When we first adopted our beloved dog years ago from a small-town shelter in Missouri, we had our guesses about what breed he was: Westie, shih tzu, maybe a little schnauzer too. But we were never certain.
So, I decided to test my grumpy, old-soul dog with a pet DNA test. I initially chose Wisdom Panel because it was on sale, but later, I ran a side-by-side comparison between Wisdom Panel Premium and Basepaws.
I also wanted to find out whether we should trust the results from these genetic tests in the first place. To get a clearer answer on whether breed detection, genetic traits and health conditions identified by some tests are accurate, I spoke with a veterinarian and reviewed relevant studies.
“Some tests appear to be more reliable than others, particularly for common breeds that are well represented in a company’s database,” said Dr. Katja Lang, chief medical officer at Heart of Chelsea Veterinary Group in Brooklyn. “When it comes to breed identification, results can sometimes be helpful, but they aren’t perfect. Health risk information is even more nuanced.”
How do animal DNA tests work?
If you’ve used AncestryDNA or a similar DNA test on yourself, the process for testing your pet will be quite similar. All it takes is activating your kit online, a quick cheek swab and a shipment to the lab. Both Wisdom Panel and Basepaws kits had everything needed to complete the test, but the processes were slightly different.
Wisdom Panel uses two bristly swabs that you rub on your dog’s gums and cheeks. After letting them dry for 5 minutes, you place them back in the sleeve they came in and seal the shipping box (included with the kit).
The Wisdom Panel testing swabs.
Corin Cesaric/CNETBasepaws, on the other hand, uses only one swab that looks more like an eyeshadow applicator. It seemed to be preferred by my dog because he didn’t fight me during the process, as he did with the Wisdom Panel swabs.
After swabbing your pet’s mouth with the Basepaws swab, you unscrew it from the top, flip it and shake it in the liquid underneath. (It was somewhat reminiscent of one of the early variations of at-home COVID tests.)
The Basepaws testing swab after it was used.
Corin Cesaric/CNETWisdom Panel sent me the results more quickly than Basepaws. Wisdom Panel generally takes about two weeks, while Basepaws typically takes four to six weeks.
However, nearly one month after I sent in my dog Walter’s sample, I received an email from Basepaws stating that the test had been received, but a follow-up email said I needed to re-test him.
The email noted that the company was unable to obtain sufficient, viable DNA from my dog’s original sample to analyze and generate a report. “While this is usually a food contamination or a sample collection issue, it could also be due to certain medications your dog may be taking, such as antibiotics, antivirals or antifungals,” the email said.
Basepaws sent another test free of charge right away. During the next test, I doubled the time I swabbed Walter’s cheek and ensured his teeth and gums were free of food particles so we wouldn’t have any issues.
What were the results?
Wisdom Panel
Although activating the kit and testing Walter with both tests were quite similar processes, the results varied greatly. Wisdom Panel detected 11 breeds, with the top four being Shih Tzu (45%), Beagle (15%), Yorkshire Terrier (14%), and Maltese (10%). It also detected 1% results: Walter is 1% Treeing Walker Coonhound and, believe it or not, 1% German Shepherd.
My dog and his DNA test results from Wisdom Panel.
Corin Cesaric/CNETIn addition to the breed breakdown, it also showed what Walter’s family tree may look like, genetic diversity, possible relatives who have also used Wisdom Panel (I found a brother named Oscar!), health reports, physical and behavioral traits, weight guidance (more on this later) and a multitude of health conditions he was tested for.
While I generally accepted his breed mix and found it quite fascinating, the weight guidance seemed off. It said his ideal weight range is 9 to 18 pounds. When Walter was found after being abandoned, he weighed around 16 pounds and was starving. Now, he weighs 27 pounds. Our vet recently told us he could lose 2 or so pounds, but I could never picture my big-boned boy at one-third of his current weight. I’d recommend taking that specific piece of guidance with a grain of salt and following your veterinarian’s weight recommendation.
I was relieved to see that he was not at risk for any of the 267 genetic conditions he was tested for with Wisdom Panel. I guess being made up of 11 different breeds really does have its benefits.
“Veterinary care is primarily guided by the dog’s clinical signs, exam findings, and history,” Lang said, noting that breed breakdown doesn’t significantly change medical care. “However, certain genetic findings can be relevant. For example, if a dog tests positive for the MDR1 mutation, that may influence medication choices.” She added: “While breed information is often interesting, specific health-related findings may occasionally have practical implications.”
I loved seeing his traits and features, and I’d say they’re all quite accurate, and even pointed out something I didn’t know was rare: hind dewclaws, or what I’ve been referring to as Walter’s thumbs.
The test accurately stated that he has furnishings (longer facial hair), wiry fur, brown eyes, short legs, and other physical characteristics that make my boy the cutest one on the block. In my unbiased opinion, of course.
The behavioral traits were mostly accurate, too, besides having a “typical” separation anxiety. I’d say he is more elevated than the average dog, but nurture can definitely play a bigger role here than nature.
Basepaws
Now, moving on to the Basepaws results: I was shocked not to see Beagle on his results. I had already come to the conclusion that he was definitely part Beagle, due to his long body and nose-to-the-ground mentality, not to mention the stubbornness the breed is known for.
The Basepaws breed breakdown was much less robust. It said Walter is a Shih Tzu (60.2%), Yorkshire Terrier (16.5%), Bichon Frise (14.6%) and had “scent hound lineage” (8.7%). It didn’t break it down to what type of scent hound he was, so in theory, that could be where the Beagle comes in.
“Each company has its own reference database and testing methods,” Lang said. “They may also differ in how they define or group closely related breeds. It doesn’t necessarily mean one test is ‘wrong.’ It just reflects differences in how the data is interpreted.”
Walter’s DNA results from Basepaws.
Corin Cesaric/CNETThe Basepaws results also indicated he was a carrier of a shedding gene variant, whereas the Wisdom Panel said he has less shedding. (Overall, Walter doesn’t shed much at all.) Basepaws also didn’t provide any behavioral traits.
Basepaws detected one genetic health predisposition in Walter. After being tested for 211 health markers, the test found that he was at risk for one: Chronodysplasia, “a bone disease that is caused by defective cartilage development.”
“A genetic marker may indicate increased risk, but it doesn’t guarantee a dog will develop a condition,” Lang said. “Those results are best interpreted in context and ideally discussed with a veterinarian.”
What do studies show about dog DNA test accuracy?
Although there are few studies evaluating Wisdom Panel and Basepaws specifically, researchers have examined the accuracy of other pet DNA tests.
