FAQ's

About Mars Veterinary™, Mars, Incorporated and WALTHAM®

• Who is Mars Veterinary?

  Mars Veterinary is a division of MARS® Incorporated, a company known for innovative consumer and pet food brands that are trusted by people around the world.  Its mission is to facilitate responsible pet care by enlightening pet owners and communities with valuable insights into their pets as individuals through innovative, science-based discoveries.

  For nearly a decade, Mars Veterinary has researched and developed state-of-the-art genetic tests for mixed-breed dogs, revolutionizing personalized pet care. By discovering a mixed-breed dog’s ancestry, pet owners and veterinarians can work together to tailor wellness programs that fit the one-of-a-kind needs of a mixed-breed dog.

• Why is Mars, Incorporated involved in canine genetics?

  Mars, Incorporated, a company known for innovative consumer and pet food brands that are trusted by people around the world, has been deeply involved with canine genetics for many years. As one of the largest pet food manufacturers in the world, Mars, Incorporated has consistently provided innovation in products that meet the needs of pets and owners.

• When was Wisdom Panel™ Insights doggie DNA test launched?

  Wisdom Panel Insights launched in September of 2009. It is available for purchase online at www.wisdompanel.com.

• What is the relationship between Mars, Mars Veterinary™ and WALTHAM®?

  Mars Veterinary draws on work carried out at the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, The World’s Leading Authority on Pet Care and Nutrition, as well as the expertise of respected veterinarians, universities and breed organizations throughout the world.

  Located in rural Leicestershire, England, the renowned Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition has been a leading scientific authority in pet nutrition and well-being, advancing the frontiers of humane scientific research into the nutrition and healthy longevity of companion animals for over 30 years.

  Their state-of-the art research program focuses on the nutritional and behavioral needs of companion animals and develops products which meet these needs in a practical way. It is Waltham that provides the science behind world-leading Mars pet care companies. Waltham has a leading reputation among pet owners, breeders, veterinarians and academics alike.

General questions about Wisdom Panel™ Insights

• What is Wisdom Panel™ Insights?

  Just like you and your family, your dog has inherited traits from his family ancestry. But do you look exactly like your grandparents? The same is true for your loveable mutt. When you combine the DNA from different purebreds, you create a one-of-a-kind mixed-breed dog like yours.

  Knowing your dog’s ancestry can help you create a tailored wellness program to fit his one-of-a-kind needs. Wisdom Panel Insights is a simple DNA test that helps reveal the breeds in your dog’s ancestry.

• How does Wisdom Panel™ Insights work and what type of information will it provide?

  Testing is as easy as 1-2-3.

  1. Simply collect a sample from the inside of your dog’s cheek with the included swabs.
  2. Mail them back to our laboratory in the postage-paid envelope.
  3. Within 3 weeks, you’ll receive an e-mailed Ancestry Report with your dog’s results.

• How does this information help me and my dog?

  Information from Wisdom Panel™ Insights mixed-breed analysis will help owners better understand their dog’s breed makeup. Knowing a dog’s breed can help owners target behavior training, be smarter about nutritional planning, and plan exercise activities that make him happy.

• Can the test be used to identify health issues or disease predispositions?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights is used to help determine the breed makeup of a mixed-breed dog – it is not designed to determine which disease traits – if any – might be present in a dog. The real value in the test is that with knowledge of a dog’s breed mix, such as physical and behavioral traits, owners can work together with their veterinarians to develop a more targeted care plan for their dog. This one-time investment helps owners feel confident they are providing their dog with the best care possible.

• How accurate is Wisdom Panel™ Insights?

  At Mars Veterinary, we pride ourselves on offering the most reliable and accurate genetic tests on the market. Wisdom Panel™ Insights provides the highest level of accuracy possible for a cheek swab DNA test, but that accuracy varies depending on the quality of DNA collected by an owner from their dog. Because of these high levels of variations in DNA quality that arrive to our testing facilities, we are unable to provide a definitive accuracy percentage at this time. 

• Is it possible to get different results from Wisdom Panel™ Insights and other mixed-breed identification tests?

  We are often asked if it is possible to get different results on the same dog depending on which company performs the DNA analysis. The answer is yes, it is possible. But we're confident that Wisdom Panel Insights will provide you the most accurate results! When it comes to learning about your dog's ancestry, Wisdom Panel Insights is the gold standard. To help you understand why, let's take a moment to understand how genetic testing is done.

  Each company that does mixed-breed canine identification uses several components to get to their results:

  1 – Genetic markers: These are the places of variation in a dog's genetic structure. By studying both the similarities and differences in these markers among different breeds, we are able to determine characteristic signatures. Wisdom Panel Insights has completed over 19 million genetic marker analyses and has typed over 13,000 dogs during test development. This is important because careful studies are needed in order to properly find the places of variation that makes each breed unique.
  2 – Numbers and types of dogs: This is the database used to compare your dog's DNA against other breeds. The more breeds, the better the test. Wisdom Panel Insights tests for 170+ different breeds, more than any other test on the market.
  3 – Validation testing for accuracy: Includes repeated testing of a dog sample and review by independent third party specialists, geneticists, and leading authorities on canine genetics. In each stage of testing your dog's DNA, Wisdom Panel Insights is run in a USDA accredited laboratory to ensure proper quality control.

  All these factors can contribute to different tests giving different results - and make it likely in some cases that they will - particularly in very mixed dogs that may have fragments matching many different breeds in their genetic background.

  The good news is that Mars Veterinary understands the role all of these factors play in determining a mixed-breed dog's genetic ancestry and has confidence that Wisdom Panel™ Insights outperforms all other products on the market.

• Scientifically, how did we get to the point to where we can identify the breed makeup of mixed-breed dogs?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights is the result of years of extensive research and draws on the expertise of scientists at the internationally respected Waltham® Centre for Pet Nutrition in the United Kingdom, along with leading veterinarians, universities and breed organizations throughout the world.

  Mars Veterinary has completed over 19 million genetic marker analyses and has typed over 13,000 dogs during test development. As a result, Wisdom Panel Insights is able to identify 170+ different breeds that may be present in mixed-breed dogs, more than any other test available.

• Can Wisdom Panel™ Insights be used for a purebred dog?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights is intended for use on dogs that are mixed-breed to help determine their breed history. The test is specifically designed to look for the combination of ancestral breeds in mixed-breed dogs. Where pure breed dogs are concerned, most often the report will simply indicate the pure strain of the breed in question. However, although our sample database covers 170+ breeds and comprises more than 8,700 samples in total, there are several cases in which pure breed dogs may not be reported as such by Wisdom Panel™ Insights test. For instance, if the breed is not or was not bred within the continental US, then we may not pick up the breed signature, as foreign lines often have very different genetic signatures. In addition, if there has been a very isolated breeding line for the pure breed, then we may not have enough coverage of that breed's gene pool to identify the dog as purebred.

  For these reasons, we do not advertise or recommend the use of Wisdom Panel™ Insights as a test for confirming the purity of a purebred dog. This is due to the fact that Wisdom Panel Insights is specifically designed to find multiple breeds in an analysis, under the assumption that the dog it is testing has more than one breed in its mix. A test to determine breed purity would need to be designed for that purpose and its accuracy validated.

• Are you collecting samples of purebred dogs to add more breeds to your test?

  Yes. If you have a purebred dog that is not part of the 170+ breeds that we currently cover, and would like to donate a small sample to help us add that breed to our database, please contact our customer care team at customercare@marsveterinary.com. We will send an information pack to enable you to send a sample to us.

• Can I perform Wisdom Panel™ Insights testing on puppies?

  Yes. Wisdom Panel™ Insights is designed for dogs of all ages and is safe and easy to be used at any stage in a dog's development.

• Is Wisdom Panel™ Insights FDA approved?

  At this time, the FDA does not regulate genetic tests for companion animals so there was no federal requirement for FDA approval on Wisdom Panel Insights Mixed-breed Analysis.

  However, all Wisdom Panel Insights testing is run in a USDA accredited laboratory to ensure proper quality control and throughout the ongoing development of our canine genetic science, we are continuously peer reviewed and audited by an independent body of experts that comprise leaders in their respective fields. Mars Veterinary continues to work with them to ensure world-class science is delivered.

• Where did you get the dogs for your test development and scientific studies?

  The development of Wisdom Panel™ Insights Mixed-breed Analysis test included the analysis of more than 19 million DNA markers across more than 13,000 dogs. As a result, Wisdom Panel Insights will be able to detect 170+ breeds that may be present in a mixed-breed dog, which represents more than 99 percent of dogs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Wisdom Panel Insights test is based on the most sophisticated and comprehensive genetic database for dogs available.

• Can you determine breed purity?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights test analyzes over 300 genetic markers to determine the ancestral breed composition of a mixed-breed dog. Within this panel, there are almost no markers which are absolutely specific to one breed. Each breed will have a combination of markers within the panel that represent the breed. Within a mixed-breed dog, depending on the heritage of the breeds, not all of those markers may be passed down through the generations to appear in the genetic make-up of the dog that is tested. For example, on average, you would only expect 25% of the breed markers from a Grandparent to be passed down to the current dog. Thus, the way the test works is to use a best-fit model that is selected on the basis of the highest probability for each breed depending upon the analysis of markers that are found in the current dog. The final report is generated depending on the highest probability breeds found with a lower limit cut-off to ensure that the false positive reports are reduced to a minimum.

  The relationship between the markers and breeds is unfortunately proprietary information as it forms the basis of the test and is therefore not publicized. Where pure breed dogs are concerned, most often the report generated by the test will simply indicate the pure strain of the breed in question as no other markers will be found at a high enough confidence level to generate a result. However, although our sample base covers 170+ breeds and comprises more than 8,700 samples in total, there are several cases in which pure breed dogs may not be detected as purebred by Wisdom Panel Insights test.

  First, if the dog in question is not or was not bred within the continental US, even if it is an example of an AKC recognized breed, then we may not pick up the breed signature as the distinctive markers that identify the breed may vary greatly in foreign lines. Secondly, if there has been a very isolated breeding line for the pure breed, then we may not have enough coverage of that breed's gene pool to identify the dog as purebred. For these reasons, we do not advertise or recommend the use of Wisdom Panel Insights as a test for confirming the purity of a purebred dog. This is due to the fact that Wisdom Panel Insights is designed to find multiple breeds in an analysis, under the assumption that the dog it is testing has more than one breed in its mix. A test to determine breed purity would need to be designed for that purpose and its accuracy validated.

• Can you determine the sex of the dog tested?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights test is specifically designed to look for the combination of ancestral breeds in mixed-breed dogs, and therefore, it could not determine the sex of a dog at this time.

• Do you plan to test the DNA for cats?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights Mixed-breed Analysis test covers 170+ dog breeds. We are currently collecting DNA samples on canines only. At this time, we cannot detect cat breeds in a DNA sample. We will make note of your interest in further research with cat breeds in our records.

  Please continue to review our Web sites, www.wisdompanel.com or www.marsveterinary.com for any changes or additional tests.

Questions about Breeds

• Can you test the breeds from a dog outside of the U.S.?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights was developed using genetic markers from American Kennel Club (AKC) breeds and some breeds from the United Kingdom. Through the course of our test development, we have observed that certain breeds sometimes have quite different genetic breed signatures in different geographical regions, particularly with comparison to the same breed in Europe or Australia. Due to these geographic variations, Wisdom Panel Insights is only currently available in the United States. We have tested dogs from Canada, Mexico and the UK, but these are performed on a case-by-case basis.

  Before we can extend Wisdom Panel Insights to new countries, we have to do quite a large amount of DNA research on the breeds from the new geographic locations. As quality is an important part of our work, we believe we need to do this before offering the test in new countries.

  For more information, please contact us at customercare@marsveterinary.com.

• Can you distinguish breed lines within a breed?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights test does not distinguish the lines within a breed. The development of Wisdom Panel Insights Mixed-breed Analysis test included the analysis of more than 19 million DNA markers across more than 13,000 dogs. As a result, Wisdom Panel Insights will be able to detect 170+ breeds that may be present in a mixed-breed dog, which represents more than 99 percent of dogs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The Wisdom Panel Insights test is based on the most sophisticated and comprehensive genetic database for dogs available.

• Does Wisdom Panel™ Insights test for "Pit-bull?"

  The term “Pit-bull” does not refer to a single or recognized breed of dog, but rather to a genetically diverse group of breeds. Pit-bull type dogs have historically been bred by combining guarding type breeds with terriers for certain desired characteristics – and as such they may retain many genetic similarities to the likely progenitor breeds and other closely related breeds.

  Due to the genetic diversity of this group, we cannot build a DNA profile for the Pit-bull. If a Pit-bull type dog was tested, we might anticipate that Wisdom Panel Insights test detect and report moderate to Minor amounts of one or more distantly related breeds to those used to breed the dog, it is possible that one or more of the following breeds might be detected at moderate to Minor amounts: the American Staffordshire terrier, Boston terrier, Bull terrier, Staffordshire Bull terrier, Mastiff, Bullmastiff Boxer, Bulldog and various small terriers like the Parson Russell. These breeds would be detected because some markers in these breeds have genetic identity at a minority of the markers Wisdom Panel Insights test uses to the breeds in our database.

  Some local communities in the United States have put restrictions on Pit-bull ownership. Mars Veterinary™ encourages dog owners and care providers to be fully aware of their local laws, which vary across the country.

• Do you test for Jack Russell Terrier? What is the difference between the Jack Russell and the Parson Russell Terrier covered by your test?

  The Parson Russell Terrier is the American Kennel Club (AKC) name for the Jack Russell Terrier. The Parson Russell Terrier was formally known as the Jack Russell Terrier, but effective April 1, 2003, the Jack Russell Terrier Association of America requested an official name change with the AKC, which is why we report this breed as its official AKC name, the Parson Russell Terrier.

• Do you identify UKC breeds with the Wisdom Panel™ Insights test?

  In the development of Wisdom Panel Insights, we have genotyped more than 13,000 dogs. There are more than 8,700 purebred dogs in our database that our computer algorithm uses to detect breeds in a tested dog's genetic background. Most of these dogs were registered with either the American Kennel Club (AKC) or UK Kennel Club (UKC). Wisdom Panel Insights test is not intended to determine whether a dog is a purebred member of a breed, and because of this, the computer algorithm we use is optimized to search for combinations of breeds present in a mixed-breed dog. This may result in minor inaccuracies if the test is used to determine the purebred nature of a dog, and we do not recommend the use of the test for this purpose.

• How do you report a mixed-breed dog's results? With percentages?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights breaks down a dog’s lineage the following way:

  Significant Breed - At least 50% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so you are likely to see some physical and behavioral traits from this breed represented unless some of the genes are recessive.
  Intermediate Breed - At least 25% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so you may see some physical and behavioral traits represented in your dog.
  Minor Breed - At least 12.5% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so it is unlikely that this breed’s physical traits are visually represented unless some of the genes are dominant.

About Wisdom Panel™ Insights Swab Sample Collection

• Why did Mars Veterinary™ decide to create a swab test?

  At Mars Veterinary, we believe that all mixed-breed dogs can benefit from the discovery of their ancestry. Wisdom Panel™ Insights was created to provide dog owners access to unrivaled breed detection inexpensively and in a convenient way.

  Wisdom Panel Insights is the perfect test for mixed-breed dog owners who are looking for an inexpensive, do-it-yourself kit that reveals their dog’s ancestry.

• How do I air dry the swab without contaminating it?

  The swab will only become contaminated if it comes into contact with other dogs or people or dirty surfaces. It should be dried while the swab bristles are in the air and not in contact with any surface. Both swabs should be air dried for 5 minutes and the reinserted into the protective sleeves provided so that the bristle brush is completely covered. Very important! Do not reseal the sleeve. This can cause bacteria/fungus growth. Your dog’s swab samples should be shipped immediately and they can be shipped at normal room temperature. Please be sure to place the swabs and a copy of the submission form inside of the prepaid envelope and drop it in your mailbox.

• How long can I leave the swab out before it becomes unusable?

  The swabs should be placed back in their protective sleeves as soon as they have air dried. Both swabs only need 5 minutes to be completely dry. Leaving them out in the air for longer than the recommended time should not damage the swab, but will increase the possibility of contamination. Please keep in mind that the protective sleeves should not be resealed as this may cause bacteria/fungus growth to occur.

• How will I know if I have enough DNA on my swab?

  Cheek cells will not necessarily be visible on the swabs. However, if you press the swab firmly on the dog's cheek and rub the swab around for about 30 seconds then there should be enough material transferred to the swab.

• My dog destroyed one of the swabs, are both needed for the test?

  Ideally, we would like to have both swabs in case there is not enough DNA material on one swab for us to test; however, only one swab is necessary to perform the analysis. If that swab fails the analysis, Mars Veterinary will contact you for a retest with an additional swab kit.

• My dog died and there is a dried pool of saliva on his bed - can I re-wet it and us that?

  We are sorry to hear about the recent passing of your dog.

  Unfortunately, there is no DNA in saliva. It is the cheek cells that contain the DNA and DNA is what we need to run the analysis. We do not recommend trying to take a sample from a deceased dog, whatever the circumstance, as the quality of the sample will likely be unusable for our test purposes.

Science Based Questions

• Is the breed detection analysis at all similar to the kind of DNA analysis people can undergo to find out their deep ancestry? Does mitochondrial DNA or Y-chromosome DNA come into play in the analysis? If so, how? If not, then how are the 321 genetic markers determined?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights has some technological similarities to the DNA analysis that people use to determine their deep ancestry but there are major differences in what the different analyses are looking for. Wisdom Panel Insights is designed to detect the presence of purebred dogs in the most recent ancestry of a mixed-breed dog (ideally the Great Grandparent, Grandparent or Parental level), whereas most human ancestry tests are designed to detect the proportion of the tested individual that comes from historical racial or defined population groups.

  Wisdom Panel Insights only uses what are called autosomal DNA markers, chromosomes that contain most of the genetic instructions for every canine’s body make up (height, weight, size etc.). There are no markers from either the so-called sex chromosomes (the canine X or Y chromosomes). Mitochondrial DNA, or Y-chromosome DNA testing, is rather different as these parts of the genome are passed on intact from mother to daughter and father to son respectively, but are therefore only representative of either the female or the male lineage. Autosomal DNA is inherited both from the maternal and paternal lineages equally and constantly shuffled by a process called recombination at each successive generation, and therefore is able to give useful information on the breeds found on both sides of a dog’s lineage.

  To find the genetic markers that performed best at distinguishing between breeds, Mars Veterinary tested over 4,600 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms or genetic markers, where genetic variation has been found between different dogs), from positions across the whole canine Autosomal genome from over 3,200 dogs. To further refine the search, Mars Veterinary determined the best 1,536 genetic variations and ran them against an additional 4,400 dogs from a wide range of breeds. This stage of testing resulted in the selection of the final panel of DNA markers that performed best at distinguishing between breeds, ultimately creating the Wisdom Panel genetic database.

• Do breed signatures differ from commonly understood notions of recessive and dominant genes? That is, it seems that the presence of a breed signature doesn't necessarily imply a physical appearance?

  Physical appearance (predominantly determined by genes that influence the development of canine size and body mass, coat length, type and color, skull shape, leg length, ear and tail types), are known to be controlled by a very small number of genes relative to the number of genes contained in the canine genome (~20,000 or so in total). These genes can have both recessive and dominant variants and the variant that is present determines the visible effect on physical traits seen.

  The presence of breed signatures does not guarantee that the dog will look like all detected breeds – the wonder of genetic inheritance and can be seen as much in people as in dogs.

  The Wisdom Panel™ Insights breed signatures are defined by markers that are consistent with the presence of a particular breed in the background of a tested dog, but were not chosen to specifically cover the genes responsible for specific trait determination from those breeds – many parts of the genome are likely to be unobservable with regard to trait determination.  This can happen for any number of trait-determining genes. Therefore, a mixed-breed dog could be a mix of three or four breeds but have few traits evident from one or more of these breeds. There are two good examples of how this can happen. The first is eye color in humans. Brown is dominant over blue and green, and yet, a brown-eyed mother can have a green-eyed son if the dominant brown eye color variant is not passed on. The second, and perhaps best, illustration of the surprising effects you may see when mixing breeds is to study some designer dogs (e.g. puggles, cocker-poos, etc.), which are a custom combination of two different pure breeds. Often these dogs will look quite different to the founder breeds because they are a mixture of two very different sets of genetic backgrounds. Equally many dog breeds still contain a variety of genetic variants for specific trait genes, especially coat color, size and coat type. For example, there are many different forms of Schnauzers such as miniature, standard and giant, and there are many different coat colors and coat types found in the Dachshund breed such as wire-, smooth- and long-haired. Dogs can be many different colors and yet are still classified as the same breed.

• My dog looks nothing like the breeds detected in the Wisdom Panel™ Insights analysis. Can you explain how this can happen?

  Many parts of the canine genome are likely to be unobservable or hidden with regard to trait determination.  This can happen for any number of trait-determining genes. Simply put, a mixed-breed dog could be a mix of 3 or 4 breeds but have few traits evident from one or more of these breeds.

  There are two good examples of how this can happen. The first is eye color in humans. Brown is dominant over blue and green, and yet, a brown-eyed mother can have a green-eyed son if the dominant brown eye color variant is not passed on. The second, and perhaps best, illustration of the surprising effects you may see when mixing breeds is to study some designer dogs (e.g. puggles, cocker-poos, etc.), which are a custom combination of two different pure breeds. Often these dogs will look quite different to the founder breeds because they are a mixture of two very different sets of genetic backgrounds. Equally many dog breeds still contain a variety of genetic variants for specific trait genes, especially coat color, size and coat type. For example, there are many different forms of Schnauzers such as miniature, standard and giant, and there are many different coat colors and coat types found in the Dachshund breed such as wire-, smooth- and long-haired. Dogs can be many different colors and yet are still classified as the same breed.

• Your Web site says that breed signatures are extremely similar and can be hard to differentiate. Who/what makes the final decision as to which breed is reported? Computer? Human? Combination?

  All breed determinations are made solely by our proprietary computer algorithm. With each tested dog’s DNA, more than 7 million repetitive comparisons are made using a complex statistical algorithm. The algorithm scans the 321 genetic markers collected and looks for matches to breed signatures. The algorithm provides a marker by marker certainty score for each breed match. The computer selects the single best combination of breeds and relative amounts of breeds detected that best match the tested DNA sample from this comparison with our extensive database of purebred AKC dog breed signatures.

• Many American Kennel Club (AKC) breeds are derived from other, older breeds. Would Wisdom Panel™ Insights sometimes mistakenly detect some of the originating breeds instead of the newer AKC recognized breed?

  Some breeds are relatively new, created from mixing other breeds together. When this happens, some ancestral similarities may remain in certain chromosomal regions, making it possible to have breeds that have been combined in crosses to ultimately form a new breed could potentially be detected as matches at certain markers that our test uses. If this occurs, this would most likely be reported as trace amounts of the ancestrally related breeds.

• Of the American Kennel Club (AKC) breeds not currently being identified and some other breeds not recognized by AKC (such as pit bull), would the test identify that the dog has a significant amount of an undetermined breed or would it just not say anything at all?

  Our test is designed to find the best matches to the 170+ breeds in our database. Occasionally it is possible that no strong breed matches will be made. In this case, no breeds would be reported, which may happen if no breeds are present in the lineage of the dog that Wisdom Panel™ Insights can detect. In terms of breeds not covered by the Wisdom Panel Insights test, the results will depend upon the genetic relatedness of the tested dog to the breeds available in our database. For example, a Llewellyn Setter (closely related genetically to the English Setter but not covered by our test) might result in a report that contains some amount of English setter.

• Certain breeds in the U.S. have their ears cropped, their tails docked and their claws removed. Although this is a breed standard, why do your test results not show the phenotype (genes that control appearance) of these dog's traits, as well as these imposed standards, to help owners better understand the make-up of their pet?

  Mars Veterinary follows the guidelines of the American Kennel Club (AKC) in its breed identification. As such, the AKC recognizes that ear cropping, tail docking, and dewclaw removal, as described in certain breed standards, are acceptable practices integral to defining and preserving breed character and/or enhancing good health. This is why we have chosen to represent dogs in this way in our test results report. We recognize that dogs have many differentiating features. Our intent is to capture the most readily recognized and widely understood attributes in our results reporting. We encourage pet owners to submit photos of their dogs to our online gallery showing the interesting variations to the standard. You can find the full list of dogs that are cropped, docked or declawed on the AKC website.

Tough Questions

• Why would anyone want to pay for the mixed-breed test?

  Every dog has a tale and Wisdom Panel™ Insights reveals the story of its ancestry. A mixed-breed identification test for dogs helps reveal the breed composition, a story that has been left untold until now. Finding out a dog’s breed makeup does more than just satisfy curiosity. With knowledge of a dog’s breed mix, owners can work together with their veterinarians to develop a more targeted care plan for their dog and this one-time investment helps owners feel confident they are providing their dog with the best care possible.

• Will Wisdom Panel™ Insights mixed-breed analysis test for purebred dogs?

  No. Mars Veterinary’s current focus is the development of a state-of-the-art mixed-breed genetic identification test for dogs. Mars Veterinary has completed over 19 million genetic marker analyses and has typed over 13,000 dogs from the American Kennel Club (AKC) registered purebred dogs as well as mixed-breed dogs. This process gave Mars Veterinary the ability to distinguish between a purebred and a mixed-breed dog as well as the capability of identifying breeds present within a mixed-breed dog.

  However, in order to identify a dog as an official or registered purebred, the DNA collection, analysis and development of the test would be much different. A purebred is defined as a canine that is bred from members of a specific or registered breed over many generations. Validation of purebreds and what constitutes a purebred is a job for kennel clubs such as the American Kennel Club (AKC).

• Why can't this test detect purebreds? Is Mars Veterinary worried about lawsuits?

  The Wisdom Panel™ Insights test was designed to determine the breed makeup of mixed-breed dogs. Its development involved the analyses of more than 19 million DNA markers from more than 13,000 purebred and mixed-breed dogs to best tell breeds in a mixed-breed dog apart.

  In order to determine if a dog is a purebred, Mars Veterinary would ideally need DNA samples that cover all family lines for each breed of purebred dog. But since their focus was the development of a test capable of accurately determining the breeds in a mixed-breed dog, they did not focus on collecting such a catalogue of purebred dog DNA samples.

• Can this test be used by regulatory/animal control officials to determine whether breeds are legislated or banned in a particular community?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights is designed and intended to be used solely to identify the genetic history of a mixed-breed dog and no other purpose is authorized or permitted.

  Wisdom Panel Insights is not intended to predict behavior in any particular dog. Each dog is unique and its physical and behavioral traits will be the result of multiple factors, including: genetics, training, handling and environment.

• Can shelters use this test to determine which dogs may be the least "adoptable", thereby putting certain dogs more at risk for euthanasia?

  Wisdom Panel™ Insights is designed and intended to be used solely to identify the genetic history of a mixed-breed dog and no other purpose is authorized or permitted.

  Wisdom Panel Insights is not intended to predict behavior in any particular dog. Each dog is unique and their physical and behavioral traits will be the result of multiple factors, including genetics, training, handling and environment.

• Have you tested the same dog more than once to see if results are the same? If so, do the results come back the same each time?

  We have tested some dogs more than once. Our quality control work demonstrates that on each of the 321 genetic markers analyzed with Wisdom Panel, average repeatability is over 99%. Due to subtle differences between run variations in the number of markers that are returned from our laboratory, there may occasionally be minor variation in the results reported, particularly at the trace amount level, though most breeds will be detected in common between repeat runs of the same sample.