The Comparative Genetics and Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine had developed a genetic test to determine if a dog is at risk for cruciate ligament ruptures. Cruciate ligament rupture is one of the more common causes of lameness, pain,...
The citizen science organization Darwin’s Ark sequenced the DNA of over 2,000 purebred and mixed breed dogs to study how genetics intersect with breed characteristics. The findings show that while genes are closely associated with physical traits, genetics is not a reliable predictor of any...
Our dogs, cats, and other pets can get cancer just like humans. And, like humans, there can be different causes of cancer in animals. The Merck Veterinary Manual has outlined the most common causes of cancer in pets, and what you can do to help lower...
Dog breeding has led to a wide variation in the sizes and shapes of the many dog breeds we see today, from the tiniest Chihuahua to the biggest Great Dane, but what about your dog’s coat? A new study of canine genetics reveals that nature, not...
The American Veterinary Medical Association convention went virtual this year, and one of the topics discussed was that a greater understanding of how genetic diseases occur can help vets prevent and mitigate their effects in our pets. The speaker, Dr. Jerold Bell, a veterinarian and geneticist...
Does one dog year really equal seven human years? This long-held belief is undergoing some high-tech revision. Scientists say a more accurate way to measure an animal’s age is to use something called an epigenetic clock—the accumulation of chemical modifications in an animal’s DNA over its...
White paws, often called socks, are an endearing color marking in our pets. Socks are often seen in cats, but can also be found in dogs and other animals like horses and guinea pigs. Where do socks come from? According to a recent article in Popular...
Many of us have ordered DNA testing kits for ourselves to learn about our ancestry. But the boom in at-home testing is also spreading to our dogs. An analysis of the home DNA tests of over 6,000 dogs (combined with photos and surveys from their owners)...
A new study on canine genetics has been getting a lot of attention recently. Do dogs living in modern North and South America retain the genes of the ancient dogs that accompanied the first Americans who came from Asia thousands of years ago? A genetic study...
We all know that our dogs are descended from wolves, but did you know that through continued interaction, domestic dogs have left a mark on the wild wolf population? A recent international study of Eurasian grey wolves has found that 60% of these wolves carry some...
The scientists at the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories are looking for a few good—and chubby—dogs! Their GOdogs Project is conducting cutting-edge genetic research on why certain dog breeds tend to become overweight (Labrador Retrievers, we’re talking to you!). They also hope that this...
At first glance, a new visual representation of the canine family tree looks more like a pinwheel than a maple, but the researchers who recently mapped out a genetic history of over 160 dog breeds (published in the journal Cell Reports) have provided us with...
A study of the feline genome is providing new insights into how and why cats became domesticated. Compared to dogs, cat domestication is a relatively recent occurrence (30,000 years for dogs vs. 9,000 for cats), but researchers can still find signs of domestication in their...