Who is responsible for that new litter of gorgeous puppies? Are they pure breeds? Is it possible to do a dog paternity test? The answers to all these questions is ‘yes’. Dog DNA tests are now a growing market and as the interest keeps growing, scientists will keep working on new tests that can do more to help the lives of our pet friends, animal breeders or simply those who have a love for animals.
More about canine testing for breeding
A dog, or any animal, will inherit half its genetic material from its mother and half from its father. You may confirm the ancestry of your dog, the canine lineage, and find out which breeds are present in a dog’s genes by doing a dog DNA test. Owners of mixed breeds can get a clear picture that is scientific about the mix their dog consists of. No more random guesses regarding the dog mix of a mongrel. Animal DNA testing is here.
For owners with pure breeds wishing to breed them, they can trace the dog’s blood line. Your dog’s family tree can now be based on DNA evidence providing a guaranteed pedigree.
DNA testing can tell breeders:
- The breed heritage of your dog
- The pedigree of a puppy your may have bought or a stock of dogs you may have imported
- In case of multi-sire breeding, you may verify which puppies belong to which biological parent.
How to collect a dog DNA sample?
Companies specializing in this kind of canine test will send you a home kit. The test is painless and non-invasive. The Swab is simply rubbed on the inside of the mouth to gather some dog saliva and cells and then the swab is left to dry. The swabbing process does not even require a vet.
The following rules need to be followed to maximize the probability of effectively concluding the result.
- Prior to swabbing your dog, do not allow it to eat or drink for around 15 minutes.
- If several dogs are being swabbed be careful not to allow swabs from different dogs to come into contact with each other.
- Fill in the necessary forms supplied
DNA dog testing for diseases
Knowing what genetic disease your dog is predisposed to get means you can decide which dogs are fit for mating and which are not. Amongst the diseases tested for are:
- Labradors predisposed to Centro Nuclear Myopathy (a condition characterized by muscle weakness and exercise intolerance)
- English Springer Spaniels predisposed to Fucosidosis (the condition can cause weakening of the immune system and can cause adverse behavioral changes; it can result in blindness or deafness).
The above are just two of the many conditions that dog DNA tests can tell you about. The interest in dogs genetics is big.
