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Dog Age Test

Regular price: ~~$159~~

Sale: $159

It’s time to celebrate your dog’s birthday! The Embark Age Test estimates your dog’s calendar age and birthday by measuring their DNA methylation. Knowing your dog’s special day gives you one more reason to celebrate what makes them unique—and get them a birthday gift or two.

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Insights include:

Your dog's estimated age and birthday
Life stage information developed by veterinarians
90% of dogs have a true birthday within 18 months of their estimated birthday

Why Embark

Comparable to the most accurate methylation clock models available today
Life stage insights developed by leading veterinarians
Every dog tested can contribute to aging research that will help dogs live longer, healthier lives

Frequently bought together

Breed + Health DNA Tests

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What you’ll learn

Age Result

No one can tell exactly how old a dog is just by looking at them. That’s why we use the scientific field of epigenetics to estimate your dog’s age.

We trained the Age Test model using data from thousands of dogs with known ages, so that we can reliably estimate your dog’s age based on their DNA methylation profile. We’ll also give you information about the range of dates likely to contain their true birthday—called the “prediction interval.”

Learn more about how the Age Test works.

Estimated birthday

Everyone deserves a birthday party—your dog most of all. We’ll estimate your dog’s birth date based on all the available scientific data. With the Age Test, 90% of dogs have a true birthday within 18 months of their estimated birthday. So put up the streamers and start blowing up balloons, because it’s party time!

Life stage

As dogs age, their social, behavioral, and health needs change. Dogs who have the same calendar age may be at different stages in life, depending on breed, size, and other factors. We’ll suggest appropriate diet, exercise, and preventative care options to keep your dog healthy at every life stage. Talk to your veterinarian to determine what type of care is best for your dog.

How it works

1. Swab

Gently swab the inside of your dog’s cheek pouch and under the tongue to collect saliva for at least 60 seconds. Get that swab nice and slobbery!
2. Activate & mail

Activate your kit online and return your sample. Shipping is free within the US, so drop the pre-paid mailer in any USPS box and it’s on its way.
3. Results within 4-5 weeks

We’ll do the rest and notify you by email when the results are ready. Log in to your account to learn all about your pup’s age estimation and care suggestions!

FAQ

What is DNA methylation?

DNA methylation is the most well-known type of epigenetic marker. It’s a chemical modification that doesn’t change the actual genetic code of the DNA, but can change how genes work. Methylation patterns can change with environment, lifestyle, stress, disease, or age.

As your dog ages, the level of DNA methylation changes in a predictable way. We can use the amount and position of DNA methylation as a type of “clock” to estimate age (Horvath et al. 2021).

Studying the relationship between methylation and age is a cutting-edge area of science. There are published papers showing this method works in dogs, humans, and many other mammals.

For more details, read this article explaining the science behind the Age Test.

How is the Age Test different from other Embark DNA tests?

The Age Test uses a saliva sample collected with a cheek swab, just like our other DNA tests (Breed ID, Breed + Health, and Purebred), but that’s where the similarities end. The Age Test does not provide genetic health results, your dog’s breed breakdown, access to our Relative Finder tool, or ancestry information.

The science of the tests is also very different. Our other DNA tests are based on your dog’s DNA sequence, which was present from birth. The Age Test, on the other hand, relies on epigenetics—the study of how external factors can change the way genes work. The Age Test estimates a dog’s age by using a technology that focuses on DNA methylation patterns.

Because of these differences, the same swab cannot be used for both tests. Each test is run separately and requires its own swab.

What will the Age Test tell me?

In your results, you’ll receive an estimated age and birthdate for your dog, plus information about how to interpret those results.

Your results will also include what we call a prediction interval—the range of dates likely to contain your dog’s true birthday. Their estimated birthday will be within this range. While there’s no way to be sure of the exact day, this is our best estimate, based on their methylation profile.

With the Age Test, 90% of dogs have a true birthday within 18 months of their estimated birthday.

This means that if one dog takes the Age Test multiple times, they may receive different estimated birthdays, but we expect 90% to fall within the same prediction interval in the test results.

How do I know the Age Test is accurate?

Although it does not pinpoint the exact date of your dog’s birth, the Age Test is comparable to the most accurate methylation clock models available today. It also follows scientific best practices for measuring the accuracy of this type of model.

Here are just a few of the steps we took to develop the Age Test and make sure that it meets our standards for accuracy and scientific integrity:

We developed a carefully curated reference database of thousands of dogs with known ages, as well as different breeds and mixes. We used this reference set, as well as data from the early-access period of the Age Test, to train our model.
We have done rigorous internal and external validation, with help from scientists at Embark as well as other experts in the field, to prove out the efficacy of our model.
We added several steps to the model development procedure to ensure that we have created the most accurate model available for methylation technology today.

Learn more about our statistical model in this explainer about the science behind the Age Test.

(Please note that the Age Test was specifically developed for dogs. While there is no species check in our process, the Age Test is meant to be used with canine DNA only.)

What happened to the previous Age Test from Embark?

In October 2022, Embark launched the first version of the Age Test. We continuously add to our database and optimize the model we use to estimate age, and in that process, we identified an error that resulted in less accurate age predictions than we had originally calculated. We paused the sale and processing of the Age Test and gave automatic refunds to all Age Test customers.

We’re proud to be offering the Age Test once again, using a new and improved model that was developed with a carefully curated reference dataset of over 2,000 dogs. As more dogs are added to our database by new Age Test customers, we’ll continue to update and refine our model.

Do I need to swab my dog again if I’ve already used an Embark DNA test?

Yes. Even if you’ve used a genetic test with Embark, or the previous version of the Age Test, you’ll need to swab your dog again for this latest version of the Age Test. Because the Age Test follows a different process in the lab, we can’t use the same swab for the Age Test and our other DNA tests. Each test is run separately and requires its own swab.

Why is the turnaround time for the Age Test longer than Embark’s other DNA tests?

When you send your dog’s DNA sample to Embark, it follows a similar journey through the lab compared to that of our other DNA tests. However, the Age Test involves a special processing step during DNA extraction that allows us to measure methylation. This step requires additional time, making the turnaround time slightly longer than that of our other DNA tests.

How will my dog’s results contribute to research?

At Embark, our mission is to use science to help dogs live healthier, happier lives. Your dog’s sample will fuel our epigenetics discovery engine as we learn more about canine wellness, healthy aging, and disease risk. As our data set grows, so does our ability to make new discoveries.

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