Can I Clone My Dog From A Frozen Sample?

Can I Clone My Dog From A Frozen Sample?

Losing your beloved pet dog is devastating, and many owners wish to preserve their dog’s unique legacy through genetic preservation and possible future cloning. At Gemini Genetics, we are frequently asked if this can be done from a sample that has been frozen.

The Science Behind Freezing Skin Samples

The genetic preservation process that leads to cloning requires living, healthy cells. These are taken from skin samples obtained from your dog either while they are still alive upon veterinary discretion, or post-mortem up until 5 days after their passing. Unfortunately, when a sample is frozen, the formation of ice crystals inside each individual cell can cause irreversible damage to the DNA they contain. Generally, when kept chilled, samples have a 96% chance of being viable and suitable for cloning. In contrast, when a sample is frozen prior to processing, the chances of the sample being viable and suitable for cloning go down to about 50%. In short, cloning your dog from a frozen sample is possible, but not ideal! For the best possible odds of successfully preserving your beloved dog’s genetics, you should keep their body and samples chilled and not frozen.

What Is The Correct Way To Ship A Sample?

Keep It Chilled, Not Frozen

Both your dog’s body prior to sampling, and the samples themselves after they are taken, should be kept chilled and not frozen, in a fridge with temperatures of around 3-8 degrees.

Act Fast

Samples should be taken by a veterinary professional and arrive to our laboratory within 5 days of your dog passing away. For live samples, they should arrive to us within 5 days of the sample taking for best results. For more sample taking instructions, please consult the Emergency Sample Taking Instructions tab on our website.

Proper Packing

When shipping or delivering samples to our laboratory, they should be safely packed in an insulated chill bag with some pre-cooled ice packs. Ideally, the ice packs should be wrapped in cotton wool or a dish towel in order to prevent them from freezing the samples. You can find out more about sample packing instructions on our Youtube channel. 

Need Support or Advice?

At Gemini Genetics, we understand how important your dog is to you. If you are considering genetic preservation or have any questions about the process, you can reach out to our friendly team who will be happy to help!

Get in touch for more information or to request a dog cloning information pack.