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- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
This article was produced in partnership with Wisdom Panel.
It’s not easy to pick a gift for a dog lover, especially one who’s already set up for life with their pup. They’re probably well-stocked with spiffy water bowls and paw-print towels. Giving less superficial gear is dicey, since you don’t know their dog’s measurements or training style. That’s one reason we like the idea of gifting a Wisdom Panel dog DNA test this year—especially to parents of rescue pups.
If you’re a rescue pet parent like me, chances are you’ve been asked the breed of your pet and had to respond with either an educated guess or “Not sure—they’re a mutt!” I’ve long wondered about the breed of my sweet pup Enzo, who came from a cattle dog rescue in Colorado (following his brief stint in the oil fields of west Texas).
I’ve always wanted to get a breed test for him—so I jumped at the opportunity to try out a Wisdom Panel dog DNA test to learn about his ancestry and genetic health and see if others might like to do the same with their pets.
Why Get a Wisdom Panel DNA Test?
My dog Enzo has some very distinctive traits: he has spotty paws and floppy ears, plus an intense prey drive for anything from squirrels to cats (yet zero interest in playing fetch). He also gently nips my ankles to herd me towards his food bowl around 5:00 p.m., and he has a sometimes overbearing need to cuddle or be held.
Meet Enzo.
I suspected he probably has some heeler or border collie in him, but I wondered if knowing his breed for certain would help me understand some of his quirks and unique needs better.
That’s what makes dog DNA tests like Wisdom Panel surprisingly practical gifts. It’s fun to know about your mutt’s family tree—but it’s also useful to have some ideas about the breed-specific instincts your pup might be equipped with, especially when it comes to training.
Another practical reason for learning more about Enzo’s heritage was to identify potential future (or present) health conditions. Wisdom Panel’s DNA test can detect some genetic disorders and other medical complications. Enzo started having seizures about two years ago, and our vet diagnosed him with epilepsy by ruling out other conditions. I wanted to know if this or any other issues would show up on his test.
How the Wisdom Panel DNA Test Works
The instructions for Wisdom Panel’s dog DNA test were straightforward: activate your test using the sample ID on the side of the box, swab your pup’s inner cheek, and drop the pre-labeled shipping box in a mailbox near you.
Unfortunately, if you’re disorganized like me, you might forget to take the simple step of activating the test before dropping it in the mail. Luckily, Wisdom Panel’s customer service was super friendly, and they were able to quickly locate my sample ID using my name. (I would still recommend actually following the instructions.)
Enzo contemplates the DNA test kit.
Enzo didn’t particularly love having his mouth swabbed and made some nice snarling faces when I moved towards his cheek with one of the two provided swabs. Since you’re supposed to collect the sample at least two hours after feeding your dog, I wasn’t able to use my usual tactic of bribing him with treats. The process was quick, though, and not too different from my past attempts to brush his teeth.
Enzo inspects the swab.
Enzo decides he doesn’t like the swab.
Wisdom Panel doesn’t require a picture of your dog, though you can upload one to your online profile if you like. They also don’t ask any questions about what breed you think your dog might be, so their results were entirely reliant on matching Enzo’s DNA against their database of breed-related genetic markers. (I didn’t upload any photos until the test results were in.)
While waiting for the DNA test kit results to come back, we were able to log into Wisdom Panel’s interface to see the status of my kit as it moved through the lab testing process.
Our Dog DNA Kit Test Results
Our test results arrived almost exactly three weeks after I’d mailed in the swabs (they say two to three weeks, which seems to be standard for comparable DNA tests).
According to Wisdom Panel’s testing, Enzo is 39% Australian Cattle Dog, 17% Border Collie, and 56% other breed types, including Asian & Oceanian, Guard, Terrier, Hound, Companion, and Sporting. Basically, he’s a little bit of everything. His top two breeds were what we had guessed—though the Chow Chow and Chihuahua were unexpected!
After reading about other pet owners’ experiences with dog DNA tests, I was a bit nervous that Enzo’s results would contain a high percentage of unidentifiable or “supermutt” ancestors. But our test detected 16 distinct breeds—an advantage of Wisdom Panel’s large database of breed-related genetic markers, which makes it a good option for pet parents who suspect their pup has many or rare breeds in their lineage.
You can see your pet’s family history going back three generations, and Wisdom Panel has info on each breed’s traits, temperament, and care needs.
Since we used Wisdom Panel’s Premium kit, they also performed 210 health tests to look for genetic risks. Enzo’s health results reported one notable genetic variant: Primary Lens Luxation. This indicated that the lens of his eye had a small chance of becoming loose and eventually displaced. There wasn’t any genetic indication of epilepsy present.
One perk of the health panel is the option to follow up with a veterinarian for a 15-minute call to talk through any notable results. I chatted with a Wisdom Panel vet who walked me through Enzo’s risk level, the implications of the disease, treatment options, and what to look for in the future—like eye irritation or squinting.
I asked why Enzo’s seizures hadn’t been flagged and was told that Wisdom Panel hopes to continue to broaden their test—but it, like most dog DNA tests, isn’t yet able to screen for every health risk.
Another complicating factor is that not all epilepsy cases are genetic—trauma and metabolic disorders can also play a role. So it’s possible no genetic test would have caught Enzo’s epilepsy.
In short, dog DNA testing isn’t a catch-all solution to health disorders, especially multi-factorial ones (disorders that involve multiple genes). But the Wisdom Panel test did flag some signs to watch out for, and I’ll be keeping an eye on Enzo’s vision.
Overall, I found the interface informative and easy to navigate, and it was very exciting to open the results with my partner and Enzo.
How Much Is a Wisdom Panel Dog DNA Test?
Wisdom Panel offers two different dog DNA tests: Essential and Premium. The main difference between the options is access to the health results. The Premium test screens for genetic conditions with 210 health tests and offers the option to discuss notable results with a veterinarian over the phone.
Both tests screen for 350+ breeds and provide trait details, such as coat type and body features (plus a fascinating section on whether your dog might have extra toes). The Essential test costs $99.99 regularly, and the Premium is $159.99.
Enzo enjoys an autumn walk.
We think the Wisdom Panel dog DNA test is a fun and surprisingly practical gift for the pet parents in your life (or you—you deserve a present too!).
It’s especially nice for those with rescues and mutts—and the pet parents out there who are fully maxed out on “stuff.” Shipping is speedy, and distance is no obstacle; all you need is your recipient’s address, and Wisdom Panel will mail it out promptly with pre-paid postage for returning the kit.
We hope your loved ones have as much fun as we did learning about our four-legged friend’s history—slotting another piece of the puzzle that is our pup into place.
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