Canine Genealogy with Royal Canin

 

The following is a sponsored post by Royal Canin. All views and opinions are my own. I received two Genetic Health Analysis kits to discuss and review.

Okay guys – so let’s start this off with a little story. My mother is a little obsessed with our family ancestry – not that it’s a bad thing, she’s actually discovered some insanely cool stuff about our lineage all from a tiny little mouth swab! So that got me thinking, what about the dogs? I have one chihuahua (Daiquiri) and one rescued (Hawk) – and my newest little one (Poppy) came after this opportunity – we’ll have to test her later. Daiquiri is supposedly a pure bred – but how do you really know? And Hawk.. well I have no clue where his lineage descends from, it’s complete guesswork! I had heard of other friends trying out DNA kits on their dogs and thought it was such a cool idea – so why not investigate my dogs? Purebred or no, I wanted to know their lineage and see if there were any truths to be unboxed from those results.

The biggest reason behind doing this for the dogs other than plainly knowing their ancestry is wanting to know any genetic markers for potentially dangerous diseases, risk factors, etc. They both have sensitive stomachs but I want to be prepared for anything that might present itself down the line – especially since they’re both getting older! So, dog DNA testing at minimum will put an end to your curiosity and will ensure you’re properly informed with all the information possible about your pets.

Why Royal Canin?

There are quite a few DNA tests out there from a variety of brands, so why choose Royal Canin? They work with your veterinarian for both the submission of the test as well as the follow through. In the results of the Royal Canin Genetic Health Analysis test,  you learn your dogs’ DNA both for ancestry information and for specific genetic markers – giving you and your veterinarian knowledge to create customized health plans that reflect their individual genetic code – aka personalized health delivery for your pups! I love that! Healthcare in general is moving towards a more personalized patient experience and now this is translating over into the healthcare world for our pets, it makes me so happy! I don’t know about you guys but my pets are my family (aka fur children) and I want nothing but the absolute best for them!

So when you venture to their website it’s going to look like this: giving you a brief overview of what the product is meant to do and information it’s going to give you, super cool! Once the blood (1 vial) is collected by your pet’s veterinarian it is submitted (by the vet) to Royal Canin. It takes about 2-4 weeks to process the results. You might be thinking why blood, why not a mouth swab – isn’t that possible? Yes, but there isn’t any missing anything when it comes to blood – it has the whole kit and caboodle floating around in there. You also don’t have to worry about “use error” which means you didn’t swab correctly in your home kit or some other unknown error. Your vet ensures accuracy! That’s why you trust them in the first place, isn’t it? Obviously in the pictures above I was way more nervous than the dogs were, but Hawk wore his Captain America sweater just for extra bravery.

The Results

Let’s filter the results down by Daiquiri and Hawk. It’s too good not to dissect for each of them!

Daiquiri

My emails finally arrived within about a day apart from each other with each dog’s results. We’ll let ladies go first: Daiquiri.

As you  can see, they already give you a brief summary of what to expect in your report. Little did I anticipate, however, the freaking cuteness factor. Take a look:

Y’all I am dying. Not only because the pictured chihuahua looks exactly like Daiquiri but also because their is just a teensy little bit of fox terrier in her. Who knew? They then break it down even further and discuss the traits and history (super neat!) of each breed, giving you an idea of what to look for in your pet and see if it matches their behavior! I had to laugh because Daiquiri absolutely lives for treats and might be just a wee bit heavier than the cut off. What can I say, she’s a diva – although somehow that factor isn’t captured by the analysis, hah! Maybe it comes from her great grandparent show dogs! I also appreciate the description analysis for any genetic markers – fortunately Daiquiri is normal in that regard. Had they detected anything out of sorts, they would communicate with the vet to formulate a plan! Talk about proactive care for your pets! Lastly you are given nutritional recommendations for their age breakdown and an official certificate of authenticity.

Hawk’s Analysis

Okay so Hawk’s analysis was also super funny. Guys.. his results totally shocked me! But I should have expected that since he’s a rescue. He’s part chihuahua and poodle! Who would have thought?! They also provided a greater breakdown of what “mixed breed” means and how to interpret that. Fortunately Hawk’s genetic analysis also came back normal, thank goodness! He’s such a nervous Nelly I always worry about him. I don’t see any of the physical attributes of poodle in him but he is super reserved around strangers on the sidewalk and very protective around other dogs. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a breed thing or a homeless pet thing? Imagining my sweet boy on the streets just breaks my heart.

 

 

How to Contact Royal Canin

• Website: http://www.royalcaningha.com/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RoyalCanin
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalcaninus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoyalCanin.us

Where to Buy

You can visit http://www.royalcaningha.com/where-to-buy to see whether or not your vet is a partner with Royal Canin. If so, give them a call and tell them your interest in completing a test – they’ll get you all set up!

Have you ever completed any form of DNA testing, human or canine? If so, share with me your stories, and congrats on being an expert level doggie parent! If not (you’re still an awesome dog parent), what information would you want to get the most of the experience?

Photography by Megan Weaver