Five checks before you order a breeding DNA panel
A panel is a convenient way to order several DNA tests at once. Before you buy one, make a short list of the health questions you need answered for this animal and the mating you have in mind. Then compare that list with the tests the panel actually includes. The examples below use US breed and registry programs.
1. Start with the breed’s health plan
For a dog, check the national breed club’s health-testing recommendations. The American Kennel Club collects its parent clubs’ requirements by breed, and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) lists the screenings used by participating breeds in its CHIC program. These are a starting point; a condition known in your particular line may warrant an additional test. Ask your veterinarian about any history you are unsure how to interpret.
For a horse, check the breed registry’s current testing rules and the conditions relevant to that breed. A Quarter Horse and an Arabian will not have the same test list. UC Davis’s Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, for example, lists the diseases included in its Quarter Horse and related-breeds panel individually.
Write down each required or relevant condition before comparing products. A panel’s name or total number of tests does not tell you whether it covers your list.
2. Separate DNA tests from other health screening
Some important checks are examinations, not DNA tests. A dog’s breed plan may include hip, eye, or cardiac screening. OFA’s CHIC requirements can include both genetic tests and examinations, depending on the breed. A DNA panel does not complete those other checks.
Keep one list for DNA tests and another for examinations. This also makes it easier to see what is still missing after the panel results arrive.
3. Check the exact tests inside the panel
Open the lab’s page for each test you intend to use. Record the disease, the variant or marker tested when the lab names it, the applicable breeds, and the mode of inheritance. If the page does not make the coverage clear, ask the lab before ordering.
The name of a condition can be broader than any one test. Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in dogs has several forms. UC Davis says its PRA-prcd test checks the variant associated with progressive rod-cone degeneration; a normal result does not rule out other forms of PRA. Our guide to what a genetic test cannot tell you explains other limits, including tests that follow a linked marker rather than the variant itself.
4. Check where the result must be recorded
If a registry or health program needs the result, check its submission process before collecting a sample. UC Davis advises owners of horses registered or eligible for registration with the American Quarter Horse Association to order the AQHA panel through the registry; a separate order may bring a recording fee.
For dogs, read the actual OFA results as well as any CHIC number. OFA says a CHIC number shows that the breed’s required screenings were completed and made public; it does not mean every result was normal.
5. Plan for a report you can use later
Put the animal’s name and registration or microchip number on the order where the lab allows it, and check those details when the report comes back. Save the full report, the lab’s name, the date, and the list of tests in the panel. A single note that says “DNA clear” loses the information needed to interpret or compare the result later.
Before a mating, put both animals’ reports side by side. A missing test on one animal is still missing; a result for the other animal does not fill that gap. Our guides on reading a result and recessive-risk pairing show what the two results can tell you together.
Where AnimalTrace fits
AnimalTrace keeps the original lab report on the animal’s record, alongside the lab and test details. That leaves the evidence available when you revisit a breeding decision or share the record.
Sources
- American Kennel Club, Breed health testing requirements
- Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, CHIC program
- UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, Quarter Horse and related-breeds disease panel
- UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, PRA-prcd