Thursday, October 27, 2016

Who's Her Daddy? We're Asking Wisdom Panel #ChewyInfluencer

It's a common question - what type of dog do you have? Or, more often than not, when it comes to the Lapdogs, it's "she looks like she's got some :::fill in the blank::: in her, but what else is she mixed with?"

With mixed breed rescue dogs, it's usually a best guess scenario depending on what they looks like. Pull up Petfinder and you'll be overwhelmed with "lab mixes," yet half of those dogs probably have zero Labrador in them.

doberman mix puppy

Fortunately, for those of us who are curious, DNA testing has come a long way. Thanks to Wisdom Panel, it's now fairly easy and inexpensive to get an answer instead of that best guess.

Disclosure: The Lapdogs are Chewy Influencers and received a Wisdom Panel 3.0 kit, free of charge, in exchange for spreading the word about the product and Chewy. We only share information that we feel is relevant to our readers. All opinions expressed are our own.

Our friends over at Chewy recently asked if we'd like to review the Wisdom Panel 3.0 DNA Test Kit for Dogs, and well... we jumped at the chance!

I've always been curious to know just what my lovable mutts' genetic backgrounds really are. I change my best guess on Sophie monthly, and the verdict is still out on Teutul, but we'll soon find out a little more about Miss Penny.

With so much skepticism going on over the years, I knew Penny would be the perfect candidate for our first Wisdom Panel experience. After all, we know what breed her Mom is - it's her Daddy that is in question.

wisdom panel dna kit for dogs

We found the kit incredibly easy to use. In fact, there are just a few easy steps for owners to perform...
  1. Open up the box and remove the two swabs
  2. Peel back the swab sleeve a couple of inches
  3. Obtain cheek cells by firmly rolling the bristles between your dog's cheek and gums
  4. Insert the handle of the swab into one of the convenient holes in the box to air dry
  5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 with the second swab
  6. While the swabs are drying, log onto Wisdom Panel's website to activate your kit
  7. Write your activation code on the swab sleeve label
  8. Place the dry swabs back into their sleeve
  9. Place the sleeve back into the main box
  10. Seal the carton and drop it in the mail
I absolutely love that the box turns into a carton for mailing the swabs off to the lab. Talk about convenience

Wisdom Panel dog dna test kit

Just how accurate is the Wisdom Panel?
"At Mars Veterinary, we pride ourselves on offering the most reliable and accurate genetic tests on the market. Wisdom Panel tests provide the highest level of accuracy possible for a cheek swab DNA test, but that accuracy can vary depending on the quality of DNA collected from the dog." - Wisdom Panel website

How does it work?
Wisdom Panel uses a proprietary computer algorithm and breed database to analyze your dog’s DNA and identify the breed(s) present in their recent ancestry.

doberman puppy mix

Key Benefits of Wisdom Panel
  • Detects over 250 breeds, types and varieties including 99% of AKC-recognized breeds
  • Traces 3 generations to reveal your dog's genetic background
  • Includes MDR1 genetic mutation test to check for multi-drug resistance
  • Provides adult weight prediction
  • DNA cheek swabs are easy to use at home - no need for blood testing at the vet
  • You will receive your customized report with a family tree going back to the great-grandparents in just 2-3 weeks

The entire process was incredibly easy. The only thing you need to remember is to wait at least two hours after giving your dog a meal or treat to do your swabs.

I got an email notification from Wisdom Panel when they received our test kit, and I am able to track the progress of Penny's swabs online. They are currently in stage 2, "sample being processed" (this is the stage which requires the majority of the 2-3 weeks). Once processing is complete, they move to stage 3, "data being analyzed." At stage 4, "results are ready," I will be able to download our results.

Stay tuned...

22 comments:

Marjie said...

Well, that will be interesting! I think I will recommend this to Jeff and Maura for Quincy, and maybe to Mike for our little Penny. Looking forward to learning what your Penny's daddy was! (I'm sure he was handsome, after all, she's so pretty herself!)

Dachshund Nola said...

Curious to see! Personally all I see is Doberman, but I've seen a lot of mixed litters that strongly favor mom or dad. It'll be fun to know!

Golden Daily Scoop said...

How exciting! Can't wait to hear the results!

Hindy Pearson said...

Looking forward to hearing the results. I never know the parents of any of my rescues, so I can only guess what they are. I am sure Red is a chihuahua/min pin because she looks like both. I also say she has a bit of Rhodesian Ridgeback in her, because she has the ridge down her back. My husband laughs at the thought of a 10lb dog having Ridgeback in her, but if I did a DNA test on her, I wouldn't be surprised to find out I was right.

Pawesome Cats said...

I look forward to hearing the results... it'll be interesting to see if personality traits match those of the breed/s DNA.

Unknown said...

I did one of these for my dog from DNA Your Dog. But I want to try another company to compare results. Does this one ship to Canada? Is it available from a distributor in Canada?

The Daily Pip said...

That's pretty cool! I would love to know Ruby's DNA. I know she has poodle and yorkie, but have a feeling there are some others mixed in there, too.

Unknown said...

Wow this truly is an interesting product i know so many people that would want to know just for the thrill of it. Do you think they will ship this to India?

Sweet Purrfections said...

My mom had a DNA test done on her dog and it was amazing the different breeds in his DNA.

LaylasWoof said...

I have not a DNA for Layla but call her my HaShiPoo BOL

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

The suspense is killing me! I'll bet Penny has some Coon Hound in her. I love her coloring & I love black & tan Coon Hounds. Love & biscuits
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Therm

Robin said...

How exciting! Penny is a gorgeous girl and it will be fun to see which breeds give her those good looks. :) It is so cool that tests like this are available for the average dog owner now.

-Purrs from your friends at www.PlayfulKitty.net

Unknown said...

Oh I love these! Ok for my dog Sandola that as since passed - we always were curious and had a lot of guesses so when we did the DNA test it came back almost exactly as we thought: Basset/Lab. Penny is such a cutie! I have my guesses!

Heartprints Pets said...

I've been curious about these tests. A few of the doggie daycare clients I work with have used these. The results have been surprising. I'm anxious to see what Penny's results are!

Katie A. said...

I just sent one in for Echo too and I am so eager to get the results back! I can't wait to hear about Penny too :)

Beth said...

I am looking forward to seeing her results. I'd love to do this for Theo and my sister's dog Franny.

Tenacious Little Terrier said...

They're fun to do. We ran one on Mr. N recently and had some surprises pop up.

Kimberly Freeman said...

Omg how exciting.
Watching this space

DawgBlogger said...

Can't wait to find out.

Elizabeth Keene said...

I know you're excited about getting those results! I did a test on a foster dog I had last winter (just because she looked like she might be pure lab). She wasn't (she still got adopted, though). I was just online yesterday looking at kits for my recently adopted chi mix. They went up in price a bit since I got the one last year so I passed, for now. I still would love to know what she is.

Unknown said...

Since getting River my humans really want to get her DNA tested to see if she is a Black Mouth Cur or a mix!!! Excited to see your results!!! :)

Lindsay Pevny said...

Can't wait to see what you guys get! Of course, it won't change the way you feel about her, but it'll be fun to learn more about Penny's heritage.

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