Give Your dog (Or Its Owner) The Gift Of Wisdom This Holiday

GERMANTOWN, Md., Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- There may be no greater love than that which you receive from man's best friend. This holiday season, return the love by gifting your four-legged friend with a Wisdom Panel^® dog DNA test, the most comprehensive range of mixed-breed cheek swab DNA tests on the market. The test results not only help explain his ancestry, but may also provide valuable insights to help you strengthen the bond with your canine companion. 

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The Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed Insights, Purebred and Designer Dog doggie DNA tests from Mars Veterinary™, an established name in canine genetic breed identification and a division of MARS^® Incorporated – a global leader in pet care – are the result of advancements in canine genetic testing technology, making it possible for dog owners to access breed detection inexpensively and conveniently.

With a simple swab of a cheek, mixed breed dog owners can typically determine the ancestry of a dog using Wisdom Panel Insights, which tests for more than 190 breeds, the largest database on the market. 

For owners of assumed purebred or designer dogs who don't have pedigree documents for their beloved pets, the state-of-the-art Wisdom Panel Purebred and Designer Dog tests – the only dog DNA tests designed specifically for testing purebred and designer dogs – may help them satisfy their curiosity and take better care of the health of their pets. The Purebred dog test kit results will confirm whether a dog's ancestry consists of a single breed over three generations. The Designer dog test results will similarly confirm whether the dog is a first generation cross between two purebred dogs from different breeds which forms a true hybrid.

The three test kits, each available for the low price of $74.99 at www.wisdompanel.com, comprise a "do-it-yourself" cheek swab, allowing owners to simply administer the test at home and mail back the samples in a pre-paid package. Within three weeks of receipt of the swab sample, dog owners can expect to receive an e-mail notifying them that their official Ancestry Report is ready.

Fetch a Free Gift with Every Purchase

Customers who purchase a Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed Insights, Purebred or Designer Dog test kit at www.wisdompanel.com between October 1 and December 31 can "fetch" a free collapsible travel dog water bowl worth $10 (while stocks last), plus a customized ancestry certificate featuring their dog's photo (after uploading a photo of their dog to www.wisdompanel.com). All valid cheek swab samples mailed back to Wisdom Panel by November 28 will ensure guaranteed delivery of test results by December 22 so that the Ancestry Report and certificate will be waiting under the tree!

The Gift of Knowledge
A dog's ancestry can be influential in surprising ways. Obvious and not-so-obvious physical traits plus behaviors like digging, herding and barking all come from the various breeds in a dog's family tree. Once an owner understands a dog's natural tendencies, it makes it possible to create a tailored training, exercise and nutrition program to fit his one-of-a-kind needs, plus it may help owners work with their veterinarians to be on the lookout for certain diseases they never would have expected.

"Treating your pet with the gift of knowledge is a very special gift you can provide this holiday," said Dr. Angela Hughes, DVM, Ph.D., veterinary genetics research manager at Mars Veterinary. "It's not only about satisfying your curiosity. The smarter you are about your dog's past, the smarter you can be about his future."

Mars Veterinary launched their first veterinarian administered, blood-based Wisdom Panel^® MX test in 2007, which was subsequently renamed Wisdom Panel^® Professional. All the state-of-the-art Wisdom Panel tests from Mars Veterinary are based on more than a decade of extensive research, drawing from the expertise of leading scientists, veterinarians, universities and breed organizations throughout the world. Their development included the analysis of more than 19 million DNA markers from more than 13,000 dogs covering over 200 breeds. As a result, the tests are the most complete and comprehensive products on the market and are able to detect the breed composition of a dog with unprecedented accuracy using Mars proprietary processing.

About Mars Veterinary™
Mars Veterinary is a division of MARS^® Incorporated, a company known for innovative consumer and pet food brands that are trusted by people around the world.  Its mission is to facilitate responsible pet care by enlightening pet owners and communities with valuable insights into their pets as individuals through innovative, science-based discoveries. For nearly a decade, Mars Veterinary has researched and developed state-of-the-art genetic tests for mixed-breed dogs, revolutionizing personalized pet care. By discovering a mixed-breed dog's ancestry, pet owners and veterinarians can work together to tailor wellness programs that fit the one-of-a-kind needs of a mixed-breed dog. For more information, visit www.wisdompanel.com.

About Mars, Incorporated
In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company.  In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY^® bar.  In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of  building a business based on the philosophy of a "mutuality of benefits" for all stakeholders – this vision serves as the foundation of the Mars, Incorporated we are today.  Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience.  More than 65,000 Associates worldwide are putting our Mars Principles in action every day to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.

Mars brands include: Chocolate – M&M'S^®, SNICKERS^®, DOVE^®, GALAXY^®, MARS^®, MILKY WAY^® and TWIX^®; Petcare – PEDIGREE^®, WHISKAS^®, SHEBA^®, CESAR^® and ROYAL CANIN^®; Wrigley – ORBIT^®, EXTRA^®, STARBURST^®, DOUBLEMINT^® and SKITTLES^®; Food – UNCLE BEN'S^®, DOLMIO^®, EBLY^®, MASTERFOODS^® and SEEDS OF CHANGE^®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA CO.™, KLIX^® and FLAVIA^®; Symbioscience –SERAMIS^®, CIRKU™, COCOAVIA™ and WISDOM PANEL^®.

For more information, please visit www.mars.com.

SOURCE Mars Veterinary