As your dog ages, there will be certain medical conditions he or she may have to deal with. Wouldn't it be nice to know ahead of time so you can get on top of any issues before they become a major painful problem?
If you have a mixed breed, getting a DNA test will give you the breeds in his ancestry and help you and your Veterinarian to be ready for possible issues based on certain breeds.
I knew my dog's heritage. She is a mixed breed but only because a male German sheperd/husky got into the yard of a perineese breeder!
Therefore as she got older, our Veterinarian warned us that back hip joints could be an issue and that since perineese dogs do not have a long life span she would be considered a senior at 7-8 years old which is good information. We were ready for this and became more aware of her limitations and tried to help her to avoid huge medical bills and pain. This worked well. But if I didn't know her background it could be hard to know.
You can get these doggy DNA kits online, you don't have to go through your Veterinarian. It can also be fun to know your dog's family tree.
This newer kit is popular. It not only tells you about the background of your mixed breed doggy, but it will also test for 160 medical conditions. I thought this was awesome! This way you can prepare yourself for medical and behavioral issues that might arise as your dog ages.
With this test kit you get breed identification, which is cool because sometimes your dog may not be the breed you think he looks like.
If you click on the above picture or link you can check out the over 25 great reviews by dog owners, some had trouble identifying their breed so were excited for the results. Check out this one Review:
"I had my dog Bear tested because we got him as a puppy 1.5 yrs ago and were told he was full-blooded Great Pyrenees. He's our second Pyr, and I certainly had my doubts as to his lineage - he's much more scrawny than our previous Pyr... And frankly, I was curious as to what else I could learn about him from his dna. A test that tells me both ancestry and genetic disease risks? Certainly more bang for your buck.
"Unfortunately"... We didn't learn anything all that crazy! "Just" that he's full Pyrenees (father's haplotype, H1a.11, is actually only seen in Pyrs and Newfies) and only carries one recessive gene mutation. He's free and clear for every single one of the 160+ other complications for which they check. You can, however, read up on each of the conditions and which genes your dog carries, and how this can possibly affect them.
I am also reassured that he has already reached his projected body weight (Embark tells me that should be around 75 lbs), and am hopeful that he'll stay well below the 120 of a typical male Pyr.
But how neat to know that all of that from my dog's drool! Not to mention, the mobile site is easy to navigate, the customer service was prompt with helping me figure out why I didn't yet have my results, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the information leads us in the future. Thanks, Embark!"
It also tests for drug sensitivities which could be a dangerous issues if you needed emergency medical care and he was given a drug he was sensitive too. You will be armed with this information. I always try to be proactive when it comes to my own health, why not do this for your dog as well? You invest so much in them with love and care and they love you back, get to know them better!
This is another option of a dog DNA test kit, this one is a bit cheaper. This one will identify the breeds in your dogs background and the traits of the breeds identified. This can help with training or diet. Certain dogs can't eat certain foods, and being armed with this information is a great way to stay on top of their training, diet and health.
Amazon Reviews
This particular product has over 260 good reviews, check out this one review they gave it 5 stars:
"This product was amazing for us. We adopted our dog from a shelter, which had listed her as a Great Pyrenees mix. She certainly demonstrates physical and behavioral characteristics of that breed. She is also the color of a Golden Retriever and the has a purple/black tongue like a Chow Chow. Our results came in as a perfect combination of our predictions - 37.5% Great Pyrenees, 25% Golden Retriever, 25% Labrador, 12.5% Chow Chow. I am sorry to hear that this product did not work as well for others who bought it, but I thought it was FANTASTIC!" Swab Inside of Mouth Both tests just require you to swab inside cheek of mouth. Find out the genetic diseases that may be in our pooches lineage, so that you can be prepared. You can also find out behavioral traits that certain breeds have which can make it fun for training. You used to have to research each breed if you knew it, which can take time, money and effort. This is great if you have a pure breed, but what about mixed breed owners?
Mixed Breed Owners
By investing in this test, you can find out quickly the ancestry of your pooch. Wouldn't it be nice to know what his relatives were? Certain breeds train better using certain tactics, and others have genetic health issues that need to be watched for. If you can spot these before they become a big problem you could save hundreds on medical bills.
Just something to consider if you are unsure of your dogs background. Especially the senior or older dog that is coming into his golden years!