- Activate: Visit Embarkvet.com/activate. Updates will be sent to your email address.
- Swab: No eating for 30 minutes before sample collection. Swab the lower cheek pouches to fully soak the sponge.
- Bag: Drop your sample back into the bio-bag. Pull yellow strip and stick to sealing zone.
- Seal: With swab inside, use sticker strip at top of box to seal tightly.
- Mail your kit. The box is also your return mailer, with pre-paid postage on the back. Leave in any mailbox.
Roll over image to zoom in
Embark Breed Identification & Health Condition Identification DNA Test for Dogs By Embark
Take a deep dive into your dog’s genetics with Embark Breed & Ancestry Identification, Trait & Health Detection Dog DNA Test Kit! With a simple and painless cheek swab, this DNA test can analyze over 200,000 genetic markers, providing you with detailed information about your dog.
Take a deep dive into your dog’s genetics with Embark Breed & Ancestry Identification, Trait & Health Detection Dog DNA Test Kit! With a simple and painless cheek swab, this DNA test can analyze over 200,000 genetic markers, providing you with detailed information about your dog, including breed type and family trees going back to great grandparents. This DNA test kit can even help you find his relatives! Embark is suitable for over 350 breeds and also offers important information about your furry friend’s health as it screens for over 200 genetic health conditions, allowing you to prepare and give him the paw-sonalized care he needs. After you send the sample in, you will receive the results through a personalized dashboard in just 2-4 weeks and you can share them with friends and family or print them for your next vet visit. Embark on a journey that can help you learn more about your pet’s genetics and overall health, so you can make the best choices for him and his future!
Key Benefits
- This test uses a research-grade genotyping platform that was created with Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. It screens more than 350 dog breeds, helping you find your pup’s genetic makeup.
- Tests for over 200 genetic diseases like glaucoma, MDR1 drug sensitivity, degenerative myelopathy, and common adult-onset diseases.
- Maps your pup’s family tree back to great grandparents and pairs your dog with similar breed mixes. Check out the profiles and photos of closely related breeds on the dashboard to see the resemblance between them and your furry friend!
- Helps you find and connect with other canine companions that share your dog’s DNA, including close and distance relatives.
- Embark is trusted by veterinary hospitals and partners with Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Receive your results between 2-4 weeks!
Additional information
| ITEM NUMBER | 140974 |
|---|---|
| TEST TYPE | Breed Identification, Health Condition Identification |
| LIFESTAGE | Adult |
A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slightly deviating definitions. Breeds are formed through genetic isolation and either natural adaptation to the environment or selective breeding, or a combination of the two. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry and agriculture, no single, scientifically accepted definition of the term exists.: 340 A breed is therefore not an objective or biologically verifiable classification but is instead a term of art amongst groups of breeders who share a consensus around what qualities make some members of a given species members of a nameable subset.
Another point of view is that a breed is consistent enough in type to be logically grouped together and when mated within the group produce the same type. When bred together, individuals of the same breed pass on these predictable traits to their offspring, and this ability – known as "breeding true" – is a requirement for a breed. Plant breeds are more commonly known as cultivars. The offspring produced as a result of breeding animals of one breed with other animals of another breed are known as crossbreeds or mixed breeds. Crosses between animal or plant variants above the level of breed/cultivar (i.e. between species, subspecies, botanical variety, even different genera) are referred to as hybrids.
Deoxyribonucleic acid ( ; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses. DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA) are nucleic acids. Alongside proteins, lipids and complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides), nucleic acids are one of the four major types of macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life.
The two DNA strands are known as polynucleotides as they are composed of simpler monomeric units called nucleotides. Each nucleotide is composed of one of four nitrogen-containing nucleobases (cytosine [C], guanine [G], adenine [A] or thymine [T]), a sugar called deoxyribose, and a phosphate group. The nucleotides are joined to one another in a chain by covalent bonds (known as the phosphodiester linkage) between the sugar of one nucleotide and the phosphate of the next, resulting in an alternating sugar-phosphate backbone. The nitrogenous bases of the two separate polynucleotide strands are bound together, according to base pairing rules (A with T and C with G), with hydrogen bonds to make double-stranded DNA. The complementary nitrogenous bases are divided into two groups, the single-ringed pyrimidines and the double-ringed purines. In DNA, the pyrimidines are thymine and cytosine; the purines are adenine and guanine.
Both strands of double-stranded DNA store the same biological information. This information is replicated when the two strands separate. A large part of DNA (more than 98% for humans) is non-coding, meaning that these sections do not serve as patterns for protein sequences. The two strands of DNA run in opposite directions to each other and are thus antiparallel. Attached to each sugar is one of four types of nucleobases (or bases). It is the sequence of these four nucleobases along the backbone that encodes genetic information. RNA strands are created using DNA strands as a template in a process called transcription, where DNA bases are exchanged for their corresponding bases except in the case of thymine (T), for which RNA substitutes uracil (U). Under the genetic code, these RNA strands specify the sequence of amino acids within proteins in a process called translation.
Within eukaryotic cells, DNA is organized into long structures called chromosomes. Before typical cell division, these chromosomes are duplicated in the process of DNA replication, providing a complete set of chromosomes for each daughter cell. Eukaryotic organisms (animals, plants, fungi and protists) store most of their DNA inside the cell nucleus as nuclear DNA, and some in the mitochondria as mitochondrial DNA or in chloroplasts as chloroplast DNA. In contrast, prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) store their DNA only in the cytoplasm, in circular chromosomes. Within eukaryotic chromosomes, chromatin proteins, such as histones, compact and organize DNA. These compacting structures guide the interactions between DNA and other proteins, helping control which parts of the DNA are transcribed.
Embark is a Sri Lankan animal rescue and welfare organization. Since 2007, Embark has been conducting rescues, adoptions, sterilizations, vaccinations, education programmes and advocacy campaigns for the welfare of homeless dogs, cats and other animals. Embark was founded by the award-winning entrepreneur, conservationist and advocate Otara Gunewardene.
Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, pain (including mental pain), or injury.
Health can be promoted by encouraging healthful activities, such as regular physical exercise and adequate sleep, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. Some factors affecting health are due to individual choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, while others are due to structural causes, such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get necessary healthcare services. Still, other factors are beyond both individual and group choices, such as genetic disorders.
Identification or identify may refer to:
- Identity document, any document used to verify a person's identity
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
- Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
by Emmy
Embark kept me informed of the progress and gave very comprehensive information about my dog’s genetic health and lineage. Lots of fun to discover his make-up.
by Jazzie
I was not sure dog shelter was right on breeds they had austrailian shepard terrier mix which she did not look like australian shepard at all but test showed she was 38% austrailian shepard 14% pittbull 11% saintbernard 5% stafford terrier 4%boxer 14%supermutt but I believe their results are correct since the shelter had their assesetment pretty close to results
by Luke
I’m so glad I invested in the Embark DNA test for my new rescue dog! Received completely unexpected results that didn’t match what breed the organization thought she was. It will help tremendously to know what behaviors to watch out for and to better inform our vet of potential health issues later in life.
by Christina
I rescued a puppy from up state NY. I was told from the rescue, the puppies where found in a box on the side of the road in KY, no mother or father around. On her adoption papers the rescue did a guess on what they thought they were. BOY WHERE THEY WAY OFF Embark uncovered 6 DIFFERENT breeds and the percentages of all the breeds. When I was establishing a profile in the embark website for my puppy, I provided very minimal information on the puppy. I really wanted to see if this test was accurate. When the results FINALLY came in, the presentation was really cool. Well done Embark.
by Rhiannon
I thought this was a fun way of learning more about my rescue. He’s 100% american pitbull terrier which I expected a high percentage of because there’s no denying what he is lol but I was curious if any other bully breeds may have been mixed in lol nope. Thanks to the health screening, I also now know to get his liver checked yearly and that he’s at a high risk for disc issues. All very helpful for his vet as he ages. I’ll definitely purchase this for my future rescues. Results took a little less than 4 weeks.
by Gabriel
Turns out my dog is very mixed up . He has about 15 percent of 7 different breeds. The results were fairly fast and I believe accurate.
by Rescuemom
Rescues are generally an enigma but knowing the breeds help me as well as my vet in caring for her. Have sent her info to my vet who expressed appreciation for her genetic variant information (her ALT level runs low normal so a rise in her level, even if remaining within normal limits, could indicate liver problems). Quick response, actually only took a few weeks. No difficulty in enrolling the ID number. The kit arrived in perfect condition.
by Resha
Adopting a shelter dog who might have GSD or another breed known for hip dysplasia was a huge concern for my family. Finding our Pupster cleared of all genetically inherited diseases detectable by Embark took bowling balls off of our shoulders. The Ancestry and Breed info guided our style of training, improved our success, and brought an increased sense of Peace to our home. Correcting unwanted mouthing/nipping is different with an Australian Cattle Dog than other breeds. LOL Felt vindicated that my guess that she was part Husky was right on, especially since I have not before now known a Husky personally. While I was certain there was a breed unknown to me, no amount of observation or research on my part alone would have verified that she was 1/3 Aussie. Thank you Embark for enriching the bond between my dog and me with science that empowers us to communicate with each other better, for offering our new family member the best chance of being loved in her own language, and educating our Veterinarians as more is learned through your cutting edge research.
by Bert
Great communication from start to finish. Good turn around time. So much information.