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Animal DNA testing is an important, new boundary that genetic testing has overcome. Such tests, such as canine DNA tests or feline DNA tests, can saves breeders and pet lovers vast amounts of money and spare beloved pets and cattle from developing autoimmune diseases or passing on such diseases to their offspring.
Animal DNA testing versus Animal Testing
There is a big difference between these two terms and the word ‘DNA’ changes everything. Animal testing or animal experimentation means the use of animals in any of the following:
- Toxicology (new drugs for humans are first tested on animals to examine side effects, effectiveness, dosages etc)
- Neurological research
- Genetic modification of animals in order to trigger the development of diseases
- Xenotransplantation (taking an organ from one species of animal and transplanting it into another)
- Cosmetic testing on animals
The above involves animal testing and this raises many ethical issues with animals being put through experiments like vivisection and drug-overdoses. Animal DNA testing is purely to the benefit of the animal and of course the pet lover, vet or breeder and causes absolutely no harm to the animal.
What would I need to Test my Dog for?
If you are thinking of breeding your dog, then an animal DNA test to detect the presence of Von Willebrand’s diseases (VWD) is important as this condition is not uncommon. In Doberman breeds it can cause bleeding to death under operating conditions. Would it not be good to inform your vet beforehand of your dog has this condition? Would you want to mate your dog that has a hereditary condition and can pass it down to its offspring?
Coat colour is also important if you are thinking of breeding your dog. There are patterns for coat colour which can be closely linked to your dog’s genes. There are certain alleles which can be found be DNA analysts at very specific locations on the dogs DNA profiles and these would encode for particular coat colours. With such a test you can easily work out which dogs to breed and the outcome of their offspring will have predictable coat colours. This is known as ‘colour-breeding’. Those dogs that will give you offspring whose colours will not be desirable can be excluded from the mating process. Rarer colours may raise the value of a dog and make it more appealing for competitions and to buyers.
Canine Breeding and Parentage DNA test
The evolution of dog breeding from a historical perspective is also interesting because some pups with certain coat colours were chosen for breeding and not others. There are instances were coat colour is linked to certain health related traits. Moreover, many hunting dogs today boast brown coloured variations because they were deliberately chosen because hunters believed that the colour helped camouflage the dogs better.
In much the same way as a paternity DNA test done for humans, you can establish the parentage of a dog. You may have a litter of puppies and wonder who is the father of these pups? Can it be that more than one biological father is involved? The implications are wonderful for pet breeders, what better guarantee of pedigree can you offer buyers than a DNA certified pedigree?
Dog DNA testing will become more and more widespread and as more conditions can be tested for, the demand will rise. Today, there are a range of animal DNA tests that can be done on birds, cattle, cats and horses. |
