Following is a link to more detailed information about the individual disease and trait mutation tests run on each dog as well as a list of all the breeds tested for in the Royal Canin^® Genetic Health Analysis™ test.

Link: http://marsveterinary.force.com/royalcaningha/

 

Once our lab receives the dog’s sample, it undergoes an automated process to extract DNA from their cheek cells. We then evaluate genetic variants in your pet’s DNA (AKA genotyping) using our species-specific custom Illumina Infinium microarray platform. After which, we screen their sample against the world’s largest breed database using our proprietary breed detection system and use a bioinformatics program to identify your pet’s traits and risks for certain diseases. Once the analysis is completed, two reports are generated: a general overview of the results for the pet owner, and a more detailed, medically-focused report for your veterinarian. Once you receive the reports, you should schedule a consultation with your veterinarian to review the report.

As opposed to over-the-counter DNA tests for dogs, ROYAL CANIN® Genetic Health Analysis™ is sold exclusively through veterinary clinics. While both types of tests give information about breed mix and optimal weight predictions, the Genetic Health Analysis test is the most advanced genetic panel test on the market giving extensive information about health conditions that the dog may be pre-disposed to as well as a specific nutritional recommendation based on the dog’s individual results.

Kit statuses are only available through our Royal Canin Professional Portal (my.royalcanin.com). You will need to contact your veterinarian to get the status of your dog’s sample. Once a completed report is generated, you and your veterinarian will receive an email notification and a link to view your reports. Please keep in mind that tests may take up to 4 weeks from the time a sample is sent to the laboratory to generate results.

It will take approximately three to four weeks from the time the sample is received at the lab to process the dog’s DNA cheek swab sample, analyze the results, and send the reports. To check the status of the analysis, contact our Technical Services team at 1(800) 592-6687.

ROYAL CANIN^® Genetic Health Analysis™ provides two reports, one for the veterinarian and one for the pet owner. If there were any health conditions flagged, the pet owner report will include a summary of the health condition(s). Additionally, the veterinary report will include detailed information about the results and resources for further testing, if needed, to guide the pet owner on next steps.

Every genetic variant is different; some are highly predictive of disease, and some are dependent on other factors, such as the breeds involved, or the influence of other genes, the environment, and even diet. If your dog is found to be AT RISK for a genetic health condition, it is very important that you talk to your veterinarian about their recommendations for monitoring, treatment, or possible further diagnostic testing.

To accurately detect a dog’s breed mix, you need three things: (1) the ability to collect data at key locations (variants) across the dog’s genome, (2) a sizeable reference database of genetic samples from verified breeds, and (3) a sophisticated set of algorithms to process all the data and make ancestry classifications.

Thanks to 15+ years of collecting high-quality genetic samples from across the globe, we’ve long had the world’s largest breed database of samples with known breed backgrounds! This, along with a custom-curated set of algorithms and analysis of 40x more genetic data points per sample, makes our proprietary dog breed detection system the world’s most accurate. In addition, our genetic health results are >99.99% accurate, thanks to a highly accurate microarray platform and quality control guidelines similar to those used by human genetics testing companies.

If you were to submit a second sample of your pet for testing against the same algorithm and database, the results would likely be identical or very similar. But if you tested your pet on previous versions of our algorithm and database and then re-tested on newer versions, you might see slight differences in the results. This is largely due to the substantial technological advancements over the years. We’re proud to operate on the cutting edge of genetic technology, and we make significant upgrades to our systems periodically.

No, the results of this test are meant for your general knowledge and to aid a consultation with your veterinarian, results cannot be used to register a dog with the AKC.

With a database of over 365 breeds of dogs from over 50 countries, we would expect to cover the vast majority of breeds that are likely to be in your dog. That said, if you have a particularly unique dog, the algorithm would likely identify related breeds within that database and that the final breed results would include closely related breeds.

Absolutely. With a reference database of >27,000 samples from over 50 countries that comprises 365 dog breeds and populations, we would expect to cover the vast majority of breeds that are likely to be in your dog. This also means that we can typically detect foreign lines of purebred dogs recognized by both the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). And, we are constantly working to expand the database of dogs with known backgrounds, including those of native dog populations across the world.

Genetic Health Analysis is not intended to be used by regulatory or animal control officials to determine whether a particular breed is legislated or banned in a particular community. Nor is Genetic Health Analysis intended to be used in any judicial proceedings.

For inquiries regarding your results, please contact our Technical Services team at 1(800) 592-6687, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Central Time, Monday – Friday.