CANINE DNA TESTING
- These days, an increasing number of pet owners are using dog DNA tests to help diagnose existing symptoms. It’s a tempting idea. Just take a swab from your dog’s cheek and send it to a lab, and a few weeks later, you’ll know which diseases your dog is genetically at risk of developing.
- 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.
- The research is good, but there are all these caveats on it, and all of a sudden you realize people are using it in a way where they’re not taking those limitations into account, to make decisions about people’s pets.
- The research is still in its infancy. Scientists have been gathering information about which genes are associated with which conditions, but this is just the beginning of the process.
- In canine medicine, there’s less funding and more genetic variability because there are so many breeds and crossbreeds of dog, so the research lags even further
- Some of the companies selling direct-to-consumer tests don’t publish the methods they use to get their results.
- Because so many tests are being sold direct to consumers, there is a need to help dog owners understand the complex information they’re presented with. For example, some conditions are associated with multiple genes, but genetic testing companies might only test for one of those genes. This might result in pet owners falsely believing their canine companions have the all clear from a certain condition. What’s more, veterinarians may not have the expertise to interpret and act upon a panel of genetic tests.
- All this has very real consequences. There’s already been at least one case of pet owners having their dog put to sleep on the basis of genetic test results that might have been misinterpreted or over-interpreted.
- All the same, geneticists are clear on one thing: we’re on the cusp of a true treasure trove of genetic information about dogs and humans alike.
- But it’s important to remember that the science isn’t fully there yet.