How much does it cost to clone a dog?
How much does it cost to clone a dog?
$50,000 cost to clone a dog
Dog cloning cost
The loss of a beloved dog leaves a giant paw-print-shaped hole in our hearts. Some pet owners seek solace in the possibility of cloning. However, this remarkable scientific process comes with a hefty price tag. This guide explores the cost of dog cloning, along with other important details to consider.
The cost to clone a dog is $50,000. If you're considering cloning your dog but are still undecided, genetic preservation to cryogenically store your dog's DNA for future cloning costs $1,600.
| Fee interval | Cost |
|---|---|
| Initial deposit | $25,000 |
| Final deposit | $25,000 |
| Total cost | $50,000 |
Dog cloning factors to consider
In addition to the high cost of cloning a dog, there are other factors to keep in mind when making your decision:
Personality differences
It's a common misconception that the clone will have the same personality as the original dog. Genes have an impact on your dog's personality but so do your dog's environment and their individual experiences and memories. This means the clone's personality may be drastically different.
Genetically identical dogs raised by the same owner in the same environment might display some similar behaviors, especially if those traits and temperament are common for the breed. However, dog owners may be disappointed when the clone doesn't behave exactly like their previous beloved pet.
Ethical concerns
Cloning also raises ethical concerns due to the suffering and harm it causes to other animals. Cloning a dog requires harvesting donor eggs from female dogs, injecting cloned cells into each egg, and implanting the embryos in surrogate dogs—forcing them to undergo multiple operations until they birth a healthy puppy.
Because the cloning process has such a low success rate, it typically requires collecting eggs from many female dogs and implanting embryos in several surrogate dogs. These dogs often receive hormone injections to make their bodies more receptive to the embryos, doing further harm to their health.
Health concerns
Cloned dogs have about the same lifespan as dogs born naturally. However, cloning can pass on the same genetic health risks that affected the first dog to the new cloned pup. Scientists are not yet able to remove the risk of problems like cancer or heart disease during the cloning process.
Before cloning your dog, consider getting their DNA tested for potential health problems they could pass down to their clones. A dog DNA test costs $160 to $200 for a kit that tests for 200+ health risks.
The first cloned dog in history, an Afghan Hound named Snuppy cloned in 2005, died of the same type of cancer as the dog he was cloned from.
How does dog cloning work?
To clone your dog, the cloning company requires a tissue sample collected via a skin biopsy. Your vet can collect this sample while your dog is still alive or within 5 days of your dog's death. Cloning a dog from a hair or tooth sample is not possible.
Here is how the cloning process works after the lab receives the tissue sample:
The lab extracts the DNA from the cells in the sample.
Technicians surgically harvest eggs from female dogs. Because it can take many tries to create a successful embryo, the process requires many eggs.
The technicians remove the nucleus from each egg—which removes all the genetic material—and replace it with the cloned dog's cells, and then use electric impulses to fuse the cells with the egg.
They implant viable embryos in a surrogate dog.
If the embryo results in a pregnancy and the surrogate carries the pup to term with no complications, she gives birth to the puppy in about two months. If the embryo doesn't result in a successful pregnancy, they repeat this process with a different surrogate.
Even though the clone dog has the same genetic makeup as the original dog, there may be slight differences in their appearance, such as a different eye color or a difference in the position of a white patch of hair against a darker coat.
Dog cloning FAQs
How long does it take to clone a dog?
Cloning a dog takes 5 to 10+ months because the process often requires several attempts before an embryo successfully takes hold in the surrogate mother dog's womb and is carried to term. The process includes:
2 to 4 weeks to grow the cloned cells to inject into donor eggs and develop them into viable embryos
8 to 9.5 weeks for gestation
8 weeks for nursing and weaning the new puppy
Is cloning dogs legal?
Cloning dogs, cats, and farm animals is legal in the United States. Many other countries have banned the cloning of farm animals and the sale of cloned livestock, their offspring, and any products derived from them, but they have not banned the cloning of dogs or other domestic pets.
Does a cloned dog have the same personality?
No, there is no guarantee a cloned dog will have the same personality as the original dog. Even though the cloned dog may look the same, they may behave differently because a dog's personality is a result of not just their genes but also their environment and experiences.
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