DNA tests can detect illnesses, determine pets’ breed
Q: Our Lab mix has bad skin allergies and a sensitive stomach. One of our friends recommended a DNA test to find out what she’s reacting to. I’ve heard of DNA tests to find out what breeds she’s mixed with but I’ve never heard of DNA tests for health in dogs. She says the tests are much less expensive than the allergy tests veterinarians use. Do they work?
A: For decades now, veterinary researchers have been able to test for specific canine diseases by scanning their DNA. Most of these tests have been very expensive and therefore reserved primarily for research settings or for dogs involved in elite breeding programs. Over the past decade, however, widespread consumer interest in divining the breed of an average household dog has brought DNA testing into the mainstream.
The Wisdom Panel, the most well known of these test kits, can now help dog parents determine their dog’s breed origin with a surprising amount of validity.
Along with these test kits (which usually involve blood samples their vets can collect or cheek swabs owners can sample at home) comes the ability to test for more than just breed. Some common genetic conditions can also be identified.
For around a hundred dollars, this test offers a significant amount of useful information. Which is why most veterinarians recommend it for highly-motivated dog owners who want to delve deeper into their pets’ healthcare status. But can it detect allergies?
The short answer is no. While these breed tests do not purport to identify allergies, other canine DNA tests do claim to help suss out canine allergies and intolerances.
Perhaps the most popular of these tests uses hair samples to ostensibly determine whether dogs are allergic or intolerant to a wide range of different foods and environmental allergens. Reading the fine print on these tests, however, it’s clear they don’t promise that the tests are accurate nor do they recommend they be used in veterinary decision making.
When researching these tests for my own patients, I found two independent research papers showing that these tests performed no better than a randomly generated selection of findings. In other words, they had zero diagnostic capacity.
Veterinarians understand that skin allergies and gastrointestinal intolerances are profoundly frustrating. But we’ve found no short cuts. Food trials remain the gold standard for foodrelated allergy/intolerance testing and blood or skin testing (against specific allergens, not using DNA) are still the only way to diagnose environmental/ seasonal allergies.