test results, temperament and general health etc. The particular coefficient you refer to is slightly above the breed average and so should have been considered carefully.
