From cataracts or heart disease to kidney or blood problems. Like humans, dogs are predisposed to suffer from dozens of diseases that can go unnoticed and that, in fact, can be prevented or detected in advance. Similarly, the character, personality and some behaviors of puppies can be marked by their breed, something that is not always known. That is why to try to know the maximum information about a pet by heart, a genetic test can be a great ally for the owners.

For this purpose, the Catalan company Direct2Pet has launched PetGenetica, a new genetic test aimed at dogs that allows, from an analysis of saliva, to determine aspects such as their breed, their family tree, their character, their physical characteristics and their predisposition to disease.

These data help improve the welfare and increase the life expectancy of the animal.

The company, which specializes in the world of dogs, has worked for a year and a half to achieve a product that addresses various fields. The test that has been released compares the DNA collected with 275 dog breeds, 150 diseases and 10 physical traits. From here, a genetic report is prepared that allows the owner of the dog to know information about its health and its breed.

The company sends a kit home with all the instructions and materials to carry out the tests, which has a price of between 139 and 259 euros. Its use, they explain to ABC from the company, is simple: «We send dog owners a swab, which they have to pass through the inside of the dog's cheek for 30 seconds. Then the sample is sent and in the laboratory we sequence the DNA and analyze it”, details Toni Cambredó, promoter of PetGenetica.

Dog owners can choose between three types of analysis depending on the data they want to know about the pet. On the one hand, the breed report provides information on the behavior patterns that the dog may have and also allows us to know its predisposition to obesity or the amount of exercise that is recommended for it according to its type of muscle fibers. In addition, a family tree is designed up to the third generation.

In addition, you can opt for a report on diseases, which describes what diseases the animal has and/or may develop in the future due to its predisposition, and with these data health problems can be prevented for both the animal and its offspring. A third report available to owners brings together both breed and potential disease data.

Since the launch of PetGenetica a month ago, around 500 tests have already been sold through the Internet and the one that is having the most success is the breed test, according to its pomotors. "Now we are getting in touch with veterinarians, who see the disease test as very interesting," acknowledges Cambredó.

With these tests in operation, the company now wants to go further and reach information on other animals. Thus, they intend to extend this test to cats, although Direct2Pet points out that it will still take about a year for its commercialization. “It is an issue that is going little by little because first you have to create a database with the breeds of animals and their possible diseases,” says the promoter of the project.