The dog in the picture above is Penelope. She is a Border Collie. But she doesn’t look like one. Or act like one. Many dogs, like Penelope, show characteristics that we would associate with breeds other than what they truly are…that is part of the reason why it is so easy for shelters, rescues, and pet owners to incorrectly identify the breed of a dog. Why does this matter? Why does knowing the breed (or breeds) that make up your dog make a difference?
Being able to identify the breed (or breeds) that comprise your dog affects your ability to provide the best nutrition, training, and overall care for your breed. For example, did you know, there is a genetic mutation found in some herding and sighthound breeds, as well as many mixed-breed dogs, referred to as MDR1 (Mulit-Drug Resistance 1)? The MDR1 gene is responsible for production of a protein called P-glycoprotein. The P-glycoprotein molecule is a drug transport pump that plays an important role in limiting drug absorption and distribution (particularly to the brain) and enhancing the excretion/elimination of many drugs used in dogs. Dogs with the MDR1-mutation may have severe adverse reactions to some common drugs.
Knowing if you have a dog with herding or sighthound lineage can help your veterinarian better treat your dog and perhaps avoid life-threatening reactions to drugs affected by the MDR1 mutation. Even better than just knowing your breed, Mars Veterinary, the industry leader in canine genetic testing, is now launching their next evolution of the canine DNA test—Wisdom Panel® 3.0— and is not only expanding the breed screening coverage, but the medical applications as well with the new MDR1 Genetic Mutation screening!
Aside from understanding the breeds within your dog, in order to lookout for any breed-specific health concerns or common issues, doing a dog DNA test can assist in determining what the adult size of your new rescue puppy might be or help you develop a training program that works with their natural breed instincts and a better understanding of their behavioral characteristics.
If you live in Arizona, you can visit the Holiday Pet Festival in Scottsdale on December 5th, 2015. Wisdom Panel will be attending the event to share more information about the Wisdom Panel® 3.0 and educate on the benefits of Canine DNA testing. You will also be able to do a DNA swab test onsite at the event for a discounted price of $39.99.
If you can not bring your dog to the event with you, you can still purchase a kit to take home for the discounted price of $49.99 (MSRP is $84.99).
If you don’t live in Arizona, or can’t attend the Holiday Pet Festival in Scottsdale on December 5th, you can visit www.WisdomPanel.com for more information and to purchase a kit.
How does the DNA test work?
To test your dog using the Wisdom Panel® 3.0, you will use cheek swabs to collect DNA samples from inside your dog’s cheek. Those cheek swabs will then be sent into the Mars Veterinary Care laboratory. Once your sample is received at the lab it is scanned into the Wisdom Panel database and assigned to a batch for testing.
The swabs then undergo processing to extract the DNA from your dog’s cells which are then examined for the 321 markers used in the test. The results of these markers are sent to a computer that evaluates them using a proprietary algorithm designed to consider all of the possible pedigree trees in the last three generations for your dog.
These pedigree trees include a simple pedigree with a single breed (a likely pure-bred dog) all the way up to a complex tree with eight different great-grandparent breeds. The algorithm uses information from the extensive Wisdom Panel breed database (more than 10,000 samples!) to fill out these potential pedigrees.
For each of the millions of combinations of ancestry trees built and considered, the computer gives each a score representing how well that selected combination of breeds matched your dog’s data. The pedigree with the overall best score is selected and provided to you in your dog’s individualized report.
How accurate is the Wisdom Panel® 3.0?
The Wisdom Panel does not offer a guaranteed accuracy level, however if a good, clean sample is obtained—dog does not share any food/toys/water with any other dogs prior to testing and doesn’t eat any food/treats—accuracy can be about 90%.
What’s new with the Wisdom Panel® 3.0 kit?
New benefits of the Wisdom Panel® 3.0 kit include:
- MDR1 genetic mutation screening for risk of adverse reaction to some common drugs.
- Increased breed screening database – 3.0 now covers 250+ breeds, types and varieties including all those recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Connect with Wisdom Panel® on social media for more updates on events and product discounts:
Its great if you can believe the results. Wish I could believe in the results of Nala’s test.
What were the results of her test? Did you use Wisdom or another company? I had a student who had bad results with Wisdom, because she forgot to not let her dogs play or chew on anything two hours prior to the test, so her small dog’s DNA was mixed with her big dog’s DNA. LOL