Demand for pet DNA testing increasing – could medicinal cannabis for animals also catch on?

Organisations that provide DNA testing for pets say demand for the service is rising.

The centre had seen a spike in requests for “genetic counselling” – the interpretation of genetic results – as well as genetic testing for dogs, as the science developed.

While concerns had been raised in an article in the scientific journal Nature in 2018 that pet owners may get spooked by the results of genetic testing and euthanise pets with treatable genetic conditions, Fremaux had never heard of that happening in New Zealand.

Morrison takes cheek swab or blood sample from her kittens and sends it off to a lab at the University of California at Davis in the US.

In a bid to generate more discussion about the potential benefits of medicinal cannabis for pets, Hale Animal Health is hosting an event for vets at its headquarters in East Tamaki on June 29.

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