As people peer into DNA for clues to health and heritage, mansa国际传媒檚 best friend is under the microscope, too.
Genetic testing for dogs has surged in recent years, fueled by companies that echo popular at-home tests for humans, offering a deep dive into a petsa国际传媒檚 genes with the swab of a canine cheek. More than a million dogs have been tested in little over a decade.
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The testssa国际传媒� rise has stirred debate about standards, interpretation and limitations. But to many dog owners, DNA is a way to get to know their companions better.
sa国际传媒淚t put some pieces of the puzzle together,sa国际传媒� says Lisa Topol, who recently tested her mixed-breed dogs Plop and Schmutzy. Plop was the top-scoring mixed-breed, and Schmutzy also competed, in Saturdaysa国际传媒檚 agility contest at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show . Judging toward the coveted best in show prize began Monday.
A test by Embark sa国际传媒� which this fall became Westminstersa国际传媒檚 first DNA-testing partner sa国际传媒� confirmed Topolsa国际传媒檚 guess that her high-octane pets are more Australian cattle dog than anything else. But Schmutzysa国际传媒檚 genetic pie chart had surprise ingredients, including generous amounts of Labrador retriever and Doberman pinscher.
Huh? Topol thought at first. And then: Maybe Schmutzysa国际传媒檚 love of water and fetching is her inner Lab coming out. And doesnsa国际传媒檛 she walk a bit like a Doberman?
sa国际传媒淭hey are the dogs that they are sa国际传媒� Theysa国际传媒檙e unique, and theysa国际传媒檙e special,sa国际传媒� said Topol, a New York advertising executive. But the testing sa国际传媒渕akes me understand them better.sa国际传媒�
Canine DNA testing for certain conditions and purposes goes back over two decades, but the industry took off after scientists mapped a full set of dog genes and published the results in 2005.
Wisdom Health, part of pet care and candy giant Mars Inc., launched a breed-identification test in 2007, added a health-screening option a few years later and says it has now tested over 1.1 million dogs worldwide. Numerous other brands are also available.
Mass-market tests have fueled research and helped animal shelters attract adopters by providing more information about prospective pets. DNA can back up purebred dogssa国际传媒� parentage and help breeders try to eliminate certain diseases.
The technology has been used to identify dogs whose owners donsa国际传媒檛 pick up their droppings, to pursue accused biters and to free a Belgian Malinois from dog death row after he was accused of killing a Pomeranian in Michigan. And some veterinarians feel DNA testing enhances care.
But qualms about the dog DNA boom spilled into the prestigious science journal Nature last year.
sa国际传媒淧et genetics must be reined in,sa国际传媒� a Boston veterinarian and two other scientists wrote. Their commentary opened with a troubling story: a pug being euthanized because her owners interpreted DNA results to mean she had a rare, degenerative neurological disorder, when in fact her ailment might have been something more treatable.
sa国际传媒淭hese (tests) should be used in a limited way until we get a lot more information,sa国际传媒� says co-author and vet Dr. Lisa Moses.
One concern is that tests can show genetic mutations that are linked to disease in some breeds but have unknown effects in the breed being tested. It also may be unclear how often dogs with the mutation ultimately get sick.
That means tests, in themselves, cansa国际传媒檛 necessarily tell pet owners how much they should worry. Or tell breeders whether a dog shouldnsa国际传媒檛 reproduce. Some in dogdom fear that DNA test results could keep animals from passing on otherwise good genes because of an ambiguous possibility of disease.
sa国际传媒淭he risk for overinterpretation is great,sa国际传媒� but DNA testing can be useful along with other tools, says veterinarian Dr. Diane Brown, the CEO of the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation. It has invested almost $20 million in genomic and molecular research and supports an international effort to promote standardization for dog DNA tests.
Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press
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