Genetic testing, a burgeoning scientific approach to loving pets in China

Pet owners shop with their pets at Marsmart pet store in THE BOX Youth Energy Center in Chaoyang District of Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhaoqing)

CHENGDU, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Liu Lina, affectionately known as "mummy" to her three cats, has dedicated herself to pet-raising since childhood with the motto, "Love them tender, love them true." Nowadays, she complements this devotion with a touch of science, diligently investigating any "invisible life-threatening dangers" that could affect her beloved furry family members.

The 44-year-old owner of a land surveying service company based in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, is waiting for the genetic disease screening reports for her three cats -- one Siamese, one gray Dragon-Li, or Chinese Li Hua, with black stripes and one pure-white Li Hua.

Three weeks ago, during the annual "Double 11" online shopping festival, Liu spent around 4,200 yuan (about 585 U.S. dollars) on molecular diagnostic kits to screen her pets for genetic diseases. She expects to receive the test results in two weeks.

According to Liu, the DIY testing process is no challenge as "it is almost the same as a COVID-19 test" -- collecting specimens with cotton swabs from a pet's mouth, nostrils and anus, sealing the specimens in containers and then mailing them to the test kit producer.

"It's a little expensive compared with a visit to a pet hospital, but it's totally worthwhile as it's an early investment that ensures the healthy life of my cats," Liu told Xinhua.

Deng Cao, founder of the Chengdu Lyukang Technology Co., Ltd. in southwest China's Sichuan Province, which specializes in developing molecular diagnostic kits for pet breed identification and genetic disease screening, sees genetic testing a "proactive" push for better pet health care. Deng views these tests as a solid guide, allowing pet owners to raise their pets with a more scientific approach.

The poorly-controlled process of improving breed purity in previous years through inbreeding has inevitably led to genetic diseases, according to Deng.

"However, we can gradually improve the quality of the pet population and reduce the risk of genetic diseases by screening for major hereditary diseases," said Deng.

On the pet owners' side, early screening and detection for genetic diseases will help them get a better grasp of how to care for their pets. This approach enables proactive intervention in the occurrence and progression of genetic diseases in their pets.

The final screening report provided to pet owners will clearly outline the recommended feeding and care methods, highlighting the dos and don'ts to delay the onset of disease and ensure the pets' welfare, said Deng.

For example, polycystic kidney disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which are commonly seen in cats, can be detected through genetic screening. However, these diseases show very few symptoms, which are often missed by pet owners when the cats are still young, he said.

Another example is some dogs carry genetic bone diseases. "So walking dogs, a daily practice of many pet dog owners, is not recommended and for those dog owners, they should pay extra attention to their dogs' food for better nutrition of bones," he added.

A visitor walks his dog at the 25th Pet Fair Asia in east China's Shanghai, Aug. 18, 2023. (Photo by Li Xinyi/Xinhua)

The demand for pets in China has been rising in recent years due to an aging population, an increase of single-person households, improved living standards and the gradual relaxation of domestic pet ownership policies since the beginning of the 21st century.

Deng believes that, given these circumstances, the Chinese pet genetic testing market has rapidly developed new opportunities. Pets are no longer seen merely as tools for guarding homes, as they were in the past, but have become indispensable emotional support and life companions for many.

"The millennials, or the post-80s and post-90s, make up two-thirds of pet owners in China, who tend to spend more on pets' health and happiness, and more importantly, take care of their pets with a more scientific approach," he said.

The 2025 China Pet Industry White Paper, released on Nov. 28, revealed that the pet (dogs and cats) market in China grew by 7.5 percent in 2024 from 2023, reaching 300.2 billion yuan. The number of pet dogs and cats reached 124 million, an increase of 2.1 percent year on year.

The average annual expenditure for a pet dog is 2,961 yuan in 2024, an increase of 3 percent compared to 2023, while that for a pet cat is 2,020 yuan, marking a 4.9 percent rise from 2023.

Among their expenditure on pets, 52.8 percent goes to pet food, followed closely by pet medical care which accounts for 28 percent. The proportion of young pet owners continues to rise, and they tend to prefer products that offer both high quality and practicality, according to the white paper.

In Deng's view, the COVID-19 pandemic is a game changer for China's pet genetic disease screening market. He describes it as still "young," but believes it will be worth billions of yuan in the near future.

"We can feel the profound impact of the pandemic on the pet owners' feelings towards their pets and how much they value their companionship during hard times," said Deng.

"In addition, the public has gained more medical knowledge of the illness, which has shifted their concept of health care. Many now believe that we should start taking care of our health from the outset. They also understand the importance of prevention (vaccines and disease screening) and early intervention, a concept they also apply to their pets," he added.

A CT scanner specially designed for animal is pictured at the 25th Pet Fair Asia in east China's Shanghai, Aug. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Ying)

In China, pet genetic testing is mainly conducted in pet hospitals and breeding institutions in the country's first-tier cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. However, the business is now also booming in regional cities like Chengdu and Nanjing, according to Deng.

However, due to technological and financial limitations, many small pet clinics are unable to provide comprehensive testing services, thus providing business opportunities for third-party testing institutions like Deng's company, which was founded in February 2022.

"Now, our product has been successfully launched, and we have established a medium-sized computer cluster and a small-scale sequencing laboratory to meet the product's testing needs," Deng said.

According to Deng, Lyukang utilizes the second-generation sequencing technology, enabling the detection of genes related to all known diseases in the entire genome.

"This approach is more comprehensive and accurate than single-gene testing," he explained, adding the testing kits are sold at prices ranging from 499 yuan to 2,799 yuan.

Additionally, the company has introduced consumer-grade and diagnostic-grade testing products to cater to different customer needs. The former is user-friendly, allowing for at-home sample collection and preliminary screening, while the diagnostic-grade product provides more detailed testing results and requires further confirmation at a hospital.

"They have different target consumers -- the former is for pet owners and the latter is designed for pet breeding institutions, veterinary hospitals and animal protection organizations," said Deng.

By hosting free testing events and offering discounts on test kits through its online store, Lyukang attracts customers while also using the gathered data and experiences to continually enhance its technical expertise.

The company now plans to collect more data on indigenous dog and cat breeds in China over the next three years, constructing a localized genetic database to enhance market competitiveness.

"I was born in a farmer's family in Jianyang, near Chengdu, a place known as Jianzhou in ancient times. My hometown is home to a unique indigenous cat breed, the Jianzhou Cat, which hasn't been recognized internationally yet due to limited genetic data. It's a dream of mine to gain international recognition for this breed, which makes my work today more meaningful," said Deng.