Embark Dog DNA Test
Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed DNA Test
DNAffirm Breed Identification Test
Whether you want to confirm that your pup is 100% Beagle or learn more about your pooch’s ancestry and potential genetic disorders, a dog DNA test can help. Canine testing kits can reveal a lot about our pets including their breed lineage, hereditary health conditions, as well as behavioral characteristics that might be of some interest or even concern to us in the future. However, not all dog DNA tests are created the same and so the accuracy of results varies greatly from product to product. To get reliable information about your four-legged companion, it’s crucial to select a trustworthy test. To help you do just that, we tried several different kits, detailing some of our favorites down below. We’ve also put together a detailed buying guide to further aid you in your search for the best dog DNA kit, so read on!
Embark’s dog genetic testing kit prides itself on highly accurate results that have been, thus far, confirmed by many pet parents who have tried the product. One of the strengths of the Embark DNA Test is its database of more than 200,000 genetic markers which basically covers all essential information that a dog owner could want to know about their beloved pooch. This is especially true for individuals who may have doubts about the breed lineage of their pets. Some owners who have bought supposedly pure breed dogs are often shocked to find out that what they have is actually a cross breed or a mutt. Regardless, this enables owners to tailor-fit their pet care based on the dominant traits of their dogs. Knowing their recessive traits will also help allay future anxieties about a possible ‘anomaly’ observed in their pets.
More importantly, however, is the information generated by Embark’s testing for more than 170 genetic conditions. The company website says the test is highly accurate for detecting degenerative myelopathy, exercise-induced collapse, PRA blindness, dilated cardiomyopathy, and even multi-drug resistance gene sensitivity. While it is quite difficult to evaluate the veracity of these claims, the company’s partnership with the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine should be a welcome relief. Also, the test results are accepted and deemed valid by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.
Tests for more than 200,000 canine genetic markers
Critically identifies at least 160 genetic or hereditary conditions that may affect dogs
Large breed database, over 250 breeds
Electronic test management
Partnership with credible authorities in veterinary science at the Cornell University highlights company’s quality controls
Test results confirmed and validated by respectable organizations
Provides a very graphic representation of dog’s karyogram or chromosome mapping including a vet report that includes a genetic summary of the breed
Results delivered via electronic interactive program manageable on PC, tablet, and smartphone devices
Costs 2 to 3 times more than other DNA tests
The Wisdom Panel 3.0 is more powerful, accurate, and inclusive than its predecessors. In fact, the third iteration can be viewed as a much better option for dog lovers who would like real peace of mind regarding the genetic composition of their beloved furry friends. It’s fiercely competing for the top dog DNA kit by offering an exceptional breed-by-percentage identification technology that is able to identify more than 250 dog breeds, varieties, and types. Unfortunately, there clearly is no way of ascertaining the veracity of the results in cases of multi-breeds – meaning, even the ancestors of a multi-breed canine are mixed breeds themselves.
Regardless, the Wisdom Panel 3.0 boasts of an amazing number of genetic markers in its database. However, its 1,800 markers pale in comparison to Embark’s 200,000+ predetermined markers. Nevertheless, this should help you gain a better understanding of the actual nucleic acid composition of your pet, enabling you to design a program that is best suited to their dominant traits. Moreover, the 3.0 is highly sensitive in the determination of the genetic marker for multi-drug resistance, saving you and your pet the hassle of having to deal with medication adverse reactions should your pet require treatment in the future. And like all Wisdom Panel products, you get the results delivered to you within 2 to 3 weeks.
Tests for more than 1,800 canine genetic markers
Specific for the presence of MDR1 multidrug resistance gene
Comprehensive breed database of 250 different dog breeds
Adult weight prediction
Easy 3-step DNA test application
Invaluable information about a dog’s genetic background including breed ancestry, potential health conditions, and susceptibility to serious drug adverse reactions
Results delivered within 2 to 3 weeks
Samples are shipped prepaid
A lot less expensive than Wisdom Panel 2.5 and almost 3 times cheaper than Embark
Limited genetic testing compared to Embark
Knowing that you have a mixed breed dog doesn’t really put you at ease as to how best to care for them. That’s what the Wisdom Panel 2.0 Mixed Breed DNA Test aims to help you with. It is essentially like the Wisdom Panel 2.5 dog breed identifier kit, but is slightly more limited in its scope. Nevertheless, it is exceptionally sensitive for identifying a variety of breeds that may be present in a single dog. It’s a lot more inexpensive too, making it a great choice for pet parents on a tight budget.
By getting an insight into your pup’s breed composition, you’ll be able to customize their obedience training, behavioral, exercise, and health care programs. As a nice bonus, the results include adult weight range prediction, which can help you determine the best type of diet for your pooch, as well as the amount of food you give them on a daily basis. Additionally, testing is easy as it comes in the usual three steps – you swab your dog, activate your test online and then wait for the results for about three weeks.
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Highly specific for mixed breed pooches
Tests for 350+ breeds, types and varieties
Adult weight range prediction
Easy 3-step application
Fast DNA results in 2 to 3 weeks
Easy 3-step application
Inexpensive
Very limited DNA testing
Doesn’t identify health issues and predispositions
If you’re looking for a really cheap dog genetic testing kit that gives you the results in a much faster time than Embark, then DNAffirm is a wise choice. Unfortunately, the results of the genetic testing may not really be as highly accurate compared to the other two products. The only thing that the DNAffirm seemed to agree on with the other two kits is that it is spot-on when identifying the primary breed ancestry.
So, if you are only after the actual lineage of your pet and don’t really want to spend that much on DNA kits, this product should come in quite handy. It provides you with a certificate of your pet’s breed ancestry which you can frame and mount as wall décor.
Simple breed determination test
Customized breed certification and vet report
Very affordable pricing scheme
Provides a custom photo certificate including breed composition and genetic report of the dog
Extra fast results within 2 weeks
Very limited testing, and quality of results may not justify the price
Doesn’t provide extensive report of dog’s genetic predispositions
Looking for a test with super-fast results? DNA My Dog tests for all breeds found in your pet’s genetic makeup and offers results in just two weeks. While not the most detailed test on the market, this product provides useful background on your pet’s genetics, including the percentage of breeds that make up who they are, health concerns, personality traits and other information. The kit is a good choice if you’re looking for basic and simple results that can help you and your veterinarian create a better health plan for your dog. Thanks to breed percentage results, you can find out if your pooch is predisposed to certain health problems, as well as what exercise levels are recommended for their age.
DNA my dog kit takes a couple of minutes to administer as all you have to do is collect a swab from your dog’s cheek with a sterile cotton swab (included in the kit, of course) and mail it to the lab. All that’s left then is to wait for the results, which usually take around 2 weeks. The manufacturer does note that if you’re testing a puppy, he or she should be weaned from the mother and not fed from her for at least 2 hours before taking the sample.
Basic breed determination in percentages
Offers insight into personality traits and genetic health concerns
Recommends exercise levels for each dog
Easy to use, good option for dog rescuers
Can help in creating a better health plan for your pet
Fast results, usually take just 2 weeks
Very basic DNA testing information
Not one of the extremely accurate DNA tests
Whether you want to find out your dog’s potential risks for developing genetic diseases, create a better health plan for their future, or simply understand their personality better, a DNA test can help. By discovering what breed your dog is, you can gain insight into their genetic makeup, and as a result, make their life healthier and happier. In essence, a canine DNA test is comparable to a human DNA test: it can tell you all about your dog’s origin and heritage, plus provide highly valuable health information. And similarly to their human counterparts, canine DNA tests – at least the comprehensive and highly accurate ones – come at a high price. To help you get the best deal for your money, we’ve prepared this buying guide, in which we cover everything you need to know about dog DNA testing, including the things you should look for when purchasing a kit.
A DNA test for dogs is a genetic screening test that can reveal useful information about a dog’s genetic makeup, family history, risks of developing certain diseases, even personality traits. For rescue pet parents and owners of mutts, these tools are extremely valuable as they can help in creating a better health plan and aid in training. But even if your dog is not a crossed or multi-breed but a pure one, you can still benefit from genetic testing. A detailed pet DNA test can show if your dog has a genetic predisposition for certain health conditions and offer you a way to react on time and look for treatment, as you’ll be able to recognize the early signs.
These tests are a great way to get to know your dog too, or to be more precise, what makes them tick. After all, the breeds that make up the biology of your dog play a vital part in who they are, including their appearance, behavior and health. Although some people may tell you that DNA tests for dogs are really all about the owners and satisfying their curiosity about their pets, there’s no denying they’re much more than that (although to be fair, they do help satisfy our curiosity too!). Dog DNA kits are first and foremost useful – by discovering the breeds that make up the biology of your dog, you’ll be able to treat them better, feed them healthier and even prevent certain health problems.
We mentioned that dog breed testing is similar to human DNA testing. Both tests provide information about ancestry and many also offer insight into health and risks for developing certain illnesses. Similarly, both tests can be done via blood samples or cheek swabs. But which is better? Unsurprisingly, the results from both swab and blood samples are exactly the same. The only difference? How the samples are collected and processed.
Whether you opt for a swab or a blood sample, the process of analyzing the DNA is the same: a lab will extract the DNA from the sample and then genotype it. What this means is that the genetic markers found in the sample will be compared with markers of other dogs in the database that the lab is using. To be more precise, since the genome of a dog contains about 2.5 billion building blocks of DNA – also known as the nucleotides – the researchers will focus only on some of these genes, or rather, the repeating sequences of DNA called SNPs that form signatures that are particular to various breeds. That’s why it’s important to choose labs that work with big databases – the bigger the database, the more SNPs from purebred representatives of each breed the researchers have to compare to your dog’s SNPs. In essence, the larger the database, the more likely the results are to be highly accurate.
There can be many reasons why people would like to have their pets DNA tested. There is a lot of information that can be obtained just by looking at the unique arrangement and sequencing of nucleic acids in the DNA of any organism. Having the DNA of our dogs tested actually gives us the power to better care for them. This is essentially the gist of such tests. Here are some of the more popular benefits of DNA testing for dogs.
One of the most important reasons why dog owners choose to have their pets DNA tested is so they can get an idea of the various diseases that their beloved pets may be genetically predisposed to. While most genetic test kits today only look at a pet’s breed makeup to make careful calculations as to the risk of developing a particular disease or health condition in the future, these are not really definitive. They are often interpreted from analyses made from comparing and cross-referencing a dog’s breed makeup with existing and known healthcare conditions for that breed. Using inferential statistics, scientists can then deduce the percentage of chance that a particular health condition might present itself in the future. Sadly, these are just very educated guesses or inferences.
More advanced kits, on the other hand, employ a variety of tests that try to check for specific genetic mutations. For example, it is now known that progressive retinal atrophy is actually a very common genetic anomaly that affects more than a hundred dog breeds. However, it has also been shown that some breeds are more susceptible to this genetic mutation. Another example is the defective multi-drug resistance gene that has been ascertained to be common in Collies and Shepherds.
By providing you with a thorough report on what genetic mutations may be present in your pet, dog DNA kits can help you make the necessary preparations and arrangements with your veterinarian regarding your pup’s care. More importantly, this information also gives you more than enough reason to tailor your health program for your pet. You can use simple parameters such as adult canine weight prediction to design a more sensible diet for your pet, preventing obesity and metabolic disorders like diabetes. This way, you will be able to provide a more nutritious, well-balanced meal program for your pet and one that is truly appropriate for their genetic makeup.
Since you now understand what diseases or health conditions your dog may be predisposed to, you can take the necessary steps to prevent the occurrence of such conditions. For instance, if you know that your dog is genetically predisposed to developing canine hip dysplasia or even arthritis, then you can try to circumvent this predisposition by giving your pet appropriate dog joint supplements. These may or may not work in preventing the full course of such abnormalities; however, studies show that supplementation can help lessen or minimize the impact of such conditions on the overall quality of your dog’s life. At any rate, supplements such as chondroitin, glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, and MSM should strengthen the joints of your pet, minimizing the effects of hip dysplasia and arthritis and other similar conditions. You can use the same genetic information to devise a comprehensive plan for your dog’s oral or dental health, as well as immune system integrity and coat skin health.
The point is, when you’re armed with a unique understanding of your dog’s fundamental composition, you can create better and more responsible plans to care for them.
Being aware of your dog’s genetic background will give you an opportunity to create more effective training programs for them. Knowing which breeds are found in your pup’s lineage, will help you understand some of their more peculiar behaviors, which should come in handy when devising more effective obedience training programs as well.
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There are plenty of canine DNA kits in the market today. Some are highly comprehensive and accurate, while others are more limited, providing you with basic information on your pet’s lineage. Either way, it is imperative that you look for the following things when shopping for a DNA testing kit.
First and foremost, look for accurate tests. Anything between 95-99% is considered good, although slightly lower percentage than that is acceptable as well. What’s important is choosing tests that use large databases as they have more information to work with. The larger the database, the more accurate the results are going to be.
The validity of a test greatly matters too. You may get the result you want or expect, but is the process of arriving at this result authoritative enough? If you believe the result to be the outcome of a sound process, then the test is valid. However, if you are doubtful of the result for obvious reasons, then something might be off. Sadly, this is quite difficult to measure and establish. As such, we recommend looking at the credibility and trustworthiness of the company that makes the test kit to get an idea of whether the results are valid or not. Look for brands that work with authoritative organizations.
These tests don’t come cheap. As such, since you’re already paying, you might as well demand the most comprehensive report on your dog’s genetic background and health. Some kits cover only breed percentage while others go as far as providing you with a complete health risk profile including an adult weight range prediction. In any case, the more information you get, the greater your understanding of your pet will be.
Some companies can deliver the testing results within 2 to 3 weeks while others may take longer than that, even up to a month. While it’s understandable to want to see the results as soon as possible, we advise you not to base your purchasing decisions on how quickly the company can deliver the results (for example, DNA my Dog takes only 2 weeks but it’s not comprehensive). After all, the accuracy of the results is what really matters, not how fast they travel to you.
This entirely depends on the company that does DNA testing. As mentioned, if a company uses a large breed database and can guarantee 95-99% accuracy for their results, the test will indeed be very accurate. Do bear in mind that no test can be 100% accurate – you just have to make some room for human error. But when it comes to determining genetic health conditions, the results are usually highly accurate and valid as the scientists are looking for specific genes related to diseases.
The price of canine DNA kits varies greatly as does the accuracy of their results. Today, you can easily find a test priced as low as $60 and as high as $200. While it’s true that often price does not guarantee the quality, when it comes to DNA testing, price matters. Typically, more expensive tests offer more accurate and comprehensive results.
Taking a sample of your dog’s tissue for genetic testing is pretty easy. Here’s how to do it: