Author archives: Corinne Seganos

We often receive the question from clubs, “Can you send us supplies for collecting samples at our show or health clinic event?” The answer is YES. You may have a cardiac or eye clinic planned and would like to also offer genetic testing at your event. If this is something you and your health committee have discussed or are curious about, read on!

We may not always be available to be on site at your event to facilitate swabbing, but we are happy to provide helpful instructions and materials to make genetic testing at your event as paw-sitive an experience as possible.

What we need from you

Please provide us with your event name and/or club name, the date of your event and whether it is an all-breed show or breed specific. Let us know a general number of how many attendees will be interested in genetic testing their dogs at your clinic or event so we know how many items to send.

We will need your name, email, phone number and an address for shipping supplies.

A volunteer or two who can be present to assist customers in filling out their order form and swabbing their dog ...

The time has come. It is three in the morning and the new litter of eight has arrived! You were planning on doing some genetic testing and you know how important it is to label each puppy with a specific identifier. In all the excitement and clean up, are you prepared to send off these samples for testing? It is apparent that several of these precious pups are similar in size, color and of the same sex. Differentiating puppies is necessary for monitoring purposes and when collecting DNA samples to send to our laboratory. After all, you are anxious to mail in samples and receive those genetic health results! But we need to be able to provide the results to you on the correct puppy. So labeling each puppy sample is imperative!

We recommend health testing each puppy you plan to sell with breeding rights, as health testing will help increase the quality of your puppies and in turn the value of your breeding business. Once you learn who is clear or a carrier, you can then make vital decisions regarding each puppy to prevent inherited diseases and/or certain traits in your future litters. If both the dam and ...

Fall brings some wonderful changes; brisk evening walks with your dog, autumn decorations, curling up on the couch to watch your favorite Halloween flicks to name a few. With the changing of the seasons comes some notable adjustments for your dog too. Below are a few things to help you and your dog prepare for the upcoming autumn season.

Keep an Eye Out for Wildlife

Be extra vigilant this time of year of your dog’s off leash whereabouts. If you live in a more rural area where wildlife is prominent, it may be second nature to keep your eyes peeled for deer, moose, coyotes or even bear. Don’t forget about the smaller animals like porcupine and skunks, all very busy with their winter preparations. These animals could pose unwanted threats to your canine.

Cooler Temperatures

Colder temperatures and shorter days often mean less time spent outside, which could decrease the amount of exercise your dog is getting. This could be especially perilous on older dogs with arthritis. Protexin Veterinary recommends short and consistent exercise for arthritic dogs, if possible, such as shorter walks multiple times a day rather than long winter walks. Additionally, moist heat therapy can decrease pain and ...