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DNA Testing in Dogs
Canine Inherited Disorders Database
DNA Testing in Cats
National Mutt Census
What's My Dog?
Pet Horoscopes
Goodbye Kelly
DNA Testing in Dogs
Ever wonder where your mixed breed friend got his curly tail or long, shaggy coat? Or contemplate why your dog seems to be the fastest dog at the dog park? You can get answers to those questions by having a DNA test performed. DNA testing can tell you your pet’s ancestry, which will help you understand the reason for certain behaviors. Perhaps more importantly, you can learn about the potential for hereditary disease. Knowing your pet’s ancestry can help you tailor a training, exercise, and nutrition program to fit your pet’s specific needs. You can create a more effective training program if you know what behaviors are inherent in your pet. You can plan exercise activities that will be more satisfying to you pet. Knowing your pet’s health needs can help you and your veterinarian customize a diet and nutrition plan, and knowing what breed-related health risks exist can help you to know what early-warning signs to watch for.
There are two ways that DNA testing is performed in dogs. A simple blood test can be performed by your veterinarian or you can use a cheek-swab test kit available online and at some pet stores. The blood test is more specific and can identify over 200 breeds. The cheek-swab can identify as many as 170 breeds.
 The Wisdom Panel Professional® (blood test - which is used in most veterinary clinics) or the Wisdom Panel Insights® (cheek swab) test results will show:
Significant Breed - At least 50% of your dog’s DNA matches this breed, so you are likely to see the most physical and behavioral traits from this breed.
Intermediate Breed - At least 25% of your dog’s DNA matches this breed, so you may see some physical and behavioral traits represented in your dog.
Minor Breed - At least 12.5% of your dog’s DNA matches this breed, but at this level, it is unlikely that this breed’s physical traits are visible unless some of the genes are dominant.
(There are other brands available but we have had no experience with these. Consequently, we don't know about how specific the test is or the number of breeds in their database, and we have no knowledge of how the test results are reported.)
DNA testing is also performed in dogs to determine or confirm parentage.
Canine Inherited Disorders Database
Once your mixed-heritage dog's ancestry has been determined you may want to go to the Canine Inherited Disorders Database website and search those breeds that make up your dog. This site was the result of a project done at the Univesity of Prince Edward Island in Canada and has a lot of good information on these inherited conditions.
DNA Testing in Cats
DNA testing in cats to determine breed makeup is not available. In cats, the tests are performed to determine a specific breed's risk of serious inherited disease such as Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. These tests are performed by the cheek swab method and can be ordered online.
DNA testing is also performed in cats to determine or confirm parentage.
National Mutt Census
Mars Veterinary, makers of the Wisdom Panel, Greenies, Pill Pockets, and many other pet care products, is conducting a National Mutt Census. They are urging owners of mixed-heritage dogs to go to MuttCensus.com before the end of August, 2010 and take a five-minute survey. The company hopes that a portrait of the makeup of mixed breed dogs will lead to a better understanding of the prevalence of genetic traits and conditions. The survey results may provide a better understanding of the types and frequency of diseases among the group of dogs.
 What’s My Dog?
This is a fun website that may help you determine what breeds are in your mixed breed dog. Three quick and easy physical characteristic questions will lead the computer to suggest possible breeds. Go to whatsmydog.com.
Pet Horoscopes
We had a client ask us the other day about pet horoscopes. We had never given that any thought and found it to be an interesting question, so we did a little research. The best site we found was associated with Veterinary Pet Insurance, a trusted pet insurance company. Even when using the approximate birth dates on our adopted mixed heritage pets, we looked up the horoscopes of the pets of several of our staff members. The traits listed in the horoscopes fit them almost perfectly. It might be fun to check out your pet’s horoscope.
This might help:
Aquarius – January 20 through February 18
Pisces – February 19 through March 20
Aries – March 21 through April 19
Taurus – April 20 through May 20
Gemini – May 21 through June 21
Cancer – June 22 through July 22
Leo – July 23 through August 22
Virgo – August 23 through September 22
Libra – September 23 through October 22
Scorpio – October 23 through November 21
Sagittarius – November 22 through December 21
Capricorn – December 22 through January 19
 Goodbye Kelly
Kelly Saverino left our clinic in March and went into her last year in veterinary school. Each year we lose at least one of our veterinary student employees. Their fourth year is extremely busy and there is no time for part-time jobs. Kelly was a joy to have around and we will miss her. We wish her the best of luck in her life and her career.
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