Orivet’s New DNA Program to Guarantee Pedigree Accuracy

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Pet DNA experts at Orivet Genetic Pet Care and the Canine Control Council of Queensland, Australia (CCCQ) recently implemented a new pedigree assurance program to eliminate errors associated with pedigree dogs, which could bring about new benchmarks worldwide.

In a study conducted by the American Kennel Club in 1998, there was approximately a 10 percent error in the DNA parentage confirmation of frequently used sires. Normally breeders will simply fill a form nominating who the sire and the dam are for each litter, and while some fraudulent breeders use this opportunity to deliberately enter the details of “champion” dogs, others are often not aware that a different sire may be involved.

The new Pedigree Assurance Program provides DNA profiling and parentage confirmation for over 30,000 dogs per year. The innovative program also provides independent DNA collection agents, positive identification of each dog via their microchip as well as DNA sample integrity and chain of custody security. As part of the program, members of CCCQ, an organization similar to the American Kennel Club and other international breeder associations, will be utilizing Orivet for their newly-introduced mandatory DNA profiling in an effort to reduce litter registration pedigree errors.

“We’re proud to provide these services to the members of CCCQ and bring more transparency to breeder practices and prospective pet buyers,” said Dr. Noam Pik, CEO of Orivet. “We feel this will lead to responsible breeding with better health outcomes – a win-win for the kennel club and for all pet owners.”

“Ten percent doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re at a dog show with 1,000 dogs, 10 percent incorrect parentage means a three-generation pedigree certificate will have up to 400 incorrectly identified grandparents” said George Sofronidis, managing director at Orivet.

Leaders from Orivet expect the Pedigree Assurance Program to spark new discussion about the pedigree verification processes for other breeder groups worldwide.

The Pedigree Assurance Program allows kennel clubs to:

• Have a 100 percent pedigree assurance, as every puppy’s parents are validated by DNA, allowing potential pet owners to have confidence they get exactly what they pay for.
• Have all tests done via Orivet’s stringent protocols including utilizing accredited collection agents and tamper-proof evidence bags.
• Receive alerts of potential interbreeding practices along with microchip duplications
• View linking of disease screening results to the database with advanced reporting and secure database management options customized to the kennel club.

Orivet’s genetic testing services are currently being used by pet breeders, veterinarians and pet owners in the U.S and 40 other countries around the world. Available tests include full pure-breed profiles, breed identification DNA testing, DNA disease screening, DNA profiling and parentage confirmation, and more.