Why should you test your dogs DNA?
Do you have a rescue pup that didn’t come with a complete pedigree and you’re dying to know what breeds he is comprised of? Are you curious about your doggo’s relatives or just want to be informed of any potential health issues before they arise? Then a dog DNA test is for you!
What will a DNA test tell you about your dog?
The best dog DNA tests will give you an in-depth report of your dogs ancestry including a score that reports the percentage of each breed that is present in your dogs genetic make up. Additionally, you will get a report containing detailed information on each breed that is identified to help you observe the physical and/or behavioural traits in your mixed-breed dog. When a specific breed cannot be identified, you will be given information for the genetic breed group found, including characteristics of, and sample breeds found in each group.
Dog DNA tests also can analyze 170+ genetic diseases that occur later in life including glaucoma, degenerative myelopathy, and dilated cardiomyopathy, three of the most common adult-onset diseases in dogs. This means you can identify any potential issues early and help you best friend live a long healthy life.
Which is the best test?
There are two doggy DNA tests that stood out for us here at the Daily Pup. The first is Embark which has rave reviews on Amazon. This is due to the fact that the people at Embark care about your dog just as much as you do — they test both the maternal and paternal line of your dog, going all the way back to great grandparents. They’ll test for a crazy 256 quadrillion genes and over 200 dog breeds, and are even able to tell you if your dog has any wolf or coyote in his or her blood.
As for the health test, Embark screens for over 170 health conditions including glaucoma, degenerative myelopathy, and dilated cardiomyopathy — three of the most common adult-onset diseases in dogs. You will also recieve insights on coat color, shedding, and more.
The process is super easy – just swab the inside of your dog’s cheek, send the tool back, and get your results in three to seven weeks.
If you need a bit more convincing, just read a few more Amazon reviews. Seriously, people are excited about this. The Breed Identification Kit is usually priced at $129 and the Breed + Health Kit is usually $199 however you can get 20% off by clicking here!
The second DNA test we love is Wisdom Panel. This is Amazon’s Choice kit and claims to have the largest breed database in the dog DNA market, testing for over 250 canine breeds — that’s accounting for 50 more breeds than most other tests. However, it does test for significantly less genetic markers than Embark does, so your choice will likely depend on what you are wanting from the test.
They will provide you with an easy-to-understand, breed percentage pie chart covering the breeds or breed groups found in your dog’s ancestry. The unique algorithm will analyze your dog’s DNA profile and compare it with signatures from our database of over 15,000 purebred samples. Each of the millions of possible family tree combinations will be given a score based on how well they match your dog’s profile. Your report will feature the tree with the best overall score.
The advanced health screening includes results for more than 150 genetic health conditions complete with disease descriptions, level of severity, onset age and the likelihood of development.
You can get 10% off the standard price of $84.99 for the Breed Identification Kit or $$149.99 for the Breed Identification + Disease Detection Kit using the code SECRETLIFEPETS and clicking here.
Have you had your dog DNA tested? Tell us what you found out!