The misconceptions about pet cloning, are very similar , so let’s talk about the top 8 questions we are asked and provide you with some facts that will help answer those questions.
- “Cloning is a new science”.
- Cloning is actually not a new science. Dolly the sheep, the first cloned animal from an adult skin cell, was actually produced in 1996. That is over 20 years ago! Many animals have been produced using cloning technology since then including cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, dogs, cats, deer and endangered species.
- “Cloned pets are grown in jars, or petri dishes”.
- Cloned animals, including pets, are not grown in jars. We would have to have some pretty big jars! Just like the babies that are produced in cattle embryo transfer, cloned pets spend a very short period of time, as embryos, in a specially designed petri dish. Very quickly, the embryos are transferred into surrogate mothers or recipients for gestation or pregnancy. And after a normal gestation period, for their species or breed, the cloned puppy or kitten is born and they begin to do the things all puppies and kittens do – drink, sleep, play, drink, sleep, play…..
- “Cloned animals have short lifespans, and are born as old animals”.
- Cloned animals, including pets, share very similar lifespans with their non-cloned peers. There was some speculation that cloned animals would be born “old” but due to cell reprogramming, your cloned pet will be born as a newborn puppy or kitten. You can expect them to live a normal lifespan. That being said, cloned animals are not immortal, they will die someday, from the same things that all pets die from.
- “Cloned animals are robots”.
- Cloned animals, including pets, are not robots, made of metal and circuitry. They are flesh and blood animals, just like your other pets, and need to be loved, nurtured and cared for by you. In return, they will give you the unconditional love that comes through the pet – human bond.
- “Cloned animals will be born with the same disease the original pet died from.”
- If a disease is acquired by the original animal after the birth event, the cloned puppy or kitten will not exhibit the disease at birth. Basically cloning is a “do over” for those events that occur after birth, like castration or disease acquisition. (For example, a castrated male will be born as an intact cloned male). Many diseases are caused by environmental influences. If the same environmental influences are present during the life of the pet, they may or may not develop the same disease later in life.
- If the disease is due to a genetic defect, then yes, a cloned animal will have that same genetic defect since they are a genetic match to the original animal.
- “Cloned animals are only for the rich and famous”.
- Not true. A Genetic Preservation is only $1600 and an Express Tissue Bank is a very affordable $500, making preservation of your pet within your reach. Cloning may be a decision that you make at a later point, but if you have a pet you love now, and want to have the ability to consider this option, simply call ViaGen Pets at 1-888-876-6104 to learn more about preserving the DNA on that beloved pet today.
- “Cloned animals do not look and act the same as the original”.
- Your cloned pet is a genetic twin to the original dog or cat. They will be the same sex, the same color and may have the same mannerisms as the original but that does not mean they will be an “exact” replica. For example, the spot pattern on a cloned animal, although very similar, may vary due to migration of the melanoblasts that cause coat color. You will also find this in identical twins that are not cloned animals. If the original dog was black and white spotted, the color of the cloned puppy will be black and white spotted but the spot pattern may vary. The personality of your cloned puppy or kitten is determined by genetics x environment. We will give you a genetic match but we cannot mimic the environment and experiences the first puppy or kitten had. The environment that the cloned puppy or kitten are nurtured in will play a large role in the personality of that pet. That being said, owners of cloned animals will say that they exhibit many of the mannerisms of the original animal.
- “What about the surrogates?”.
- The surrogate, or recipient mothers, are provided the best of care. A very high quality diet and loving care from trained professionals is a must. The dogs are kept inside a secured and safe facility where they are housed in social groups with toys and daily interaction with people who play with them, pet them and groom them.
For more information on ViaGen Pets, simply contact 1-888-876-6104 or view our website at www.viagenpets.com.
-Diane, Melain & Codi