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Nikki

Mixed Ancestry

“I got Nikki when she was about 8 months old from the SPCA. She is super friendly, loves kids, loves snow and hates water. She sadly died September 4th, 2019 at the age of 14.”

Current Location

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

From

Montreal, QC, Canada

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Genetic Breed Result

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Collie

Collies are attractive herding dogs, boasting a beautiful coat while being highly intelligent. They also make for extremely loyal and sweet family pets.

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Bernese Mountain Dog

Bernese Mountain Dogs are strikingly beautiful dogs, originally bred to assist as farm dogs in the Swiss Alps and popular today as loyal companions and family dogs.

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Golden Retriever

Developed as an ideal hunting retriever, the Golden Retriever's eagerness to please and friendliness has made them an extremely popular family pet.

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Akita

The Akita is a large breed of dog originating from the mountainous northern regions of Japan.

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German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherds are confident, courageous dogs with a keen sense of smell and notable intelligence. These are active working dogs who excel at many canine sports and tasks -- they are true utility dogs! Their versatility combined with their loyal companionship has them consistently listed as one of the most popular breeds in the United States.

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Rottweiler

Originally used for driving cattle and protecting valuable convoys, Rottweilers are now popular family pets as well as guard, police and military dogs.

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Dogs Like Nikki

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Discover dogs who share a similar breed mix to Nikki. A higher score means the two dogs have more of their breed mix in common. A score of 100% means they share the exact same breed mix!

Click or tap on a pic to learn more about each dog and see an in-depth comparison of their DNA, breeds, and more.

DNA Breed Origins

Breed colors:
Collie
Bernese Mountain Dog
Golden Retriever
Akita
German Shepherd Dog
Rottweiler

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Here’s what Nikki’s family tree may have looked like.
While there may be other possible configurations of her family’s relationships, this is the most likely family tree to explain Nikki’s breed mix.
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Health Summary

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Nikki inherited one variant that you should learn more about.

And one variant that you should tell your vet about.

Degenerative Myelopathy, DM

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Nikki inherited one copy of the variant we tested

What does this result mean?

This variant should not impact Nikki’s health. This variant is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning that a dog needs two copies of the variant to show signs of this condition. Nikki is unlikely to develop this condition due to this variant because she only has one copy of the variant.

What is Degenerative Myelopathy, DM?

The dog equivalent of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, DM is a progressive degenerative disorder of the spinal cord. Because the nerves that control the hind limbs are the first to degenerate, the most common clinical signs are back muscle wasting and gait abnormalities.

ALT Activity

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Nikki inherited one copy of the variant we tested

Why is this important to your vet?

Nikki has one copy of a variant associated with reduced ALT activity as measured on veterinary blood chemistry panels. Please inform your veterinarian that Nikki has this genotype, as ALT is often used as an indicator of liver health and Nikki is likely to have a lower than average resting ALT activity. As such, an increase in Nikki’s ALT activity could be evidence of liver damage, even if it is within normal limits by standard ALT reference ranges.

What is ALT Activity?

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a clinical tool that can be used by veterinarians to better monitor liver health. This result is not associated with liver disease. ALT is one of several values veterinarians measure on routine blood work to evaluate the liver. It is a naturally occurring enzyme located in liver cells that helps break down protein. When the liver is damaged or inflamed, ALT is released into the bloodstream.

Breed-Relevant Genetic Conditions

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Multiple Drug Sensitivity

Identified in Collies and German Shepherd Dogs

Hemophilia A

Identified in German Shepherd Dogs

Hemophilia A

Identified in German Shepherd Dogs

Von Willebrand Disease Type I, Type I vWD

Identified in Bernese Mountain Dogs

Canine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency Type III, CLAD III

Identified in German Shepherd Dogs

Progressive Retinal Atrophy, prcd

Identified in Golden Retrievers

Golden Retriever Progressive Retinal Atrophy 1, GR-PRA1

Identified in Golden Retrievers

Golden Retriever Progressive Retinal Atrophy 2, GR-PRA2

Identified in Golden Retrievers

Collie Eye Anomaly

Identified in Collies

Day Blindness

Identified in German Shepherd Dogs

Urate Kidney & Bladder Stones

Identified in German Shepherd Dogs

Anhidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia

Identified in German Shepherd Dogs

Renal Cystadenocarcinoma and Nodular Dermatofibrosis

Identified in German Shepherd Dogs

Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VII, Sly Syndrome, MPS VII

Identified in German Shepherd Dogs

Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 5, NCL 5

Identified in Golden Retrievers

Juvenile Laryngeal Paralysis and Polyneuropathy

Identified in Rottweilers

Muscular Dystrophy

Identified in Golden Retrievers

Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Identified in Golden Retrievers

Ichthyosis, ICH1

Identified in Golden Retrievers

Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Identified in Golden Retrievers

Additional Genetic Conditions

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Traits

Explore the genetics behind your dog’s appearance and size.

Base Coat Color

Base Coat Color

Coat Color Modifiers

Coat Color Modifiers

Other Coat Traits

Other Coat Traits

Other Body Features

Other Body Features

Body Size

Body Size

Performance

Performance

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Through Nikki’s mitochondrial DNA we can trace her mother’s ancestry back to where dogs and people first became friends. This map helps you visualize the routes that her ancestors took to your home. Their story is described below the map.

Haplogroup

A1e

Haplotype

A22

Map

A1e

Nikki’s Haplogroup

This female lineage likely stems from some of the original Central Asian wolves that were domesticated into modern dogs starting about 15,000 years ago. It seemed to be a fairly rare dog line for most of dog history until the past 300 years, when the lineage seemed to “explode” out and spread quickly. What really separates this group from the pack is its presence in Alaskan village dogs and Samoyeds. It is possible that this was an indigenous lineage brought to the Americas from Siberia when people were first starting to make that trip themselves! We see this lineage pop up in overwhelming numbers of Irish Wolfhounds, and it also occurs frequently in popular large breeds like Bernese Mountain Dogs, Saint Bernards and Great Danes. Shetland Sheepdogs are also common members of this maternal line, and we see it a lot in Boxers, too. Though it may be all mixed up with European dogs thanks to recent breeding events, its origins in the Americas makes it a very exciting lineage for sure!

A22

Nikki’s Haplotype

Part of the large A1e haplogroup, we see this haplotype in Bernese Mountain Dogs, German Shepherd Dogs, Great Danes, and village dogs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Irish Wolfhounds are a consistent carrier of A1e.

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The Paternal Haplotype reveals a dog’s deep ancestral lineage, stretching back thousands of years to the original domestication of dogs.

Are you looking for information on the breeds that Nikki inherited from her mom and dad? Check out her breed breakdown and family tree.

Paternal Haplotype is determined by looking at a dog’s Y-chromosome—but not all dogs have Y-chromosomes!

Why can’t we show Paternal Haplotype results for female dogs?

All dogs have two sex chromosomes. Female dogs have two X-chromosomes (XX) and male dogs have one X-chromosome and one Y-chromosome (XY). When having offspring, female (XX) dogs always pass an X-chromosome to their puppy. Male (XY) dogs can pass either an X or a Y-chromosome—if the puppy receives an X-chromosome from its father then it will be a female (XX) puppy and if it receives a Y-chromosome then it will be a male (XY) puppy. As you can see, Y-chromosomes are passed down from a male dog only to its male offspring.

Since Nikki is a female (XX) dog, she has no Y-chromosome for us to analyze and determine a paternal haplotype.

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