Embark VeterinaryReviews of embarkvet.com

For a $199 kit (DNA + Health), I expected the pre-paid return mailer to use USPS Priority Mail with faster delivery, but it was just standard snail mail. I shipped both of my dogs’ kits on the morning of 6/23. One was received on 6/26, scanned into their lab on 6/29, and results were shared on 7/10—just under a 3-week turnaround, which isn’t bad. Assuming both swabs arrived together, I emailed customer service on 6/29 to ask why only one had been scanned. Turns out, despite dropping them off at the same time and place, the second kit took a more scenic route and wasn’t delivered until 7/2—a full week later. Even then, it wasn’t scanned into their lab until 7/8. I’m still waiting on those results. It’s disappointing, especially since I hoped to receive both sets of results at the same time and share the news together. As for the results I did receive, they included the three breeds I suspected—plus five more, two of which seem questionable. The health upgrade wasn’t worth the extra cost in my opinion. The information provided is breed-related and fairly generic—stuff I could have looked up myself. For example, if your dog is 11% German Shepherd and 89% Poodle, the report lists health conditions common to both breeds without considering the DNA proportion. To their credit, customer service responded within 24 hours of my inquiry and gave me a $5 promo code for the delay. Still, that small gesture isn’t enough to make me consider purchasing again.

My dog was diagnosed with a platelet issue that a blood test identified as vWD, a form of hemophilia. At the same time, we were adivsed to conduct a DNA test. vWD is most common is Spaniels, but I own an akita and past research showed these two variants to be different (not genetically related). Unsurprising, Embark came back negative for vWD. My dog died at 21 months yesterday. Embark customer service was horrible, and caused a delay of weeks in getting anwers to her condition, My vet was unable to conduct the DNA test since they wanted to upsell the practice. When the DNA results came back, I shared them through the website and the vet was unable to access. Embark customer service was no help, and the delay in getting answers delayed any treatment she might have gotten. My dog had an emergency, and died from bleeding in the brain. Genetic tests are a valuable tool, but not being able to access the information or get it in a timely fashion can be fatal.

I purchased the Embark DNA kit because it was one of the few that tested for Carolina Dog, which we believe our dog is. The DNA test goes back 3 generations, and the results came back as American Pitbull, Pomeranian, and Shepherd. However, our boy also had an extremely high "wolfiness" score of 20 (Embark states that most dogs are 5 or less). The “wolfiness” score is not really explained very well, and there are no definitive results as to what makes up the score other than it has something to do with past generations. I wish more information had been included about this part of the test because our boy exhibits many of the features, mannerisms, and behavior of a Carolina Dog (aka American Dingo).

1. After having my first DNA test, I started receiving spammy emails from Embark which had links to a known unsafe (malware spreading) site. Even the "unsubscribe" link went to the 3rd-party site. I ended up speaking to a manager who didn't seem to understand my concern (nor explain why Embark needed to engage in this dodgy practice, but Chewy, Rover, Wisdom, et. al. don't.). She seemed frustrated with me for raising the topic. [Edit: It appears they may not use that click-tracking service now. 2. My 2nd DNA test appeared to be lost in the mail after three weeks. I contacted Embark support to ask how long until we would say it's not happening, and they would send me another kit. (Just a simple inquiry, not accusative or frustrated.). I received a canned response instructing me to "be nice" and that abusive language "won't be tolerated." That was quite off-putting (being lectured after spending $150 on a service I haven't received yet, and didn't even give any attitude about yet.). My initial thought was: "they must have a lot of unhappy customers if they have to draw that line from the start." It turned out they switched their lap, and the mailing envelops included with the kit didn't have the correct address. It took a very long time for my test to reach the new lab. The results were so-so. The two breeds making 86.8% were roughly the same percents as Wisdom Panel. However, Wisdom Panel broke down the remaining 13% with three other breeds. (Embark called it "supermutt."). I like Embark's web interface better.