TEST RESULTS
What the results mean
Every DNA test returns one of three results. Understanding what each means determines which animals can be safely bred together.
Clear (N/N)
Two normal copies of the gene. The animal does not carry the mutation and cannot pass it to offspring.
Carrier (N/Mut)
One normal and one mutant copy. The parent has 50% chance of passing on the affected gene to their offspring.
Affected (Mut/Mut)
Two mutant copies. The animal can develop the condition. The parent will pass the affected gene to its offspring.
What reach results means for the health of the parent animal and its offspring depends on its inheritance pattern. The inheritance pattern for each disease affected your breed can be found on Orivet. The results can be interpreted using the ITBR genetic compatibility guidelines.
HOW TO GET TESTED
Four Steps From Zero to Tested
1
Look up your breed in the Minimum Health Testing document for dogs or cats on this page. The list shows which conditions must be tested before registration.
2
Go to orivet.com.au and search your breed name or select "Full Breed Profile". Pay online — a cheek swab kit arrives by mail within a few days.
3
Follow the easy instructions provided with your swab kit. All it takes is a few minutes.
4
Results arrive by email within 2–6 weeks. Submit results with relevant forms and applications.
APPROVED PROVIDERS
ITBR approved DNA testing providers
Orivet
Our recommended Australian testing provider
Embark
US-based. Breed and health panel. Widely used internationally.
Genomia
European laboratory. Accepted for all breeds.
UC Davis VGL
University of California Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory.
* Note that just because ITBR doesn't have another company listed here doesn't mean their results won't be accepted. Please contact us and we can access it on an individual basis. We are always happy to add new testing providers to our list of trusted companies. We appreciate the feedback of our breeders on their experience with these companies and any others.
THE VISIBLE PROBLEM
A healthy-looking dog/cat can still produce suffering offspring
This is the central fact of hereditary disease and the reason DNA testing exists. An animal that carries a genetic mutation looks completely normal. It wins shows. It produces beautiful litters. Its owners love it. And unless it is tested, nobody knows it carries something that will cause serious suffering in some of its puppies or kittens.
The most common hereditary conditions in dogs and cats are recessive — meaning an animal needs to inherit two copies of the mutation (one from each parent) to actually develop the disease. An animal with only one copy is a Carrier. Carriers are healthy. They show no symptoms. The only way to know is to test.
When two Carriers are bred together, each offspring has a 1 in 4 chance of being Affected — inheriting two copies and developing the condition. In a litter of eight, that is statistically two affected puppies or kittens who will suffer. Both parents look completely healthy. No visual check, no show record, no lineage history can predict this. Only a DNA test can.
This is not rare. Carrier rates in many popular breeds are 20–40% of the population for some conditions. In a breed where one in three dogs carries a mutation, the probability of accidentally mating two Carriers without testing is significant.
WHY VISUAL ASSESSMENTS ARE NOT ENOUGH
Four reasons DNA testing cannot be replaced by observation
Carriers show no symptoms
A Carrier animal for most diseases are completely healthy. No examination, no blood test, no observation of behaviour or movement can identify a recessive Carrier. The gene is not expressed, only the DNA test reveals it is there.
Symptoms can appear years after breeding
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Some hereditary conditions don't become clinically apparent until an animal is 3, 5, or even 8 years old. An Affected animal bred from at 2 years may have produced three litters before the condition manifests. By then, affected offspring may already have been sold and bred from themselves.
Pedigree history cannot substitute for testing
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A line of dogs with no reported affected animals could still have high carrier rates if the right combination was never accidentally produced, or if affected animals were simply not identified. A long healthy pedigree is a good sign, not a guarantee.
Coat colour can mask genetic mutations
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In merle-carrying breeds, a red or cream dog can carry the Merle gene invisibly, it has no eumelanin for the gene to affect. Breeding this dog to a visually merle dog produces double-merle offspring who are born blind, deaf, or both. Only a DNA test for Merle status can prevent this.