Myth #3: There’s no difference between the Purebred Kit and the Breed + Health Kit.
Fact: While many of the features are the same between the Breed + Health Kit and the Purebred Kit, we’ve specifically changed the user experience so it surfaces the information that’s more important and impactful for purebred dog owners. So, for example, you won’t see a breed reveal video if you purchase a Purebred Kit, but you will see your dog’s Genetic Diversity score (COI). If additional ancestry is found (mixed breed), that ancestry information will be shown on the profile under the “BREED” tab.
The Breed + Health and Purebred Kits are the same price because they are similar offerings. They test for the same ancestry, health, and traits.
Have other questions about the differences between the Embark kits? Simply email our Customer Support Team at [email protected] and they can help.
What is DNA Testing?
If you remember back to your upper school biology classes, you will remember that DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the backbone of our genes. Genes define almost everything about us, from our sex, hair colour and height; to our production of cells, enzymes and protein, and even our likes, dislikes, personality and how we think! Pretty much everything that makes you ‘you’ is initially determined by combinations of genes being switched on or off. Of course, other factors, like where you were born, past experiences, diet and health, and even luck influence traits too; we are more than our DNA.
DNA testing, or more accurately genetic testing, involves looking for changes, or mutations, in normal genes, chromosomes (groups of genes) or proteins made from genes. Each gene codes exactly for a specific function, so a mutation can result in dysfunction. Early genetic testing in the 50s and 60s only looked at large chromosome mutations, helping to diagnose disease like Down’s Syndrome. Nowadays, more advanced techniques looking at genes specifically can be used for a myriad of reasons in humans. Including diagnosing disease, identifying if a baby will have genetic deformities, determining a person’s risk of cancer or other diseases, working out the risk two people will have of producing a baby with certain conditions, identifying the best treatment for certain diseases, and many more. Genetic testing has revolutionised medical care and will only get more useful as the science advances.
But qualms about the dog DNA boom spilled into the prestigious science journal Nature last year.
Test companies say their work can help researchers address the unknowns and provides immediately useful information, such as whether a dog’s genes suggest bad reactions to certain medications. Companies including Embark and Wisdom have veterinarians assigned to help people understand worrisome results.
Longtime Belgian sheepdog breeder Lorra Miller, who has had dogs compete at Westminster, was initially skeptical about consumer-oriented canine DNA tests. They struck her as a novelty for mixed-breed pets.
That means tests, in themselves, can’t necessarily tell pet owners how much they should worry. Or tell breeders whether a dog shouldn’t 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.
The tests’ 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.ADVERTISEMENT
The Bizarre Truth About Purebred Dogs (and Why Mutts Are Better) – Adam Ruins Everything
It’s the day every dog owner dreads: a bad diagnosis that drops out of the blue. These days, an increasing number of pet owners are using dog DNA tests to ward off this sudden heartbreak or help them diagnose existing symptoms. It’s a tempting idea: just take a swab from your dog’s cheek and send it to a lab, the logic goes, and a few weeks later, you’ll know which diseases your dog is genetically at risk of developing, perhaps even before anything goes wrong.
It’s so tempting, in fact, that dog DNA testing companies are proliferating, selling kits costing up to $200 that test for genes associated with more than 160 conditions. But when it comes to predicting disease in dogs, experts in dog genetics and canine health are sounding the alarm about the limitations of DNA testing at its current stage of development.