the DNA test results are in, and the two big things of note:
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my partner was right: he is mostly Chihuahua, with a bunch of rat terrier, which explains his looks and his temperament. the poodle and peke genes were a surprise, though, but help explain his big smarts (for a Chi) and his occasional hacking cough when he gets over-excited (like a Brachycephalic breed)
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he has an increase risk of IVDD ("Intervertebral Disk Disease") due to his genes, which means that his recent diagnosis is very likely correct
the second thing is the real reason we got the test done and I feel that it was absolutely worth it, but all of these medical expenses did put a pretty big hole in our finances, so I'm gonna reshare this one last time:
we got about 3/4th of the way there before it stalled, and any help people can give will be hugely appreciated, whether it's financial, reposting this so more folks see it, or just loving the boy as much as we do. thanks again to everyone who's already assisted