VANCOUVER, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Wisdom Health Genetics, the world’s leader in pet genetics and makers of the Wisdom Panel™ dog DNA test, has announced a major industry milestone: more than two million dogs worldwide have been DNA tested with the Wisdom Panel™ range of products—more than any other dog DNA service provider.

Pet parents, veterinarians, and breeders from across the United States and Western Europe have chosen Wisdom Panel™ tests more than two million times to better understand their dogs’ unique ancestry, physical traits, and predisposition towards health conditions.

The database powering Wisdom Panel™ tests continues to provide fascinating insights as it continues to grow beyond two million dogs tested. The vast DNA database shows the following insights so far in 2020:

• Top ten breeds across the database across both purebred and mixed breed dogs: American Staffordshire Terrier (8.71%), Labrador Retriever (4.85%), German Shepherd Dog (3.96%), Chihuahua (3.78%), Chow Chow (3.50%), Boxer (3.14%), Poodle (Miniature) (2.76%), Siberian Husky (2.61%), Golden Retriever (2.17%), and Australian Cattle Dog (2.11%)
• Purebred or mixed? Thus far in 2020, the database features 90,271 purebred samples and 403,260 mixed breed samples—that means 22% of dogs tested in 2020 have been purebred and 78% have been mixed breed.
• Top ten most common dog names of 2020: #1 Luna (5,959), #2 Bella (4,566), #3 Charlie (2,957), #4 Max (2,925), #5 Daisy (2,680), #6 Lucy (2,630), #7 Bailey (2,517), #8 Milo (2,316), #9 Cooper (2,271), #10 Coco (2,169)
• Average number of breeds in a dog’s ancestry: 5.25
• Percent health conditions identified by DNA testing in 2020: On average, 15% of dogs tested with the Wisdom Panel™ range of products in 2020 show at least one genetic mutation associated with a health condition.

The exponential growth of the database behind the Wisdom Panel™ tests fuels ongoing research and development, further refining the tests and the world-leading genetic breed and health insights they provide.

“Our mission is to strengthen the bond between pets and their people through the power of DNA,” said Audrey Yoo, General Manager at Wisdom Health Genetics, a segment of Kinship. “We are incredibly humbled to be part of two million stories and counting as we work to deliver unparalleled genetic insights to pet parents around the world.”

In April 2020, two enhanced tests—Wisdom Panel™ Essential and Wisdom Panel™ Premium DNA Tests—launched to deliver the most comprehensive dog DNA analysis available in the consumer market. These new tests offer breed, traits, and health insights to help pet parents and their veterinarians provide the best possible care.

Both tests identify 350+ breeds, types, and varieties—the most available on the consumer market—down to 1% specificity and trace ancestry back to the dog’s great-grandparents. Both products screen for 25+ genetic variants associated with actionable medical complications, including an exclusively licensed test for the most prevalent medication sensitivity mutation (MDR1), and the Wisdom Panel™ Premium test includes 250+ health and traits tests.

“Our DNA database has experienced tremendous growth of late, as we’ve tested more than 500,000 dogs in the past year alone,” said Rebecca Chodroff Foran, PhD., R&D Director at Wisdom Health Genetics. “After collecting more than two million samples over nearly 20 years, across the United States and Western Europe, we have an extremely detailed picture of canine population genetics across time and space.”

As the Wisdom Health Genetics database grows, it enhances the rich insights that Wisdom Panel™ tests provide pet parents:

Benefits of a growing database: A larger, ever-growing data set increases DNA test accuracy and powers important clinical research that improves the lives of dogs and humans.

Ongoing Research & Development: Wisdom Health Genetics collaborates regularly with leading academic institutions, such as Washington State University, and innovative research labs at the Universities of Helsinki and Eastern Finland. Combined with the world-leading database behind Wisdom Panel™ tests, these research partnerships provide insights at scale and fuel scientific discoveries that further the understanding of pet genetics. Banfield™ Pet Hospitals also offer Wisdom Panel™ DNA tests and more than 200,000 puppies were DNA tested in 2019 alone.

To celebrate the milestone of surpassing two million dogs tested, Wisdom Panel™ tests will be on promotion at www.wisdompanel.com through Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020—National Dog Day. Pet parents can get $20 off Wisdom Panel™ Essential tests with promo code NATDOGDAY20 and $30 off Wisdom Panel™ Premium test with promo code NATDOGDAY30.

About Wisdom Health Genetics

The mission of the Wisdom Health business, a division of Kinship, is to strengthen the bond between pets and their people through world-leading insights powered by DNA. Wisdom Panel™ dog DNA tests—backed by WISDOM HEALTH™ scientific research—can help pet parents plan better, care smarter, and love longer. For more than a decade, Wisdom Health™ scientific research has contributed to state-of-the-art genetic tests for companion animals, revolutionizing personalized pet care. By unlocking the secrets of their dog or cat’s DNA, pet parents and veterinarians can work together to tailor wellness programs that fit the one-of-a-kind needs of their pets. More than 7,000 veterinarians worldwide recommend and offer Wisdom Panel™ products. For more information, visit www.wisdompanel.com, and follow the Wisdom Panel™ brand on Facebook and Instagram.

About Kinship

Advances in science, technology, health and nutrition offer an opportunity to transform the $100B+ pet care industry. With industry-leading data and analytics capabilities, a $100M venture fund and pioneering startup accelerator program, unique set of technology businesses like Whistle and Wisdom Health, Kinship is building the first-of-its-kind coalition of partners to transform the future of pet care. Kinship is a business division of Mars Petcare, the global leader in pet health, nutrition and services, dedicated to one purpose: A Better World for Pets. Follow @kinshipco to learn more.

About Mars Petcare

Part of Mars, Incorporated—a family-owned business with more than a century of history-making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love—the 85,000 Associates across 50+ countries in Mars Petcare are dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. With 85 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world’s pets—including brands PEDIGREE^®, WHISKAS^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, SHEBA^®, CESAR^®, IAMS™, and EUKANUBA™, as well as the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, which has advanced research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through an international network of over 2,000 pet hospitals and diagnostic services including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™, Linnaeus, AniCura, and Antech. We’re also active in innovation and technology for pets, with Wisdom Panel™ genetic health screening and DNA testing for dogs, the WHISTLE™ GPS dog tracker, LEAP VENTURE STUDIO accelerator, and COMPANION FUND programs that drive innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. As a family business guided by our principles, we are privileged with the flexibility to fight for what we believe in—and we choose to fight for our purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.