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As you breed your dog to maturity, there’s bound to be an instant when you stop and wonder just what type of variety they are. It could be borne out of sheer curiosity, or even concern, especially if your dog starts exhibiting signs of specific hereditary ailments. When this moment comes, a DNA kit will prove handy in helping you discover more about your mutt’s background, more specifically, their family history, genetic makeup, and risk of ailment in the future.
If you are already interested in these items, below are detailed reviews of the best DNA test for dogs in commercial circulation. Moreover, there’s a comprehensive shopper’s guide that’ll prove handy in helping you know every essential piece of information on these genetic analysis items.
Our Top Choice:
For those seeking for great quality for the money, we recommend the Embark Dog DNA Test Breed & Wellbeing Kit. This is the current leader in the field. This product provides the comprehensive survey of your pup’s consealed circumstances.
What to Check When Purchasing a DNA Test for Mutts
Now, buying a DNA testing kit for your canine friend may not be the easiest thing. However, knowing what factors to look for can help you purchase wisely. Here’s what you should check:
Test Depth
How comprehensive is a particular DNA test? The best DNA test for dogs should be able to tell the major breeds/ varieties for your mutt with no problems. Moreover, most in-depth DNA tests go further and examine relevant genetic health issues that your dog is predisposed to. So, choose a DNA test that can give you a detailed analysis of your mutt’s DNA.
Delivery Time
Waiting for a test’s results for several weeks or months can be frustrating. More so, if you want to use the results to make a nutrition/ health plan for your dog. A good test should take around two weeks to give you’re the results.
Precision
A test that is worth the money should be capable of determining most mutts’ variety combinations with high precision. Again, this factor depends on how many varieties a test can identify. Most top tests promise 95-99 percent accuracy, which is a good standard.
Now that you know what to look for, the next question is where to buy DNA test kits for dogs. You can find all the kits reviewed here on Amazon. The products are sold by the manufactured and fulfilled by Amazon.
What is the best DNA test for dogs? If you’re intent on accurately comprehending the variety of your dog and any associated health risks, then this DNA kit from Embark is what to purchase. It is an excellent DNA swab test for dogs, meaning that you only have to take a cheek swab to have an excellent knowledge of your four-legged companion, which, in turn, enables you to offer them appropriate care.
This DNA test is developed by certified vets and provides a comprehensive health analysis for hereditary ailment probability for over one-hundred and seventy conditions. Also, with this DNA kit, you can evaluate the genetic markup of your four-legged companion against a whopping two hundred and fifty mutt varieties. And if you are wondering about the parentage of your loyal friend, then with this DNA kit, you can know their ancestry profile and family tree way behind to the great grand folks.
Using this DNA test is straightforward, with only three steps involved. The first step is to “activate” the test by creating an account and providing your mutt’s exclusive activation code. To activate, visit embarkvet.com/ activate. The second step (“swab”) is to open the swab packaging and take a cheek swab of your four-legged companion. And, the last step is to “send” the test back via the package return service. If you reside in America, no postage fee is necessary.
That said, it helps to note that this item comes with a “relative finder” feature. With this, it enables you to know of other Embark dogs that yours is linked to, relying on the percentage of DNA that they have in common. This way, you can discover if your mutt who is linked to them as half-siblings, first cousins, aunt/uncle, grandparents, and so forth.
For reliable, swift, and exclusive identification of your animal’s type, then look no further than this item. This DNA breed test for dogs is trusted among users, thanks to the incredible features it provides. For one, it provides assessments for over two hundred and fifty varieties, meaning that there’re quite high chances of you knowing the various varieties your canine’s parents and ancestors were.
Furthermore, this DNA test presents a detailed ancestry profile and family tree going back to the great grand folks. If you want to know the relatives that your four-legged companion has, you are in luck. With this DNA test, you can trace your four-legged companion’s relatives among those on the Embark database. Note, Embark, the company behind this DNA test, is a research partner of Cornell University’s Vet Medicine Department. And in collaboration with other certified vets, they form the brains behind this product.
If nothing else, using this DNA kit is quite easy as you have to implement only three simple steps. The first one is to “activate” your DNA test by creating an account and providing your mutt’s unique activation code. To activate, you have to visit embarkvet.com/activate. The second step is “swab,” and involves taking a swab of your mutt’s cheek. The good thing, nonetheless, is that the swab is gentle, meaning that your dog will not feel uncomfortable. Finally, you have to send your swab DNA test in the return package. If in the US, no postage fees will apply.
Not to forget, with the “mix-match” feature, you can see how closely your dog matches other Embark dogs. When at it, note that a “Mix Match” of one hundred denotes a perfect breed match up. Aside from that, this DNA test delivers tons of useful data that go a long way in helping you comprehend your dog in-depth.
In turn, armed with a clear picture of your companion’s variety of makeup, you can go on to provide them with appropriate care. And if you’ve got any doubts, it helps to know that Embark, through this DNA kit, aims to enable you to end preventable ailments in your four-legged companion.
You’d still get the best DNA test for dogs on a budget. For a reasonable figure, Wisdom Panel 3.0 permits one to test their mutt’s DNA for hereditary history pretty accurately. This budget DNA tester can correctly name over 350 canine breeds, varieties, and kinds with the assistance of an extensive DNA database that the organization possesses. With this DNA analyzer, dog owners can figure out the ancestry of their dogs and further discover any genetic health and drug sensitivity concerns affecting or that may affect their canines.
The DNA kit is pretty straightforward to handle, given that it’s packaged together with elaborate usage directions. You can conduct the test on your mutt at home by collecting saliva samples from them. Two soft brushes are provided for this purpose. Make sure you rotate the brush on both cheeks for a couple of seconds each. Repeat the process with the second brush. Then, ship the test off for analysis. A confirmation of receipt is sent to in a few days, and you receive the analyses findings in a fortnight or so.
If you’re cautious about the cost of DNA test for dogs, this brand is worth some consideration. It won’t require much information about the mutt you’d like to be DNA tested, a feature that makes it a whole lot effortless to use as compared to other brands. Also, the shipping pouch is already pre-paid, meaning that all you have to do is place the samples in, seal, and drop it in the mail.
Pros
Determines a canine’s variety combination based on DNA with excellent accuracy
Straight forward administration with minimal details required
Tracks up to 3 generational ancestors
Provides in-depth info about a mutt’s variety
Cons
Does not give trait markers to assist in explaining physical appearance
The Orivet DNA test is specifically produced to search for and highlight the genetic attributes and health concerns of your canine pet. It doesn’t quite work as a DNA variety identifier. One must already be familiar with their mutt’s variety beforehand for the test to be helpful. Instead, it helps canine owners to know the health complications their animals are likely to develop to depending on their kind and DNA.
This DNA test kit for dogs can screen up to 150 attributes and gene-related health concerns. The DNA analysis checks the mutt’s heredity (which you can provide if you know), age, sex, area of residence, among other factors to produce a list of the possible health risks.
This DNA kit from Orivet additionally suggests a life plan that is dependent on the findings generated to help mutt owners make more conscious lifestyle decisions for their furry friends. In the pack that the seller ships to you, you’ll see sterile swabs for collecting DNA from the animal, a pamphlet containing the guidelines for usage, and a pre-paid envelope for sending back the samples for testing.
After your mutt’s DNA is examined and profiled, you can then access the results online on the Orivet platform, where you can quickly set up your account. Apart from presenting your mutts results, this account can also act as the animal’s health profile where you can keep updating and even give the link to the vet.
Pros
Helps make a personalized wellness and nutrition plan
Shows the most relevant health risks
Takes a lot of factors (weight, ancestry, lifestyle, age, sex, etc.) before making predictions
Allows dog owners to create a sharable online pet profile
Some canine owners adopt rescue pups who, many times, don’t resemble any one breed. If you are in this category and don’t wish to part with hundreds of dollars for DNA testing, this Mars Veterinary DNA tester could be your answer.
Though it’s a predecessor of the Wisdom Panel 3.0 also reviewed here, this test can provide you with just as good analysis. The test is focused on three aspects: the mutt’s breed combo, his/ her ancestral tree, and meds sensitivity gene. For breed identification, this Mars veterinary test kit uses a database of 250+ varieties and types. The findings you receive from the test also indicate the weight range for an adult dog of the breed identified so that you can make more informed nutrition and diet selections.
Once this testing kit arrives, you should pass the two swabs around your canine’s inner cheeks twice, waiting for them to dry each time before repeating. Then, using the ID on the sample packaging, activate the test on the Wisdom Panel web platform and jot the code that is generated onto the provided sleeve. Lastly, insert the swabs back into the pouch, return to the box given for shipment, and drop it in the mail. You can track the test status online as well as receive the findings there.
Apart from “is there a DNA test for dogs?”, it is another question many people ask. So, let us respond to it.
DNA test kit for dogs comes in a cardboard container with a sealed swab and guidelines on collecting your mutt’s DNA. As a rule, many DNA kits advise that you swab the inner cheek of your four-legged companion for anywhere between twenty secs and a min. After that is accomplished, the collected sample should be placed in a test tube and then mailed to the lab facility of the maker of the DNA kit.
Upon arrival at the laboratory, trained experts manually remove and analyze the DNA from the collected sample. This DNA sample is assessed against the reference data that exists in the organization’s database, and an algorithm then develops a chart of how much of every breed your mutt matches. The best DNA test for dogs has a reference database that includes all the variables that represent the various breeds of dogs to ensure more reliable conclusions are achieved.
With the best DNA test for dogs, what happens after the above procedure is the sending of gathered discoveries. These reports reveal useful facts such as gene variants for wellbeing conditions, breed, etc.
Why You Shouldn’t Test Your Mutt’s DNA
Knowing the breed of your mutt will see learn about the ailments that they are predisposed to, thanks to their genetic markup. As such, anxiety and panic might set in seeing as it is natural for any mutt lover to show concern for their four-legged companion.
Furthermore, the best DNA test for dogs can inform you that your four-legged companion has close relations with a breed that should not be domesticated. Consequently, you might realize that you are in a tricky situation, and in need of relocating, insurance reviews, and so forth.
Lastly, in the case of contamination of samples, you could end up with inaccurate results. As a result, you might decide to adjust your mutt’s lifestyle, yet that was not necessary in the first place.
More Frequently Asked Questions
Can Pet Insurance Assist in Covering Health Conditions?
Yes. If you discover that your mutt has an underlying ailment(s), it helps to get pet insurance as it will prove handy when your mutt falls ill. See, if your four-legged companion is diagnosed with a disease, pet insurance minimizes the probability of having to pick between your mutt’s life or the money.
Nonetheless, it helps to sign up your loyal companion early before they are diagnosed. If you wait until after, they won’t be eligible for cover since it’ll be considered a pre-existing condition.
How Can a DNA Test Benefit My Mutt’s Health?
A DNA kit will yield tons of benefits. Most importantly, it will help you understand your mutt’s breed make up, thereby assisting you and the veterinary in developing a more effective health plan for your four-legged companion. Better yet, knowing the breed mix of your loyal friend can help you know about the conditions that they are likely to contract. As a result, you will be better placed when it comes to identifying early symptoms and taking adequate preventative or treatment measures.
Do Mutt DNA Tests Provide Correct Results?
Yes, most DNA tests are accurate the majority of times. According to reps from top canine DNA testing companies, including Embark and Wisdom, their analyses are 95% and above accurate. It’s important to know how these DNA tests function to understand whether they are indeed valid.
A few years back, there was only a blood DNA test for dogs that you couldn’t find in the store or online, but rather at a vet’s office. This blood DNA test for dogs required drawing blood samples would then be examined to determine breed. Now, through science, things have evolved. Most DNA tests today only ask for saliva samples. Once the saliva swabs reach the laboratory, the DNA is collected from it and processed against the company’s database. This procedure identifies close matches, which are then represented in a chart.
So, the more breeds and varieties a DNA company tests for, the more elaborate the results will be. However, good DNA tests like the ones reviewed here will give you pretty comprehensive breed information.
What Is the Best DNA Test to Buy for My Dog?
Embark’s DNA test is the top-recommended kit based on intensive reviewing. Among the key factors that make it so ideal include highly-accurate breed testing against a 250+ breed database, identification of 170+ genetic conditions, and fast result processing. It is also top-rated by dog owners in the US and other parts of the world.
Best Budget DNA Test
Wisdom Panel 3.0 takes the top spot for affordability. This DNA for dogs test cost is lower than that of other premium kits in the market. And for the budget price, it tests for over 350 breed and varieties and gives you basic health info.
Verdict & Final Words
If you are searching for the best DNA tests in the market, you can find an option in these five top picks. You can find the best overall, the top alternative to the top kit, the best budget testing kit, and two other worthy options on this list. Go on and make a choice. So, have you tried any of the DNA tests reviewed here? What’s your experience? Share your thoughts down below.
Dr. Gordon has been a contributor to a range of pet media since his study at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He does not miss a chance to do in-depth research backed by his own examinations. Along with writing his own pieces, Dr. Gordon does fact-checking of the articles.
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As you breed your dog to maturity, there’s bound to be an instant when you stop and wonder just what type of variety they are. It could be borne out of sheer curiosity, or even concern, especially if your dog starts exhibiting signs of specific hereditary ailments. When this moment comes, a DNA kit will prove handy in helping you discover more about your mutt’s background, more specifically, their family history, genetic makeup, and risk of ailment in the future.
