DNA testing for pets
With the popularity of genealogy websites soaring, an increasing number of people are using the technology to investigate not just their own heritage – but also that of their furry family members. Brittany Keogh reports.
Organisations that provide DNA testing for pets say demand for the service is rising. Pedigree breeders often use it to find out whether their animals carry genes for hereditary health conditions, while mum-and-dad owners may want to find out more about their mutt or moggie’s breed and background.
Michelle Fremaux, director of Massey University’s Equine Parentage and Animal Genetic Services Centre, said genetic science was ‘‘moving incredibly fast’’, with new research being published all the time.
The centre had seen a spike in requests for ‘‘genetic counselling’’ – the interpretation of genetic results – as well as genetic testing for dogs, as the science developed. It also provides testing for alpaca, llama, camel, birds, cattle, horses, sheep and goats. Plans to soon offer DNA testing for cats are also in place.
Fremaux said the use of DNA testing by companion animal breeders was a positive thing as it allowed them to eliminate hereditary diseases from their bloodlines by breeding only animals without the genes that cause the conditions.
While concerns had been raised in an article in the scientific journal Nature in 2018 that pet owners may get spooked by the results of genetic testing and euthanise pets with treatable genetic conditions, Fremaux had never heard of that happening in New Zealand. She said breeders doing the testing cared a lot about their animals.
Robyn Morrison breeds persian and exotic cats from her home in Warkworth, north of Auckland.
She said advancements in DNA testing come with ‘‘huge’’ advantages for breeders, allowing them to breed ‘‘healthier cats that live longer and don’t cost their owner an arm and a leg’’.
Her cattery is free from polycystic kidney disease – a genetic condition that once affected 40 to 50 per cent of persians.
She used to rely on ultrasound scanning to ensure her cats did
not carry the gene responsible for PKD before breeding them, but for the past several years had instead been using DNA testing which was much easier, cheaper and could be done when the cat was much younger.
Morrison takes cheek swab or blood sample from her kittens
and sends it off to a lab at the University of California at Davis in the US. The results confirm that the felines are PKD-free as well as telling her what coat colours the cat carries in its genetic line, which is helpful as she specialises in chocolates and lilacs.
Orivet.com allows pet owners to order swabs to collect samples of their DNA that they can send off for testing, similar to Ancestry.com.
The company does both breed ID (ancestry) testing and genetic screening for diseases in cats and dogs.
Its Melbourne-based cofounder and managing director George Sofronidis said pet owners were becoming more clued up and doing more research about the genetic conditions different breeds are prone to.
‘‘I have and continue to see an increase in genetic testing. The
industry is becoming more ‘regulated’. Breed clubs and member bodies have a code of ethics. All this means that you need to do what you can to ensure you are breeding ‘healthy and sound’ dogs.
‘‘Testing has become more accessible and the technology has advanced to allow for mass array screening.’’
Rescue dog owners mainly sought out breed ID tests, costing $120, Sofronidis said.
Genetic testing identifies specific DNA mutations responsible for diseases.