It is straightforward: buy the kit, register it, collect the saliva sample at home and send it using the prepaid label. Your results will be available in your private account an estimated 4–6 weeks after the sample reaches the laboratory. For a step-by-step guide, see What steps do I need to follow to DNA test my pet?. Here is what happens in the laboratory.
DNA contains the instructions that make each animal unique. The dog genome has around 2.4 billion base pairs across 39 pairs of chromosomes, while the cat genome has around 2.5 billion across 19 pairs. Most of the sequence is the same within a species. Individuals differ through small variations, particularly SNPs: positions in the DNA where one animal may have a different letter from another.
We analyse these variations in three stages:
- Genotyping. In the laboratory, we read more than 60,000 genetic markers using an Axiom genotyping chip from Thermo Fisher Scientific, an established technology in veterinary genetics. We then use statistical imputation to estimate your pet’s genotypes at more than 585,000 markers.
- Interpretation. We compare the variants with those described in scientific publications and reference databases, such as the Dog Biomedical Variant Database Consortium (DBVDC) catalogue for dogs. We only include variants supported by published evidence in our reports.
- Transparency. Each health and trait result includes a technical report showing the variant analysed, your pet’s genotype and the supporting references.