Are there forensic labs that will be able to do a DNA test using dog fur?

Scenario:

My dad閳ユ獨 coworker was supposed to be watching my dog and they said he disappeared on Christmas and a week later they found the body of a dog in the river. It was claimed to be so badly decomposed that it was unidentifiable but for the time being they are assuming it was mine because what are the chances that during the time my dog disappeared, there is another dog in the river. However, they said they saved a fur sample and they could try to do a DNA test. They have not attempted in contacting any labs about it and burned the rest of the body along with everything else of my dog閳ユ獨 that was left at this person閳ユ獨 place! They made it seem as though they knew what they were doing but when I asked where they would be sending the fur samples they said they have no idea! So, I have been going down the yellow pages and calling the labs and vet clinics listed with little luck. I was finally referred to the Forensics Lab in UC Davis and was told that the hair cells on a deceased body dies immediately and it would be difficult to determine. Furthermore, it would have been best to mail to them my dog閳ユ獨 brush with his fur still on it but they burned the brush!! They did say I could still go ahead and try to get a test done starting at $1,000. At the same time I want to send more samples out to at least 2 other labs for DNA testing. Please, any suggestions?

Are there forensic labs that will be able to do a DNA test using dog fur?

That is horrible what happened to your dog and it seems kind of strange to me that your dad's coworker would burn everything when it didn't belong to them.

That aside, I believe it is still possible to obtain an answer to your question.

You will need at least two different types of samples. You will need some of the dog hair found in the river. You will also need some hair that is guaranteed to have come from your dog. You could possibly find this around your house if your dog was a shedder.

If you do not have a sample that you can guarantee came from your dog, there is not much that anyone can do for you.

They need to have both samples so that they can compare them after genetic testing is done.

That said, I would recommened contacting any colleges or universities to see if they could perform these tests. A lot of students need to complete projects in order to graduate, and this may be something to help teach or a project they can complete. For example, I am testing the DNA of whitefish for my college. If I can compare the DNA of whitefish, I see no reason why someone can't do the same thing with your dog.

There is no reason why you should have to pay $1000 to do this procedure. It should be relatively easy and only take a week, assuming the individuals doing the testing have the right equipment and chemicals for dogs. They need certain "primers" that are specific to the animal in question. Those might need to be ordered and/or identified which may take time and money, but not $1000! You'd also have to be willing to send your samples somewhere far away because places in your area might not want to do the testing for you.

Of course, there is the chance that no one will do the testing for you. In that case, you should either dry your fur samples or soak them in ethanol, save them, and when you go to college (assuming you are not yet in college) you should major in genetics/biology and do the testing yourself!!! Just kidding...but really, don't give up. If this is important to you, know that it is possilbe to do.

It seems to me something weird went on before your dog "disappeared"..... I wouldn't let those coworkers watch one of your pets again!

Best of luck, and sorry again for your loss...

Also, so I did a little looking, and I found the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics lab. Here is the link:

http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/Cata...

They should be able to do this for your dog....it wouldn't be a parent verification thing, but they would be able to tell if they were looking at the same sample. They list it as being $40 per animal, which is a bit more reasonable.

Once again..good luck!