The DNA collection is painless. The sterile, gentle polyester tipped swab minimizes any chance for infection or irritation.

Our lab has invested a considerable amount of time in the science of DNA knowledge, analyzing DNA from purebred dogs to build a comprehensive database that highlights the differences between different breeds. By comparing your dog’s DNA with our database we can identify which breeds are present in your dog.

The results of the DNA analysis are printed on a hand-certified DNA Analysis certificate that is suitable for framing. These results will identify the breeds present in your dog’s ancestry that were determined by our DNA test..

We believe that our database of validated breeds covers the most common breeds you will find in the mixed breed dog population. If your dog contains DNA from a breed that is not in our database the DNA represented in that part of your dog’s genetics will be assigned to the foundation breed or breeds of your dog or the most closely related breed or breeds. If you believe your dog to be a breed not in our current database please contact us and we can let you know the status of the breed and discuss your options for testing.

No. The DNA Breed Identification test is designed for the sole purpose of identifying breeds found in the genetic composition of mixed breed dogs. If only 1 breed is detected, it could mean that a parent was a mixed breed but your dog only inherited this one particular breed. Technically this dog is not a purebred.

Our Validated Breeds are based on breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club® (AKC). The term “pit bull” has come to describe several types of dogs, often of mixed breed, that share similar physical characteristics. There are several AKC breeds with characteristics often shared by dogs referred to as “pit bull” that are in our database, such as American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Boxer, Bulldog, Bull Terrier and Mastiff, so these breeds could be identified.

Research into the Dog Genome has been ongoing for several years. It began with a hope that a better understanding of the dog genome would help the fight against human cancer as it had been shown that there were many similarities between canine and human cancers. Completion of the Dog Genome Project in 2005 has enabled scientists to discover segments of the DNA molecule that produce differences between various breeds of dogs, such as the shape of the tail, size or color. (reference: The Dog Genome: Survey Sequencing and Comparative Analysis Ewen F. Kirkness, Vineet Bafna, Aaron L. Halpern, Samuel Levy, Karin Remington, Douglas B. Rusch, Arthur L. Delcher, Mihai Pop, Wei Wang, Claire M. Fraser, and J. Craig Venter Science 26 September 2003 301: 1898-1903)

While the number of markers is important, it is not the only important factor. We also need to consider the amount of information that each marker will give us. For example, if you have a choice between using 10 markers that will only identify one breed each and one marker that will help to identify 15 breeds, we believe that you would choose the marker that helps to identify the 15. In our opinion just quoting the number of markers that are used does not really help you know the precision of the test. Since it is important to know how much information each marker will give you and the precision of the analysis being performed, basing a comparison on the number of markers used in the test is not necessarily valid.

Having an effective quality control system is essential for a lab to process large numbers of DNA samples correctly. To confirm that our test continues to perform properly, we run a number of control dogs every day. These are dogs that we know and have access to on a regular basis so we know what their results should be. By running a sample from these dogs alongside every group of customer dogs we are able to check that our processes are working properly. If our control dogs fail or give results that are different from previous runs, we retest all the customer samples that were processed at that same time.

We actually prefer it if you don’t send us a photo before we send you the results. The DNA will tell us what breeds are found. Once we have the results you are more than welcome to send us a photo so that we can make your dog famous on our Facebook page.

(https://www.facebook.com/MuttMix)

If your dog is deceased and you want a test we can provide you with results. If a sample is received from a dog that is very recently deceased we will do everything we can to provide results. We are not able to extract DNA from fur. An ideal sample is taken when the dog is still alive. If this is not possible the best results will be obtained from a cheek swab, kept dry. Soaking the swab in an Agar solution prevents us from isolating the DNA and should not be done. If a cheek swab is not possible we can also use a blood sample, preferably on a Blood Card. If a Blood Card is not available a vial or other small container of blood will work and we can transfer the sample to a Card once received. If you are sending a sample of blood we suggest overnight courier directly to the lab so the sample does not clot. Your Veterinarian may contact us for the best methods of providing a sample.

You can DNA test your dog at any age. If you are testing a young puppy who has not been weaned yet we recommend waiting for the puppy to be weaned to avoid cross-contamination from Mother’s milk. If this is not possible please make sure the pup has not fed from the Mother or been in oral contact with the other pups for approximately 1-2 hours before taking a sample.

We want you to be happy with your results and to understand them. If you need any clarification on your results please contact us at muttmix@bipedbiotech.com so we can go over them with you.