0.5ml (minimum) EDTA Blood Tube

Adequate quantity of high-quality DNA is required. DNA of this quality and quantity can only be obtained from a small blood sample, which can easily be collected during a routine veterinary visit. DNA from blood is considered superior to cheek swab samples in both stability and purity.

All ADVANCE™ Mixed Breed Identification DNA Tests are sent to the Mars US laboratory for analysis. Once the sample has been received it generally takes up to three weeks for the sample to be tested and for the results and report to be generated. Results will then be sent directly to your vet. You can track your sample here using your sample ID and surname.

The ADVANCE™ Mixed Breed Identification DNA Test is a coloured, customised report which includes information on breed, health and nutrition facts and is delivered as a PDF.

ADVANCE™ has trained representatives who can clarify any information on results. We also have access to all raw data which can be provided to any clinic upon request. If you require details on more scientific issues, the ADVANCE™ Customer Enquiries team can direct you to our geneticist to further clarify any results.

All the testing for the MARS DNA Breed test - in US, UK, Canada and Australia - is carried out in the MARS US laboratory due to their efficiency and ability to run and analyse data in the one accredited facility.

Physical appearance is controlled by a very small number of genes. These genes can have both recessive and dominant variants and the variant that is present determines the visible effect on physical traits seen. The presence of breed signatures does not guarantee that the dog will look like all detected breeds - the wonder of genetic inheritance can be seen as much in people as in dogs. 

The DNA Test is intended for use on dogs that are mixed breed to help determine their breed history. The test is specifically designed to look for the combination of ancestral breeds in mixed breed dogs. Where pure breed dogs are concerned, most often the report will simply indicate the pure strain of the breed in question. However, although our sample database covers 200+ breeds and comprises more than 10,000 samples in total, there are several cases in which pure breed dogs may not be reported as such. For instance, if the breed is not or was not bred within Australia, then we may not pick up the breed signature, as foreign lines often have very different genetic signatures. In addition, if there has been a very isolated breeding line for the pure breed, then we may not have enough coverage of that breed's gene pool to identify the dog as purebred.

Absolutely. The ADVANCE™ Mixed Breed Identification DNA Test is designed for dogs of all ages. Please note that care should be taken when taking blood from young puppies.

Because ‘pitbull’ doesn’t refer to a single or recognised breed of dog but rather to a genetically diverse group of breeds, we can’t build a DNA profile for pitbulls.

Unfortunately at this time we do not offer proof of parentage.

We do not recommend trying to take a sample from a deceased dog, whatever the circumstance, as the quality of the sample will likely be unusable for our test purposes.

The ADVANCE™ Mixed Breed Identification DNA Test has been adapted from the Wisdom Panel Professional Mixed-Breed Identification test for use on Australian dogs. The Wisdom Panel Professional test is the result of years of extensive research and draws on the expertise of scientists at the internationally respected Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition in the United Kingdom, along with leading veterinarians, universities and breed organisations throughout the world. For more information on the Wisdom Panel test, see http://www.wisdompanel.com/why_test_your_dog/faqs/.

The Wisdom Panel Professional test has been supplemented for use in Australia to add additional breeds to the breed database (including the Dingo, Maremma Sheepdog, Koolie, Kelpie, Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog and Tenterfield Terrier) which underpins the test. In addition, work has been done to ensure that apart from these Australia-specific breeds, the genetic signatures of Australian dogs are largely consistent with the signatures of the same breeds in the US and UK which formed the basis of the Wisdom Panel Professional test. The ADVANCE™ Mixed Breed Identification DNA Test is the result of this work.

The Wisdom Panel Professional test which underpins the ADVANCE™ Mixed Breed Identification DNA Test (see above) has undergone validation testing in the USA. That testing showed that the Wisdom Panel Professional test has a Sensitivity of 97% and a Positive Predictive Value of 90% in first-generation US crossbred dogs of known parentage. The breeds included in the panel for the Wisdom Panel validation study represented 45% of American Kennel Club registrations. Breeds detected at the lowest level of certainty were not included in the accuracy calculation.

Modelling and research regarding the similarity between Australian and US / UK breeds (see above) indicates that the ADVANCE™ Mixed Breed Identification DNA Test is likely to have a similar accuracy to the Wisdom Panel Professional test, however validation studies have not yet been performed to test the accuracy of the ADVANCE™ Mixed Breed Identification DNA Test on Australian dogs.

It is also important to note that test accuracy will differ from one dog to the next, and may be higher or lower than average for an individual dog, depending on:
the breeds which form part of the mixed-breed dog's heritage;
the geographic background of the dog; and
the complexity of the dog's "family tree", including whether it is a first, second, third or later generation mixed-breed. For example, ancestors in a dog's lineage at the great-grandparent level and beyond may in some cases be identified only at the lower limits of detection capability, which may introduce inaccuracies.

Despite these limitations, we are confident that we offer one of the most sophisticated and accurate tests on the market.