Frequently Asked Questions

The discount codes from the AHT have been removed from our system, as we have now been up and running for 2 years. However, if you do still have an AHT discount code that you wish to use we will honour that. Please get in touch and we will gladly reactivate your code.

The discount codes from the AHT have been removed from our system, as we have now been up and running for 2 years. However, if you do still have an AHT discount code that you wish to use we will honour that. Please get in touch and we will gladly reactivate your code.

Yes, we offer a few discounts:

Tests bought in bundles

Bundled products are automatically discounted at the individual product level and at the bundle level:

• Each CAGT test in the bundle is discounted by 20%.
• Non-CAGT tests for which we have partnered with another provider e.g. Laboklin, are not discounted at the product level.
• In addition to the discounts applied to individual tests within a bundle, all tests selected in the bundle are discounted further if 3 or more tests are purchased:

Multiple tests (“litter discounts”)

Discounts are applied when 4 or more of the same CAGT test are purchased.
Non-CAGT tests for which we have partnered with another provider e.g. Laboklin, are not discounted.
Litter discounts are automatically applied to your basket prior to checkout and are as follows:

Assured Breeders discount

We also offer a 15% discount on CAGT-tests to UK Kennel Club Assured Breeders. The discount is applied using discount code KCAB2023 at checkout.

Please note:

1. The discount will only be applied to CAGT tests, and not to tests for which we partner with another laboratory to offer.
2. The code is only valid to users have applied to CAGT, and whose Assured Breeder status we have confirmed with the Kennel Club.

Please Get In Touch to apply for the Assured Breeders discount code.

Yes, we offer a 15% discount for Kennel Club Assured Breeders. The discount is applied using discount code KCAB2023 at checkout.

Please note:

1. The discount will only be applied to CAGT tests, and not to tests for which we partner with another laboratory to offer.
2. The code is only valid to users who have applied to CAGT, and whose Assured Breeder status we have confirmed with the Kennel Club.

To apply for the Assured Breeders discount please Get In Touch.

In short, we make very little profit, if any, on tests for which we have partnered with another lab to provide. To ensure the cost to our customers are fair and as low as possible, we only charge enough to cover what any non-CAGT test costs us.

Genetic testing is a good way to assess the long term health of your dog, specifically relating to inherited diseases known to affect your dog’s breed.

Understanding your dogs genetics is even more important when it comes to breeding; if the status of the parents are known with respect to a specific inherited disease, the possible status of future puppies can also be predicted. Therefore, screening for certain genetic diseases can inform breeding decisions and improve the health of your dog as well as the long term health of the breed.

You can view all of the tests we offer using searchable tables and listed by test or by breed. Alternatively you can hover over the menu item “DNA Tests” and  select which subset of tests you wish to view.

We will be increasing the number of tests we offer over the coming months, so be sure to check back frequently.

When your results are ready you will receive an email notifying you as such. To view your results and download your result certificate you will need to log in to your Account and click on Downloads.

Your swab kit contains an envelope with a unique activation code on the back.

To activate the kit, click here or navigate to the My Account tab and select Activate Test Kit. Simply enter your code and follow the onscreen instructions.

We aim to issue the results of your test within ten days of receiving your swabs. However, we cannot guarantee this and in some instances it may take slightly longer.

To ensure that your results are as accurate as possible we require good quality DNA, for this reason it is very important that when you obtain a swab sample from your dog, you do so thoroughly (more information about how to swab your dog can be found here).

The tests we offer are close to 100% accurate at detecting the target variant, they work by finding particular sections of DNA that contain the genetic disease causing mutation. It is possible that other natural changes to the DNA that do not cause disease may interfere with the targeting of the specific mutation, resulting in false results. However, this is very rare and very unlikely.

It is also possible that the disease caused by the target DNA variant can also be caused by some other variants that the test will not detect. For this reason we cannot guarantee that any test is 100% accurate at detecting the target disease, as is the case for all genetic testing services.

We have tried to make our FAQs as informative and helpful as possible, but we If you still have a question or query please Get in Touch and we will be happy to help in any way we can.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Developing DNA tests that are accurate and reliable can be a challenging process as any reliable test should be validated using samples from dogs with known genotypes for target variant, and these can be difficult to acquire.

During the first weeks and months of service we are prioritising the development of disease tests that were previously offered by the Genetic Services team at the Animal Health Trust, before it closed down in July 2020. After that we will start to develop DNA tests for non-disease traits and profiling/parentage verification.

We won’t develop tests that you, our valued customer, does not want. So please do Get in Touch if you would like us to consider developing a particular test.

When you purchase your tests the only information you provide is how many dogs you need to test, and therefore how many swab kits you need. To save trees and to make our service more efficient, instead of sending out a paper sample submission form with your kit for you to fill in we ask that you fill in a electronic submission form. We call this process ‘Activation’.

Yes. We try to list all the breeds for which there is published, scientific evidence of segregating a specific variant, or which we have observed ourselves. However, in many cases the segregation of a variant in some breeds may go unreported. We therefore will sell any test to any breed, if that is what the customer wants. During test kit activation you may get a warning to inform you that your breed is not listed on the test, but that is for your information only.

We advise that swab samples are collected at least 2 hours after the dog has eaten anything to avoid potential contamination, so this may affect at what age a sample can be collected from a puppy. In addition, obtaining high quality samples is difficult from very young and small dogs. We therefore suggest that puppies are at least 3-4 weeks old when swab samples are collected.

There are multiple ways to find a test.

1. From the Home page simply start typing in the big search bar that says ‘Search for breed, disease or test’ and select from the list of matches that appears.
2. There is also a small search bar in the top right corner of the page, regardless of which page you are one. Type in what you are looking for and hit ‘Enter’ and all tests that match your search will be displayed.
3. Alternatively, you can browse the tests available in searchable tables where tests are listed by disease or by breed.

We will be adding many more tests over the coming months so be sure to keep an eye on our website.

Payment can be made online or by telephone (a detailed guide on how to order is available here).

You can call us during our contact hours to pay over the phone.

We will endeavour to send your swab kits within two working days of receiving your order. All UK orders are sent second class via Royal Mail; we cannot guarantee how long it will take for your swab kit to be delivered, although typically it takes between 2-3 working days.

International orders are sent via the Royal Mail International Standard service, this service aims to deliver items to Europe within 3 to 5 days after posting and rest of the world within 6 to 7 days after posting.

Any orders received over the weekend will be dispatched on the next working day.

If you have placed an order online and chosen to pay by telephone you can call us on 01223 765860.

Please note that our core customer services hours are 10:00-13:00 Mon-Fri

*As we are a small team we will do our best to ensure that telephone calls received during these hours are answered. Calls received outside of these hours may not be answered, but voicemail messages will be returned within 24 hours.

There are some tests that we want to offer and are unable to test inhouse, for a number of reasons. To overcome this we will process the swabs and send the DNA to Laboklin for further testing. Laboklin will send the results back to CAGT to report back to you, our customers.

You can pay over the telephone by calling the number on our Get in Touch page, during the office hours listed. Please have your payment card and order number ready when you call.

If you have placed an order online and chosen to pay by telephone you can call us on 01223 765860.

Please note that our core customer services hours are 10:00-13:00 Mon-Fri

*As we are a small team we will do our best to ensure that telephone calls received during these hours are answered. Calls received outside of these hours may not be answered, but voicemail messages will be returned within 24 hours.

As we are based at the University of Cambridge we are limited with regards to how we can take payment for orders. The only online payment option is via our bespoke payment gateway, and it is quite a lot slower than you may be expecting. Please be patient and do not close the payment window prematurely.

For failed payments, please try the following:

• Clear your browser cache
• If using Chrome as the browser in previous transaction, please try using Firefox , Edge or Safari (if using Apple device/system)
• If using a company device, some of the features in our payment portal may have been blocked by the device’s security, please try using an alternative device such as personal laptop etc
• If the error says ‘3D secure challenge’ this means that the information provided during payment did not match with the card issuer’s record. This is a security check, so please ensure that all payment details entered are the same as what the card issuer has on their record especially the billing address. If there is anything which does not match, the payment will fail.

We use the ISAG (International Society for Animal Genetics) 2006 microsatellite/short tandem repeat (STR) marker panel with the latest updates recommended by ISAG:

• 21 core markers – these have been in use for many years.
• 12 additional markers – The addition of these markers can clear up parentage questions in cases where the individual dogs being tested are very closely related and cannot be separated using the core markers alone.

Canine STR Profile Markers

No, a DNA profile can only be used to:

• Confirm the identity of a dog should it be lost or stolen (if it was profiled previously).
• Confirm the parentage or offspring of a dog by comparing its profile with that of its parents or offspring, respectively.

A DNA profile cannot determine the breed makeup of a dog or prove that it is a purebred dog, nor does it provide any information about the conformation of a dog. To determine the breed make up of a dog we suggest the Wisdom Panel or Embark.

Keep your profile certificate in a safe place, in case you may need it in the future.

For example:

1. If you dog is lost or stolen in the future, and is found, you will need the profile to prove that the found dog is yours.
2. If your dog produces any puppies in the future, you can use the existing profile in parentages analyses without having to have him/her tested again (as long as the offspring are tested using the same ISAG 2006 markers).

Eighteen of the primary (core) markers are available in a testing kit manufactured by Thermo Fisher. However, 3 of the core markers and all 12 of the secondary (extra) markers are not available in any kits. It may be that some service providers only use the commercially available kit or have not added the 12 secondary markers to their tests, which means their tests cost less to run.

Canine Genetic Testing is different because we routinely test all 33 markers currently recommended by ISAG. While this results in higher running costs overall, we feel that it is important to provide the information for all of these markers.

The parentage analysis part of the order is free of charge. Therefore, the cost is determined by how many animals in the analysis will need to have a profile generated as well.

For example, for little of 5 puppies, 1 dam and 2 sires, where both sires have previously been profiled and those profiles are available to us to use:

• 6 dogs (5 puppies and 1 dam) will need to be profiled: 6 x £45 = £270
• 2 dogs (sires) already have profiles: £0
• Total cost (before any discounts or discount codes are applied) = £270

Using a cheek (buccal) swab to collect cheek cells from your dog is one of the easiest ways to collect DNA; it is pain free, can be completed quickly and can be done by anyone, anywhere (you do not need to get a veterinarian to collect the samples).

Poor samples (swabs that do contain enough material) are much more likely to result in failed tests and therefore delays to testing. Please read our detailed guide on Taking Good Swab Samples.

If you have a problem with one of your swabs do not worry, we include more than one swab for this reason. If a swab has become contaminated or otherwise unusable please dispose of it and continue to use the remaining swabs.

You can increase the chances of a successful swab by ensuring that you follow our swabbing instruction guide, Taking Good Swab Samples.

If you need further assistance, please Get in Touch.

If you prefer to submit a blood sample instead of cheek swabs you are welcome to do so. Please Get in Touch so that we can advise you on how to submit the sample and activate the sample to ensure smooth processing.

We advise that swab samples are collected at least 2 hours after the dog has eaten anything to avoid potential contamination, so this may affect at what age a sample can be collected from a puppy. In addition, obtaining high quality samples is difficult from very young and small dogs. We therefore suggest that puppies are at least 3-4 weeks old when swab samples are collected.

We are now accepting international orders – please note that delivery charges apply.

*We regret that we still cannot sell tests to customers in Russia or Belarus.

We will endeavour to send your swab kits within two working days of receiving your order. All kits for UK orders are sent second class via Royal Mail; we cannot guarantee how long it will take for your swab kit to be delivered, although typically it takes between 2-3 working days.

All international orders are sent using the Royal Mail International Standard service.

Any orders received over the weekend will be dispatched on the next working day.

Shipping is free for UK customers and all kits are sent second class via Royal Mail.

International shipping costs £4 for countries within Europe and £5 for non-European countries.