Embark Breed & Health Dog DNA Test Kit

I adopted a pup in January of this year from a rescue shelter. The pup was listed as a beagle mix, but many people said they didn’t see the beagle in him, but thought he looked more like a lab. I originally was not planning to have his DNA tested, but then I saw that I had an option to have his DNA and his susceptibility to any potential health issues tested as well. So I decided to get a kit and send in a sample for testing. I had thought there may be a bit of Border Collie in the little guy (named Otter), and possibly some lab, but not sure what else I thought. I was just glad he seemed healthy and seemed to like me. Got the results of his testing yesterday. He’s 62.5% beagle, then a mix of 5 other breeds. The most interesting results were that I was correct about Otter having some Border Collie, and it was even more interesting that he hasn’t got any Labrador DNA. But the best part is, he still loves me!

I was concerned that our pup was going to have nothing to do with the swabbing but she did great. We did it just before bedtime she had already settled down for the day. The kit gave very easy instructions to follow and included the return envelope. We continued to receive updates while her sample was being reviewed. We were convinced our rescue was going to come back with several breeds but she only came back with 2, Labrador (70%) and Cane Corso. We also received information on a condition that we should bring up with our vet which we would not have otherwise known about so we are very thankful that we can address this before it becomes an issue for her. I definitely recommend this product.

I got this for my sister to genetically test her rescue dog that she just adopted from a local shelter. She used an off-brand service that listed the breeds by working class group instead of the actual breeds that make up the dog I have always used Embark to genetically test my rescue dogs so decided to surprise her and sent this directly to her house. I accidentally sent it to my house, but the chewy rep was very helpful and corrected my mistake so that it was able to be mailed to her house directly. Embark received her swab and hopefully in a few weeks will know what breeds make up her dog Lucky.

I recently brought home a Border Collie-looking dog, and wanted to do a DNA test mostly for the health information I knew it would give me. I had used Embark for Breeders on another dog, that one a purebred, really solely for the information about whether he might be a carrier for this or that genetic condition. With my current dog, the breed breakdown was interesting to me, to the degree you can rely on it, but what I really wanted to know was whether she carried a couple of herding-dog-specific genes that I would NEED to know in order to ensure she received appropriate vet care throughout her life. IT is reassuring to know she is clear of all the things I was concerned about. Anyway-just putting in a plug for the actual, potentially life-saving, health info you get with the more expensive test. In the long run, that info is going to count infinitely more than what your dog’s breed makeup is.