The only genetic disease in the American Dirus™

The Dire Wolf Project always promises you something exceedingly rare in the world of dogs…

Transparency.

And today, we’re keeping that promise.

As with every litter we produce at the Dire Wolf Project, we DNA test every single puppy born into the Dire Wolf Project, not just the parents.

To our knowledge, we remain the only dog breeding program in the world to do this.

Our commitment to open and honest canine health transparency is completely unmatched.

So let me tell you what the most recent DNA data revealed.

All nine puppies in the Happy Days Litter

have inherited two copies of the

copper toxicosis gene (ATP7B - chr).

That means every single puppy in the Happy Days Litter is “at risk” of developing copper toxicosis.

Now, before the panic sets in, let’s talk about what this actually means.

Because it does NOT mean every single puppy in the Happy Days Litter will develop copper toxicosis.

In fact, very likely NONE of the nine puppies from the Happy Days litter will develop copper toxicosis.

And here’s why.

Copper toxicosis is a genetic condition that affects the liver’s ability to process and eliminate excess copper.

But this isn’t the kind of black-and-white, fate-is-sealed diagnosis you might imagine.

In fact, it’s not a disease diagnosis at all.

This condition is known to be incompletely penetrant—a fancy genetic term that simply means: not every dog with one or even two copies of the gene will ever get sick.

In fact, despite the gene’s quiet presence in our breed for many generations (unknown to us until Embark introduced this test in May 2024), we only know of one…

Let me repeat that.

ONE

… reported case of liver failure or liver disease in our dogs.

That’s thousands of puppies over many years, folks.

Still, now that we can test for it—we do.

And, as you can see, we share the results with you.

Honestly and transparently.

Because that’s what good pack leaders do.

After receiving the Happy Days litter DNA results, it became clear to me that both Jengu and Dublin are homozygous for the copper gene.

That’s why every pup received two copies.

Since the copper gene has only recently become available on Embark’s disease panel, we were not aware of this before the breeding.

Unfortunately, this means that even the two puppies we wish to keep from this litter, Joanie and Chachi, have also inherited two copies of copper toxicosis.

If you’ve been following along with our work, we recently sold an amazing puppy named Patch (instead of keeping him for breeding) because he had two copies of the copper toxicosis gene.

However, in this case, there is no alternative in the litter with a “clear” option to choose from like their was in Patch’s case.

And we can’t afford to lose any genetic diversity by completely eliminating these puppies from the line.

So we are going retain Joanie and Chachi from this litter for the future of the breed.

We are fully equipped to manage this trait through strategic future breeding and diet, though.

They will both be bred to dogs with a known “clear” health status for copper toxicosis, and just like degenerative myelopathy (DM) that was seen in the breed about 10 years ago now, we’ll strategically breed it out.

So What Does This Mean for You?

First and foremost: there is no reason to panic.

None of these puppies are sick.

None are in danger of being sick.

In fact, they’re thriving.

And here’s why…

Knowledge is everything.

If you choose to bring one of these beautiful, gentle souls into your home, you’ll have a major advantage over the average dog owner.

Because you already know this genetic trait exists, you’ll know how to avoid triggering it.

It’s actually very simple.

Manage your dog’s copper intake.

Many commercial dog foods today contain excessively high copper levels.

But thanks to our meticulous research (and the help of one incredibly dedicated American Dirus™ dog owner), we’ve created the most comprehensive copper content food chart available anywhere.

It includes:

• Kibble brands
• Raw food manufacturers
• Cooked food brands
• Canned foods
• Freeze-dried options
• Treats and chews
• And more

Because you belong to the Dire Wolf Project, you don’t have to guess.

And you don’t have to worry.

We’ve done all the work for you.

Go to your:

Dire Wolf Project’s

Learnistic App

And find the entire list of dog foods categorized and organized for your convenience under Paleo University in the Canine Health section.

And if you do not yet have the Dire Wolf Project’s Learnistic App, what’ve you been waiting for?

Our Learnistic App literally houses the most valuable exclusive Inner Circle content you can’t get anywhere else… like this incredibly detailed list unavailable to anyone outside of our pack.

With indispensable information like this, the only thing to do (if you haven’t already) is gain access to our Learnistic app by clicking the link below:

SIGN ME UP FOR THE APP!

(Do NOT click the link above if you already have the Learnistic app.)

(Also, please give me time to manually respond to your app request.)

This isn’t just a list.

It’s a roadmap to a long, vibrant, healthy life with your American Dirus™ dog.

To close, let me say this:

Copper toxicosis rarely affects our dogs, with only one reported case of liver disease in the breed in over all these 36 years. (which may not even have had to do with copper at all, we don’t know.)

Copper toxicosis is completely manageable.

And with mindful feeding, it’s practically irrelevant.

We’ve turned over every genetic stone, run the tests, and taken every precaution.

Because that’s who we are.

And that’s what the Dire Wolf Project stands for.

If you have any questions at all, I’m just a reply away.

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.