Mars Veterinary Wisdom Panel Dog DNA Test Kit - Canine Breed Identification and Ancestry Information

PRIOR TO SUBMITTING THE SAMPLE:We decided to try MARS Veterinary Wisdom Panel 2.5 before buying a 6 month old Golden Retriever puppy. The seller of the puppy was primarily a breeder of Cavalier King Charles pups, but also had a female Golden that they occasionally bred. We had some concerns that caused us to wonder if the puppy they were selling was indeed purebred, so we submitted the DNA test kit sample to MARS. Before registering the kit online, we were thinking in our minds that we would not like to tell MARS anything about the sample other than it came from “a dog.” But they will not let you complete the registration of the sample kit until you tell them what you think the dog breed is (a purebred, a cross between two different purebreds which is now days called a designer breed, or a mixed breed with unsure parentage). They also want to know the gender of the dog, its weight, D.O.B. and finally, what is the purpose for submitting the DNA test for the dog. On this last question, they provide multiple choice answers such as, just curious or novelty, training, service or exercise, breeding, or buying. If you select purebred, then they also want you to tell them what breed the dog is supposed to be. I think they should also ask the customer to submit a picture of the dog too (this probably sounds silly to submit a photo for some people, but I'll explain why in a moment).SKEPTICISM:The reason we felt apprehensive about revealing all the info on the dog during registration is that we felt it would be very easy for MARS to just say, "Sure, you've got a Golden Retriever Pure Bred." And well, that's exactly what they did. But the backup data which included a 3-generation family tree, multiple statistics, various scatter plots, comparisons to other breed possibilities, and even variations within the breed from American and European descent, plus a number of other helpful analyses made us feel more confident in the results. They also tell you if the dog has the mutated MDR1 gene that causes the dog to be seriously sensitive to certain drugs and anesthesia, causing the dog to not be able to rid them easily from its body once administered. So, our skepticism was relieved. I think with a designer breed, we would have been equally happy with the results, but once you get into the mixed-breed category, the accuracy of the test can drop significantly depending on the number of breeds that are in the last three to five generations of the dog and the presence of certain breeds which can complicate the mixed breed analysis. Certain breeds like Jack Russells, certain Terriors, Austrailian Shepherds, Border Collies, Chihuahuas, and some Mastiffs are a little more difficult to fish out of the DNA analysis when it comes to mixed breeds because of similarities to other breeds or a very wide diversity of the DNA profiles within the breed.MY VIEWS ON USING WISDOM PANEL FOR MIXED BREEDS:First off, consider this: Almost all purebred dog breeds are a combination of other breeds in basic categories and all breeds are thought to have origins related to wolves and coyotes. If a person Googles the origins of a specific breed of dog, they may find that somewhere back in the 18th or 19th century or earlier, some European was trying to perfect the traits of a dog that he owned and after years and years of cross-breeding, finally accomplished what they were aiming for, and so you have the origins of that breed. Breed development has also occurred similarly in America, but mostly in the last couple of hundred years.Next, suppose one of the pups in a latter generation from that pure breed eventually ended up in the hands of an irresponsible owner who allowed the dog to roam the neighborhood in their small-town rural community. If the purebred dog mates with a street dog that has lived on the streets and mated with other dogs on the streets, then you have a dominant purebred on one side and a Heinz57 as they are sometimes called on the other side. And realistically, this happens far more than what most people are willing to imagine. Especially with irresponsible backyard dog breeders that do not strictly monitor their female dogs during the heat cycles (this happens way too much because these days, everybody is getting into the dog breeding business to earn a quick buck; not really having their arms completely around the huge responsibilities required in dog breeding).MIXED BREED COMPLEXITY:Realistically though, you could have a very adorable Heinz57 mix and it might be interesting to know what’s in it. But, you can easily see how crazy the mixed breed analysis can be, especially once the analysis starts digging further back beyond the mother and father of your dog. Here is a great article for those wishing to see more third party info on Wisdom Panel and the complexity of dog breeds in general compared to mixed breeds ( you have to type this out because of Amazon filters >>> news DOT vin DOT com SLASH VINNews DOT aspx?articleId=23206 ). So, if MARS Veterinary comes back with results that are disappointing to a customer, that person really needs to consider and understand things like dominant and recessive traits before they start writing negative reviews. I probably sound like an employee of MARS, but nope, not in any way associated. It's just that there are a lot of negative reviews on the Wisdom Panel product, most of which I have read. I have to say that some people seem to have some misconceptions about dog breeds, DNA analysis, and the possibilities within mixed breeds. The science may not be as exact as some would wish when it comes to mixed breeds, but compared to competing products that are out there, MARS is by far the best and most accurate according to unbiased studies (see the link I provided above from the Veterinary Information Network, VIN).I would like to suggest that when you obtain a rescue dog from a shelter, or a stray that has been abandoned on the streets, you pretty much have to be satisfied with the uncertainty of its origins unless there are clear dominant breeds that surface in the DNA analysis. But, you won’t know this unless you try the DNA analysis. And, keep in mind that if you are dealing with a mixed breed with unsure parentage history other than what you see in the appearance of the dog, it can be like searching for a needle in a haystack as the number of mixes increase. And, unfortunately while this higher degree of uncertainty is not usually the case in pure breeds and designer breeds, it often is the case for rescue dogs and strays that have four, five or even more breeds in their mix.OTHER'S PEOPLE’S NEGATIVE REVIEWS:I can understand though why there is a wide variation in customer satisfaction on this product. If you submit DNA from a rescue dog that you got from the local shelter, or given to you by someone, or an unclaimed stray, or perhaps you bought it at the pet store and didn't get any paperwork on the dog or its parents, then there are all kinds of possibilities in the outcome of the breed and any number of possibilities in its ancestry. I have read other people's reviews who have claimed that MARS got it totally wrong and there was no way the dog could have been what MARS reported. Although MARS has the highest accuracy among competing products, unfortunately when it comes to mixed breeds with numerous mixes, the accuracy can drop dramatically.Interestingly, after looking through the negative reviews on Wisdom Panel, I found that 22% of the Amazon buyers of this service rated the product with 3 stars or lower, conversely 78% gave 4 stars or higher. I also found that more than 95% of the negative reviews are coming from people with mixed breeds who have no idea other than a guess of what breed or breeds their dog is made up of. In the back of their mind, I suppose people are hoping for a report that the dog is not a Heinz57. But if the report comes back indicating, “complex mixed breed,” I think the excitement quickly turns to dismay, and then comes the negative review and jeers towards MARS. I think this comes from too high of an expectation or hope in the results of a mixed breed, and I think this is why mixed breeds should definitely be required to submit a photo or two of the dog during kit registration.MARS CUSTOMER SERVICE:After speaking at length with MARS Veterinary customer service, I learned they use a highly sophisticated computer analysis with algorithms for determining breed and ancestry, but even still, DNA analysis is extremely complicated even for computer analysis. That's why I think MARS should require the submitter to include a couple of pictures of the dog, especially for mixed breeds. Out of the more than 250 dog breed possibilities, this will give MARS at least some direction to fine tune the results, and a visual piece of evidence to help confirm their DNA analysis and conclusions. Sure, this will make some customers question the whole process and ask, "Where’s the science in all this?" Because yes, anybody can offer an opinion if they see the dog. But, the difference in getting an opinion from your local Veterinarian (or any opinion for that matter) and the results offered by DNA testing is that DNA testing has specific breed markers from known purebreds to support the result whereas the former is only an educated guess at best. One can also see why it is also important for customers (especially dog breeders) to submit DNA samples from your responsible breeding program, because it will help improve the database for DNA breed analysis all the way around.PHOTO EVIDENCE OF THE DOG IN QUESTION:Now regarding my suggestion of requiring picture submittals of the dog during kit registration, and the probability that some people will object to doing this: Well frankly, the questions MARS requires you to answer during kit registration already gives their customers the feeling that you are telling MARS what you are asking and paying them to determine, at least it did for me anyway. But as I said, once you get back the results, it’s pretty impressive for the purebred and designer breed categories. For the mixed breed category, I think customers should start with the premise of realizing the Heinz57 scenario that I described above, and be a little more tolerant when they receive the results.DNA ANALYSIS FOR THE BREEDING INDUSTRY:I would really like to see the AKC, the CKC, the BKC and all responsible breeders submit DNA for the purpose of confirming breed purity and to help keep the purebreds pure. The AKC only does DNA analysis on a voluntary basis for the first six litters coming from a male dog. After that it becomes mandatory, but even then it is not for the purpose of determining breed, but only to confirm the parentage listed on the pedigree. I feel it is very sad and disappointing that the current methods used by the three major dog registry organizations used for assuring and maintaining the pureness of a breed and subsequent registration of purebred litters is very flimsy at best, and is highly dependent on the integrity, honesty, and diligence of the breeder's breeding practices.To help get the DNA testing more widely accepted, I think a major step in the right direction is to correct the cause of many of the negative reviews. If a significant number of people who buy the Wisdom Panel DNA analysis product keep reviewing it and calling the MARS service a, "pseudo-science," and other such slurs, it will probably make it far more difficult to get this idea of required DNA testing accepted anytime soon among breeders and the Registries of pure breeds. I think a lot of people, the vast majority of puppy buyers out there, would like to see some assurance from breeders that purebred puppies being sold are indeed pure bred, and that no accidents or slip-ups were allowed to occur. Currently, there is no assurance or checks-and-balance that this isn't or hasn't happened (at least in the first five litters from a male breeding dog). In all likelihood, with the ever increasing number of backyard, basement, and bathtub breeders who are not really into breeding for the passion of it, but just trying to earn some extra cash to pay for the SUV and mortgage, the accidents and slip-ups are happening more and more, un-noticed and/or un-reported; again, no checks-and-balances in the first five litters from a male breeding dog. The sad thing is, this promulgated problem won't start showing up in the Registry records for at least 5 to 10 years according to the current standards set by the Registries, and may never show up if breeders are too savvy and simply discontinue breeding a male dog after six litters without ever submitting DNA. That is why what MARS is providing with their Wisdom Panel DNA analysis service is critically needed in order to preserve the integrity of the Registries and give puppy buyers of purebreds a higher degree of assurance.CONCLUDING REMARKS:MARS by the way, is a subsidiary division of the candy company that makes M&Ms, Mars Bars, Pet Food, etc, etc, etc. MARS Veterinary if you are reading this, please do yourself a favor and start requiring your customers to submit a picture of the dog from which the DNA sample was taken so that you don't totally miss on the mix breeds and create a lot of negative reviews for yourself. If the photo is completely contrary to the DNA results, I think a personal phone call is in order or at least a more thorough discussion of why the results may still be reliable. This is called PR, and it will help a company grow and generate business by word of mouth and positive reviews.P.S. Please forgive me in advance for my windy dissertation, or if I have stepped on anyone’s toes.

I gave this 4 stars because I couldn't get more info on my dog's mixes. I probably would've given 5 if I'd gotten more info or if the info I had gotten made more sense to me. That may not be a fair judgement, but it is what it is. I got info on about only half of what she is; the other half comes up as "mixed breed", with it only being narrowed down to certain groups, not breeds. In all fairness, I guess I knew going in that I could wind up with not much more info than I already had about her, being it was very likely that she was so mixed. I suppose it was just wishful thinking on my part that I was going to find out more. What I did find out, however, is that she's likely not either of the things I was told she could be when I rescued her---and judging by her size at the time I got her, I pretty much knew she couldn't be the Doberman/Lab mix she was "guesstimated" to be anyhow. She was too small. The short of it is she's about 1/4 American Staffordshire Terrier, which didn't surprise me as I can see the Pit Bull in her at times and she has terrier ears. What blew me away---and what I still find hard to believe---is that she's about 1/8 Golden Retriever and 1/8 American Cocker Spaniel. She looks like neither, especially not the American Cocker Spaniel (except for the half a tail she has...but she does't have that "pushed in" Persian cat kind of face that American Cockers usually have, nor does she have that square AmStaff kind of face; she has a longer, more narrow muzzle). For her other half, which just came out as mixes, they were able to narrow it down to Terrier, Herding, and Sporting breeds, and those make sense, especially the herding, because she has some herding tendencies (nips a lot at ankles, etc.). Being she's from North Carolina, I was expecting to find hound in her. Not an ounce, supposedly. And being that she's black with tan points, I was expecting at least some part of her to be Dobie, Rottie, or Black and Tan Coonhound. Nothing. Those breeds don't even come up in her mixes. Bizarre. Dobermans and Rottweilers are categorized as Guard breeds accd. to Wisdom Panel, and she didn't show signs of Guard breeds in her DNA. Now here's some interesting info for those of you with black and tan dogs: I read that in order for a dog to be black with tan points, it needs the black and tan genes from BOTH parents to produce this coloring (strictly talking about a black "saddle" with tan "points": tan going down the legs, what look like tan "eyebrows", and a mix of black and tan on the face/muzzle, with no white mixed in). So, the results kind of had me questioning the validity of this test. Then I did some research, and I guess the black and tan could come from the Cocker Spaniel on one side of her lineage, because those dogs do come in black and tan. But AmStaffs and Goldens do not. So, that means another one of her unidentified breeds on her other parent's side MUST be a breed that produces black and tan pups. In the Herding group, this could mean a Kelpie or a German Shepherd, I suppose, as they come in black and tan, as do Beaucerons (I WISH she was part Beauceron...BTW, these are one of the many breeds that supposedly went into making the Doberman, so maybe there is Doberman in there after all...who knows). In the Sporting group, I know English Cocker Spaniels come in black and tan, so I suppose she could have more Cocker Spaniel in her lineage. And in the Terrier group, there are a bunch that can carry the black and tan gene (i.e., German Pinscher, Manchester Terrier...again, breeds that supposedly contributed to what we know today as the Doberman Pinscher). And she does kind of look like a black and tan terrier---maybe a Jack Russel or Rat Terrier. But larger. She's 4.5 months old and over 20 lbs, so she's already what those breeds are full grown. Wisdom Panel estimated she'd be between 39-60 lbs full grown. I find that hard to believe. Maybe around 40-45 lbs max. God help me if she's much bigger. She's already very strong at ~20 lbs. I've included a photo of my half AmStaff-Golden Retriever-Cocker Spaniel/half unidentified-mixed-breed dog taken when she was just shy of 4 months old. Judge for yourself ;)

a bit expensive at 150$, but accurate and fast results.

Great product would recommend it. Simple and easy to use and timeframe for getting results back was shorter than expected.