Happy Wednesday, everyone!  Pet Cloning…What is it, and how does it work?  I recently found an article in Modern Dog Magazine, “Meet Mella, The Cloned Winery Dog,” about how a California winery spent $50,000 cloning their dog.  Before reading the article, I had two questions: what is my opinion going to be after reading the article, and what is a winery dog?  First, I know I would never do this, but having a winery dog (and a winery) would be fun!

When Arthur Murray, co-founder and co-owner of Flambeaux Wine, a boutique winery and estate vineyard in Sonoma County’s famed Dry Creek Valley, dog Stella, an Italian Maremma, started to show signs of slowing down, he decided to clone her.  Although only seven and still active, he couldn’t bear to lose her and her outstanding qualities.  Stella, also the winery dog, protects the grapes from wild animals on the property and is responsible for looking after the family at the vineyard.  Stella alerts the family of anyone coming onto the property and up the driveway, because sometimes people will show up.

Arthur found and secured the services of Whitesboro, TX-based ViaGen Pets, a leading pet cloning company.  The first step in cloning a pet, the ViaGen Pets website gives the option to select a dog, cat, or horse (total cost of horse cloning is $85,000), is to preserve the animal’s genes through genetic preservation.  A veterinarian collects a small tissue sample from the animal.  ViaGen describes this as a “minor procedure” that can be done during a routine secondary procedure, such as a dental cleaning.  This tissue sample is then sent to ViaGen Pets, where technicians culture new cells that share the same genetic make-up of the clone animal.  The cells are frozen until the owner is ready to begin the cloning process.

The initial growth of the sample takes about four weeks from the submission of the sample.  The cell nucleus created from the cloned animal’s sample is then injected into a donor egg that has had its own nucleus/genetic material removed, and an embryo is grown in a lab before being implanted in a surrogate mother.  After implantation, the timeline is simply the normal gestation period in dogs, 60 to 65 days.  Once born, the cloned pup needs to be nursed and weaned, which takes about 56 days.  

Somatic Cell Extraction: A cell, typically from skin, is taken from the animal you want to clone.

Egg Preparation: A donor egg is obtained from a surrogate mother and has its nucleus removed.

Nucleus Transfer: The nucleus from the donor animal’s cell is injected into the prepared egg.

Embryo Development: The egg is stimulated to divide and develop into an embryo.

Surrogate Mother: The embryo is then implanted into a surrogate mother to carry the pregnancy.

Birth: The surrogate mother gives birth to a clone, which is a genetic twin of the original animal.

Ethical Considerations:

While the process of cloning can create a genetic twin, there are ethical considerations to be aware of. For example:

Animal Welfare: The process involves multiple surgeries and can be stressful for the animals involved.

Uncertainty of Identity: While the clone will have the same genetic makeup, its personality and life experiences will be unique.

High Cost: Cloning a pet can be very expensive.

Can deceased pets be cloned?  

The answer is yes.  ViaGen states that the process and procedures are time-critical, as each day the animal has been deceased decreases the chance of a successful preservation.  Pet owners need to contact ViaGen Pets as soon as possible, immediately after the animal’s death, for specific information and instructions.  ViaGen Pets recommends that a veterinarian perform the tissue biopsy after a pet’s death, with instructions to be found on the website.  Refrigerating, not freezing, the pet’s tissue sample immediately after death is the first critical step.  Storing at higher or lower temperatures will decrease the chance of successful preservation and should be avoided.  Tissue samples received by ViaGen will be used to establish cell cultures, and the resulting cells will be harvested and stored in liquid nitrogen.  

 

The world’s first cloned winery dog, Mella (short for Gemella, Italian for “twin”), was born in November.

This article is upbeat and happy, and emphasizes the love Arthur Murray has for his dog Stella and now Mella.  We all love our pets and want them to live forever, but what about the surrogate mothers and what they go through?  It doesn’t talk about the surgeries and stress on all animals involved.  And what kind of health problems will be down the road?  As an adopter of two labradors from a terrible breeding situation, I know firsthand about genetics and health problems.  This article made me sad.  What is your opinion on this article and pet cloning?  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Comment below and let me know.