Welsh Corgi Pembroke — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Chondrodystrophy with intervertebral disc disease (CDDY/IVDD)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
The same FGF4 gene insertion that gives the breed its short legs and long back also causes early degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae, making disc rupture in adulthood far more likely — this can range from back pain to sudden hind-leg paralysis needing emergency surgery. Because the short-legged build the breed standard calls for IS this variant, the risk cannot be bred out while keeping the standard's proportions; screening tells you the degree of risk, not its absence.
Ask to see: A DNA test for the 12-FGF4 retrogene insertion, on both parents, from a laboratory such as the University of Missouri (via OFA) or UC Davis VGL — OFA's own disease page names Pembroke Welsh Corgi among the breeds affected.
OFA — Chondrodystrophy with Intervertebral Disc Disease (CDDY/IVDD) (https://ofa.org/chondrodystrophy-with-intervertebral-disc-disease-cddy-ivdd/) · FGF4 retrogene on CFA12 is responsible for chondrodystrophy and intervertebral disc disease in dogs (Brown et al., PNAS 2017) (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1709082114)
Degenerative myelopathy (SOD1 risk variant)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A slow, progressive breakdown of the spinal cord's nerve fibres starting in the hind legs, usually from around 11 years old in this breed. As in the German Shepherd Dog, the SOD1 variant is a risk factor with incomplete penetrance, not a diagnosis: a homozygous 'at-risk' result does not confirm a dog will develop signs, and cannot be used to diagnose a dog that already has them.
Ask to see: A DNA test for the SOD1:c.118G>A variant, on both parents, from a laboratory such as the University of Missouri (via OFA) or Embark.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America — Canine Degenerative Myelopathy and Genetic Testing in PWCs (https://pwcca.org/Canine-Degenerative-Myelopathy-and-Genetic-Testing-in-PWCs)
Von Willebrand disease Type Ican shorten life or cause chronic pain
An inherited bleeding disorder caused by low von Willebrand factor, which can turn routine surgery or whelping into a serious haemorrhage.
Ask to see: A DNA test for von Willebrand disease Type I, on both parents.
Von Willebrand Disease I (vWD Type 1) — UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/vwd-type-1) · Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America — Health and Genetics (https://pwcca.org/Genetics-and-Health)
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
Destruction of the pancreas's enzyme-producing cells leaves the dog unable to digest food properly, needing daily enzyme replacement for life once diagnosed. Research has found the same DLA-DQB1 risk allele associated with EPI in the German Shepherd Dog is also a risk factor in this breed.
Ask to see: No commercial pre-breeding DNA test currently exists for this risk allele. A symptomatic dog is diagnosed on a serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity (TLI) blood test, not a breeding screen; ask the breeder whether the condition has occurred in the line.
Association of DLA-DQB1 alleles with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in Pembroke Welsh Corgis (Evans et al., Animal Genetics, PubMed) (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26095904/)
Hip dysplasia
Malformation of the hip joint that can progress to arthritis and lameness.
Ask to see: A hip evaluation via OFA or PennHIP, on both parents.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America — Health and Genetics (https://pwcca.org/Genetics-and-Health) · OFA — Hip Dysplasia (https://ofa.org/diseases/hip-dysplasia/)