Dog DNA Testing

You might have thought that DNA testing was mainly for people but it is now a growing field for animals and many are now seeking dog DNA testing. There are many types of animal DNA tests available, perhaps to your surprise, including tests for cats, horses and even birds- after all most living things, excluding viruses, have some form of DNA.

What can canine DNA Tests tell us?

Probably, the most important use for this test is for determining the breed of your dog. If you do not have a pure breed then you may want to know; however, even pure breeds have ancestors that are not of their same breed. Moreover, knowing the ancestry and breeds of your dog can help you know more about its temperament and tendencies as well as also helping you tailoring a diet which is best suited to your dog.

 How is the test done?

These are essentially at home DNA dog tests; this means you as the dog’s owner can actually collect the DNA samples. The company doing you test will send you some kind of home DNA testing kit. The standard method for DNA sample collection is the oral mouth swab. The mouth swab is sterile and very much like a cotton bud; you rub it in your dog’s mouth to collect DNA.

A canine DNA test can tell you just how pure your pure breed is. Moreover, you may also have issues of paternity if you are a dog breeder; it may happen that sometimes you may not be sure which male has sired a litter of puppies. In much the same way as a paternity test, there is a dog DNA test which can tell you “who the daddy is”. In this case, a dog parentage test is needed.

Being able to confirm the breed of your dog genetically means also being able to provide buyers with a genetically guaranteed pedigree.  This DNA test can be done to inform you of the illnesses your dog may be predisposed to.

We can take their health into our hands, making informed decisions based on scientific evidence. Dog DNA testing is a great too that can help provide a better quality of life to our beloved pets.