Product Review: Widsom Panel 2.5 Doggie DNA Test

I have pretty much always known that if I got a mixed breed dog I would be doing the dog DNA/breed testing.  I just love these kinds of tests, both for entertainment and informational purposes, and have done the 23andme testing myself, as well as some other targeted genetic testing for known family conditions.  I'm a strong believer in the more knowledge the better!  Although I do understand how some people could feel that perhaps it's not better to know in the cases where nothing could be done about a condition, for me it's better to know than not.  But, happily breed testing is fairly non-controversial, other than some questions about how accurate it really is.  In my case, the test was mostly  to satisfy curiosity so I was prepared to accept vague results if that's what I got back.  However, there are potential medical and behavioral benefits to knowing what breed your dog is, so there are also applications beyond just pure entertainment.

Breed testing works by identifying purebred ancestors, so if your dog is a true mutt (e.g., the last several generations were mixed breed), then the results may be disappointing.  I understand how that could be frustrating but also understand it's a limitation of the technology.  The test I choose goes back three generations, so provided your dog has a purebred ancestor somewhere in that tree it should be identified.

There are a couple companies that offer at-home tests, and some blood test options offered by veterinarians office's.  I was somewhat interested in the Royal Canin blood testing since it tests for common medical conditions as well, but my vet didn't offer it (despite being listed on the website as a provider) and told me they really recommend just doing the cheaper at-home tests rather than blood testing  So, I decided to give the Widsom Panel Testing a try, which seems to me the most popular option.

There are a couple of different options; the 2.5 option was what I ended up choosing.  There is a more comprehensive 3.0 test that's only available via the Widsom Panel website, but after looking at a comparison chart, it seemed the only real advantage was the addition of some very rare breeds and a check for wolf DNA.  Since wolf DNA seemed highly unlikely in my small pup, it made more sense to save the $15 and go for the 2.5 test.  The 2.5 test tested for the MDR genetic mutation in addition to more breeds over the slightly cheaper 2.0 test, and even though the mutation is mostly associated with herding breeds it was a nice plus. The 2.5 test was available via amazon with prime shipping, so I had it in my hands and returned for testing at the lab in a matter of days.

Actually administering the test was easy in theory, with a small swab that you roll around your dog's cheek and then let dry for a few minutes.  In practice, it was actually kind of difficult since Molly has a lot of hair around her mouth and the rolling motion of the swab kept catching it, pulling out a few hairs in the process and making both of us rather upset.  In the end, I had a few hairs attached to the swab but left them on there for fear of contaminating things with my DNA if I tried to remove them.

I sent in the test using the provided packaging and prepaid mailing label and got a email back from them in a few days saying they had received it.  They advertise 2-3 weeks after receiving the test before you get an email back with your results, so I settled in for a wait.

While you are waiting, they have a nice web interface that allows you to track the status of your test, including when they are processing it, analyzing the data, preparing the report, etc.  It was a nice touch for impatient people like me.  They received by sample on 10/26, and on 11/3 the results changed to 'data being analyzed'!

Today (11/4), the results were ready for download.  Molly is.......(drumroll)...........

Mostly (1/2) Miniature Poodle, Mixed with Cocker Spaniel, Terrier of indeterminate origin, and possibly Chihuahua.

I wasn't shocked or disbelieving of these results, although they did surprise me a bit.  The Poodle wasn't super surprising, although I was a little surprised that was her biggest contributor.  The Cocker Spaniel I had considered because of her more fear-driven/submissive traits.  We had a Cocker mix growing up, and she was a great dog, but she was prone to the same types of things Molly is (fear of strangers, submissive peeing, etc).  Despite the downsides, I do like Cocker Spaniels a lot so was happy to see that mix in there.  Chihuahua was also listed, although it had an asterisk saying the confidence level wasn't as high.  It seemed like a LOT of the smaller dogs I saw on the Wisdom Panel website had Chihuahua mixed in, so I am taking that one with a grain of salt.  When I at first saw her family tree, I was shocked that it didn't include a Terrier of some type, since that was the one thing I was sure she was.

However, in reading further, they've indicated that the 'Mixed Breed' ancestor is almost certainly a Terrier of some kind.  That part was kind of disappointing since I was really curious WHAT kind of Terrier she is, but still overall a fun experience and useful information.

VERDICT:  I would definitely recommend this if you're curious and interested in learning more about your dog, and for entertainment purposes.  I wouldn't recommend it if you won't be happy with a possibly indeterminate answer.