You may have heard about DNA testing for humans. This is something that has gained in popularity significantly over the last few decades.
It is a great way to learn more about your heritage and nationality. But, did you know that you can do the same for your dog too?
If you have a rescue dog or if you are not convinced that your dog is a pure breed, you can find out with a DNA test. Technology is a truly wonderful thing.
In this article, we are going to discuss one brand in particular, Wisdom Panel. We will be providing you with a full review of the company and its products.
Why Should I Get A Dog DNA Test?
Getting a DNA test for your dog may seem a little excessive, but there are so many benefits of having one.
It can help you to understand your dog better. A DNA will let you know the breed of your dog, any potential health problems, and your dog’s ancestral history.
If you own a rescue dog, it is likely a mixed breed. While you may know the main breed, DNA tests are useful in finding out all of the dog’s potential breeds. If your dog is a pure breed it is also useful to carry out a DNA test.
It can help you to know if your dog is likely to have any future health problems and whether the breeder was being honest.
Why Choose Wisdom Panel Dog DNA test?
Wisdom Panel is the world-leading dog DNA company. The brand has been trusted and tested by over 1.7 million users. They provide the most accurate and in-depth analysis of your dog’s DNA.
Wisdom panel tests your dog’s DNA against over 350 different types of breeds to ensure accuracy. They have a wide range of knowledge on all of these breeds. They provide you with all of the information you could need to know your dog better.
How Does The Test Work?You are probably thinking, how on Earth am I going to get a DNA sample from my dog? While the thought of putting a swab in your dog’s mouth can seem like an impossible task, it is easy to do.
Taking the Swab
What is great about the Widom Panel DNA tests is that it comes with two sets of swabs. This gives you the best chance of receiving accurate results.
It only takes 15 seconds to gather each swab sample. It is quick and pain-free for the dog.
You will need to take the swabs out of the packaging and rub them at the back of your dog’s mouth in between the gums and cheek. You rub and swirl the swab against the gums and cheek for 15 seconds to get a good DNA reading.
Once you have done this you need to leave the swab dry. Once dry you repeat the same process another two times.
The instructions that are included in this DNA kit are easy to understand and follow.
Sending Off Your Dog’s DNA Swab
After you have taken your swab samples, you need to place the swabs into your kit, seal it up and send it off via post to be tested.
The process is simple and easy to do and this is all included in the price.
The results can take around three to four weeks to process. As the company runs extensive tests, it is not instantaneous. There is a wait involved which is worth taking into consideration if you need the results by a certain date.
Receiving Your Results
The personalised in-depth report containing the results are received via email.
This is great because it keeps your results safe. You will be less likely to lose them compared to paper results.
How Does Wisdom Panel Find Out My Dog’s Breed?
Once Wisdom Panel receives your dog’s swabs, they run them through their huge database. This checks your dog’s sample against all of the different breed genetics they have stored.
The database will recognise certain characteristics of your dog’s DNA. It then matches it to a specific group of breeds to test its similarities.
The DNA is extracted from the dog’s cells and then is tested using 321 markers. These markers help to identify your dog’s potential breeds. The results are sent to their high tech computer system.
The system runs the DNA against the breeds of dogs your dog is the most similar to. It can even trace tye DNA back the last three generations of your dog’s family tree. The family trees the computer considers are of a wide variety. It can include one breed, mixed breeds, and multiple crossbreeds.
The results you receive are the breed/breeds your dog’s DNA is most similar too. This could be one breed, two, or even up to seven or eight!
Wisdom Panel breaks these results into useful percentages. The highest percentage is the most dominant breed and the lower percentages are a small fraction of your dog’s breed.
What Will I Find Out From My Dog’s Wisdom Panel Results?
There are many things the Wisdom Panel results will make you aware of. The results will give you a significant insight into your dog’s genetic history and breed.
It can also make you aware of any potential health issues, and your dog’s rough age.
Depending on the type of Wisdom Panel test you choose to buy, the results you receive will vary.
There are two different DNA tests you can choose from, the Wisdom Panel Essential and the Wisdom Panel Premium.
Wisdom Panel Essential
This is the cheaper of the two DNA testing kits available. If you are just interested in your dog’s breed or are looking for a DNA kit on a budget, this is a great option.
Here are the results you receive with the Wisdom Panel Essential:
Breed Results
You will receive the breed results of your dog from their list of over 350 breeds.
Wisdom panel has the most breeds on its system compared to any other dog DNA testing company.
Breakdown of the Dog’s DNA
The analysis breaks down your dog’s DNA into all of the possible breeds.
It will show you the most dominant breeds and give you the percentage of each breed. The results are so accurate that it can even trace the breeds your dog is even if it is only 1%.
Multiple BreedsIt will show you all of the breeds your dog is linked to, whether that is one or multiple. It provides a useful breakdown of each and categorises the dogs into breed types too (e.g mountain dog, terrier).
Your Dog’s Ancestry
The test can trace back your dog’s ancestry up to its great-grandparents. This will give you more of an insight into what dogs were bred and what potential mixes of dogs there are in your dog’s heritage.
Potential Health Problems The Wisdom Panel Essential tests for over 25 different potential medical problems that your dog could suffer from such as MDR1, which is caused by drug resistance.
It is important to know these results before neutering or breeding to help avoid any potential problems.
Understanding Your Dog Better
The Wisdom Panel Essential kit will help you to understand your dog better. It will give you an insight into your dog’s potential traits, its ideal weight, and even its overall temperament.
If you have a mixed breed puppy, a DNA test is a great way of having an understanding of what your dog will be like as an adult. This could be in terms of size, weight, and height.
It is worth noting that these results will not be fully accurate, but more of a rough insight into the potentials. However, it will help you to have an overall idea of what your puppy will be like as an adult.
Wisdom Panel Premium
If you want a full, in-depth analysis of your dog, we would recommend purchasing the Wisdom Panel Premium.
It is the more expensive option out of the two tests on the Wisdom Panel website.
The Wisdom Panel Premium includes everything the Essential kit has and some additional tests too. Here are the additional tests that the Premium kit includes:
Potential Genetic Conditions
The Wisdom Panel tests for any potential genetic conditions your dog could be prone to.
This includes but is not limited to, digestive issues, eye problems, drug sensitivities, mobility, and hip dysplasia. It screens your dog for more than two hundred potential health-related issues.
While no one likes to think about their pet’s becoming ill, it is good to prepare yourself for any future vets bills or problems your dog may have.
Veterinary Call
With the Premium test, if there are any potentially concerning results relating to your pet’s health, you can receive a free veterinary follow-up call.
This allows you to discuss the results that you received in detail. The Vet can help you find the best solutions for your pet moving forward and how to manage any potential conditions.
The call will last for around fifteen minutes and the vets are all licensed.
Carrier Status
If you want to breed your dog, a Premium DNA test is extremely useful. It will help to provide you with any health conditions your dog may be a carrier.
It is important to know this information when breeding to avoid potential health problems, such as hip dysplasia.
Two dogs that are both carriers of a health condition are more likely to pass this on to the litter of puppies. As a result, they should not be bred together.
Many breeders will require you to have this information before they will allow your dog to mate with theirs.
Benefits Of Using A Dog DNA Test
Finding out the breed of your dog is the most important part of a DNA test.
However, there are many other uses.
Adulthood
If your dog is still a puppy, a DNA test will give you an idea of what your pup will look like as an adult.
You will be able to know roughly how big your puppy will grow. You can also determine roughly what its weight and height will be.
This will help when you are purchasing accessories such as a harness, collar and dog coat. It will also help you when purchasing dog food as you can choose the correct breed size.
Food
A DNA test can help to identify any potential digestive issues or food intolerances.
This will help you to make more informed decisions when you are purchasing dog foo. It will help you to know the best types of food to place your dog on and how much you should be feeding per meal.
Breed Specific Problems
You can learn of any potential breed problems that you may face through DNA testing. Issues such as cherry eye, hip dysplasia, and even epilepsy can be linked to specific breeds.
If you know the breed of your dog, you can ensure you are keeping an eye out for any of these potential problems.
Life Span And Age
DNA kits can help you estimate your dog’s life span when you find out your dog’s breeds.
While this is something that can change due to many factors, it is useful to know roughly what your dog’s life expectancy is.
If you own a rescue dog and are unsure of its age, a DNA kit can roughly estimate this. This will give you a better idea of how old your dog is and when you should change them on to adult and mature foods.
Behavioural Problems
A DNA Kit can help to find out any potential behavioural problems or tendencies. There are some traits that certain dogs are more prone to.
For example, Collies were bred as working dogs and naturally have more energy. If this energy is not used up it could potentially turn into destructive behaviours if they are not kept occupied.
Knowing what breed your dog is can help you prepare for these types of situations.
Reassurance
If you want reassurance that your dog is a pure breed a DNA test is a great solution.
It can help you verify your dog’s pedigree status if you do not have the certificates to show this.
Things To Consider
Before you purchase a Dog DNA kit there are some important things that you should consider.
Cost
Can you afford a dog DNA test? This is always an important factor to consider. Dog DNA tests are not cheap.
We would recommend the Wisdom Premium test as it provides you with as much information as physically possible. However, if you are on a budget, the Essential test contains everything you would want from a standard DNA test.
Accuracy
The accuracy of the DNA test is important. You want to ensure that you have chosen a trusted and well-known company. You will want to be confident that you are receiving the results back for your dog and that everything, such as data, and data protection is handled correctly.
It is worth noting that the DNA tests are based on other DNA samples that companies have. While it is likely that they are accurate, you can never guarantee 100% accuracy.
Data Protection
Data protection is an important part of life and it is only natural to want to know what happens with your dog’s DNA and information.
Is the data put into the company’s DNA system to help with future DNA matches? Is it sold to other companies to help them with their research? These are worth looking into before you purchase a DNA kit.
It is worth mentioning that Mars is a partner company for Wisdom Panel and their data is shared with them. Mars owns companies such as Royal Canin dog food. The data that is found during DNA tests could potentially be used to help create breed-specific foods.
If you are not comfortable with this data being shared it worth researching this in more depth before purchasing.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are many benefits of getting a Wisdom Panel DNA test for your dog.
Not only will a DNA test help you to decipher what breed your dog is, but it will allow you to find out any potential health problems too. If you are looking to neuter or breed your dog, a DNA test is particularly important as it can raise any potential issues.
Overall, we think that Wisdom Panel is a great company to choose. They are a well-known brand that is trusted by millions of dog owners. Their results are detailed and they carry out more in-depth tests than their competitors.
Their results are helpful and they provide a lot of useful information that is tailored to your dog, whether it is a mixed breed or pedigree. The DNA test results will help you to understand your dog better and will strengthen your bond with them too.
The Wisdom Panel kits are certainly worth investing in.