New Improved Dog DNA Test Now Covers 200+ Breeds And Varieties

GERMANTOWN, Md., April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- You think she's part Boxer, but it's anyone's guess why she has herding tendencies. Is your "Labradoodle" really the combination of a purebred Labrador Retriever and a purebred Poodle? Your Collie may look like a purebred, but is he really? For curious parents of mixed breed and presumed designer or purebred dogs, the guessing game is now over. Thanks to a convenient 3-in-1 do-it-yourself dog DNA test, owners can use a single, convenient kit to identify breeds that make up a mixed breed dog; inform the parental ancestry of a "designer" dog; or certify whether a purebred is, in fact, a purebred.

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The state-of-the-art Wisdom Panel^® 2.0 from Mars Veterinary™, a global leader in pet care and canine genetic breed identification, offers unprecedented accuracy by testing for more than 200 breeds and varieties, including 100 percent of American Kennel Club registered breeds. Armed with breed insights, the test can finally answer those nagging behavior questions and may help owners have a better relationship with their dog and take better care of their dog's health.

Reap the Benefits of Wisdom with Ease
With a simple cheek swab, dog owners can get valuable DNA-based insights, which help explain their dog's unique appearance, behaviors and wellness needs, especially when they don't know the history of their dog or have pedigree documents. Mixed breed dog owners and owners of rescue or shelter adopted dogs (28 percent of dogs are adopted each year from either an Animal Shelter, Humane Society or a Rescue Group[1]) will find out the breeds that make-up their beloved pet. For owners of purebred dogs, the results will illustrate whether the dog's ancestry consists of a single breed over three generations, and for owners of designer dogs, the results will similarly show whether the dog's profile matches a first generation cross between two purebred dogs from different breeds, which forms a true designer dog.

A dog's ancestry can be influential in surprising ways. Obvious and not-so-obvious physical traits plus behaviors like digging, herding and barking can 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.

"We are excited to offer Wisdom Panel^® 2.0, the next generation in dog DNA testing, which will allow owners to learn more about their beloved pets," said Dr. Angela Hughes, DVM, Ph.D., veterinary genetics research manager at Mars Veterinary. "Since the inception of Wisdom Panel^®, we have been making continued advancements in the science supporting our products and working to add further insights for the many dog lovers we aim to help."

The Wisdom Panel Legacy
Mars Veterinary launched its first veterinarian administered, blood-based Wisdom Panel^® MX test in 2007, which was subsequently renamed Wisdom Panel^® Professional. The state-of-the-art Wisdom Panel^® 2.0 is based on more than 15 years of extensive research, drawing from the expertise of leading scientists, veterinarians, universities and breed organizations throughout the world. Its original development included the analysis of more than 19 million DNA markers from more than 15,000 dogs across the United States and Great Britain. 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.

Wisdom Panel^® 2.0 is available for $79.99 at www.wisdompanel.com and select dog centric traditional retailers. It includes the "do-it-yourself" cheek swabs, allowing owners to simply administer the test at home and mail back the sample in a pre-paid package. Within three weeks of receipt of the swab sample, dog owners will be emailed an official Ancestry Report revealing their dog's genetic background. The report for Wisdom Panel^® 2.0 allows dog owners to upload a photo of their dog onto www.wisdompanel.com for inclusion on their report. Additionally, the Wisdom Panel^® 2.0 Ancestry Report offers new advancements that provide:

• Breed ancestry identification back to great-grandparents for mixed breed dogs
• Breed certification and level of genetic diversity for purebred dogs
• Illustration that a dog is a true 50/50 hybrid of two purebred parents for designer dogs
• Adult weight range prediction to help make appropriate nutrition and diet choices
• Breed insights to help provide a better training program, understand behavior, and create an effective care and wellness plan.

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 objective of creating a "mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders" – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 72,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, WHISKAS^®, KITEKAT^®, BANFIELD^® Pet Hospital and NUTRO^®; Chocolate – M&M'S^®, SNICKERS^®, DOVE^®, GALAXY^®, MARS^®, MILKY WAY^® and TWIX^®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT^®, EXTRA^®, ORBIT^® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES^® and STARBURST^® candies, and ALTOIDS^® AND LIFESAVERS^® mints.  Food – UNCLE BEN'S^®, DOLMIO^®, EBLY^®, MASTERFOODS^®, SEEDS OF CHANGE^® and ROYCO^®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX^® and FLAVIA^®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA^® WISDOM PANEL^® and SERAMIS^®. 

For more information, please visit www.mars.com.  Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars.

[1] American Pet Products Association (APPA) National Pet Owners Survey 2011-2012

SOURCE Mars Veterinary