You’ll Never Guess What I Found Out About My Shih Tzu! OMG (Basepaws Review)

I love my nearly 8-year-old Shih Tzu so much. So I decided to give the Basepaws Dog DNA Test: Breed + Health Kit a try! I took the AncestryDNA test to discover my own DNA, and since my pup is so dear to me, I’d love to learn more about his DNA too!

Mochi has papers from his breeder that say he is 100% Shih Tzu, but he’s about twice as long as many Shih Tzus I run into are and a few pounds heavier, so I’ve always been curious if he truly is — some people stop me on walks and ask if he’s a Lhasa Apso, for instance.

Mochi’s Basepaws Dog DNA Results

To get Mochi’s DNA for the Basepaws Dog DNA Testing Kit, all I had to do is use the kit’s swab and vial with its test solution. I simply rubbed the swab on the insides of Mochi’s cheeks for a bit, put it in the vial, and shipped it all to Basepaws in the included packaging with incuded postage. I also registered our kit number and our information with Basepaws online so I could receive updates on the test and get information via email as well as in regular postal mail.

After I mailed his test, I received an email that his test had been received. About an another week later, I got word via email that his test was being processed. And then, just two weeks more, I received his results! I was impressed with how quickly I got them — which I could view online through Mochi’s profile, or on the printed results I received in the mail.

I was surprised to learn that Mochi is only 76.2% Shih Tzu – so his papers are wrong! He’s also 13.8% Lhasa Apso and 10% indeterminate “toy dog lineage.” I was surprised to discover that, as we were led to believe that he’s completely Shih Tzu. But it doesn’t really matter, since he’s 100% cute in my opinion!

However, Shih Tzus are believed to be directly descended from Lhasa Apsos and possibly, Pekingese dogs. So way back when, all Shih Tzus had both Lhasa Apso and toy dog lineage, anyway.

Mochi’s Basepaws DNA Health Results

Also, according to his Basepaws DNA test, Mochi is only at risk for one health predisposition and is clear for 209 predispositions! He’s at risk for chrondrodsyplasia, a short-legged characteristic of breeds like Shih Tzus. Mochi definitely has short legs despite his long body. Because of that characteristic, I have been told by his vet that I should prevent him from jumping off high surfaces, so I have really good quality foam pet stairs for him by our living room window seat and by our new adjustable bed. (We got two XL adjustable Nectar bases, which we love.)

I also discovered that Mochi is likely to have a long-haired coat (yup!) and a melanistic mask — Mochi doesn’t have much dark fur on this face, but he does have an adorable black nose and lips! He is also likely to have a short muzzle and a smaller body size; he does has both of those characteristics.

Now I know more about my little Mochi (my buddy!) — I am very glad that we got his Basepaws Dog DNA Test: Breed + Health Kit a try. It’s been a totally positive experience. I also like that I can view his test results in his online profile whenever I like. I definitely give a thumbs up for this dog DNA test kit!

If you have any questions about the test, I’d be happy to share my experiences with it — Basepaws also offers a Basepaws Cat DNA kit too! Just leave a message for me in the comments!

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