Frequently Asked Questions

• Our Microbiome Analysis Kits are gut health tests that reveal your pet’s unique gut profile, so you can provide theright care to support their microbiome. The process includes collecting a smallstool sample by swabbing their poo and then sending it back to our certifiedlab for analysis. When we complete the analysis, you’ll receive a link to anonline report that provides you with a microbiome profile featuring actionableinformation and tailored food and supplement recommendations tailored to your pet.

• Microbiome analysis is a sophisticated process, but Petivity makes it simple and easy. After you receive your analysis kit, you’ll be asked to register it online and fill out a survey about your pet, your health goals for them, and the sample you collected.

• Once you collect and submit your pet’s stool sample, the lab will analyze it using state-of-the art sequencing technology. A personalized report will be created for your pet to provide you with information about their unique gut microbiome, plus tailored supplement and nutrition recommendations to promote a balanced microbiome.

In your report, you’ll see:

• Your pet’s unique gut profile
• Measure of Key gut health marker(s), depending on the type of kit you purchased.
• Actionable information based on your pet’s unique gut profile to promote their health and well-being.
• A list of food ingredients beneficial to your pet.
• Tailored recommendations for probiotic & prebiotic supplement blends.

• Your pet’s microbiome is home to trillions of microbes that influence most aspects of their health and well-being.

• Certain gut bacteria can decrease as pets age, some gut bacteria can influence behavior, and decreased gut diversity can be associated with your pet being overweight.

• Knowing what’s going on in your pet’s gut gives you an inside look into their unique needs, so you can be more proactive in their care, including making better nutritional choices to support their overall health.

While all three of our Microbiome Analysis Kits offer valuable insights into your pet’s gut health and how nutrition can support this, each kit measures a different set of gut health markers:

• The Basic Microbiome Analysis Kit measures beneficial bacteria levels important to immune and digestive health. This kit also provides supplement and nutrition recommendations to maximize your pet’s health.

• The Advanced Microbiome Analysis Kit tests for predicted butyrate production, an important fuel source for gut cells, and determines microbial diversity, which represents the range of bacteria in your pet’s microbiome and is helpful in maintaining overall gut balance. This kit also provides supplement and nutrition recommendations to maximize your pet’s health.

• The Comprehensive Microbiome Analysis Kit is all-inclusive. Not only does it test for everything our Basic and Advanced kits offer and provide supplement and nutrition recommendations, but it also looks for uncommon bacteria and identifies key bacterial findings in your pet’s gut. If requested, we can send those findings to your veterinarian in a separate detailed report. If you select weight management as a health goal for your pet, we’ll also provide you with a weight control plan.

You can see a detailed comparison of each kit here to help you decide which one is right for you and your pet.

• The Petivity Microbiome Analysis Kit does not test for allergies. Rather, it analyzes your pet’s microbiome based on your pet’s stool sample. The results are shared in a report that provides personalized nutrition and supplement recommendations to improve their gut health.

• Pets of all ages, from puppy and kitten to senior, can benefit from a gut health analysis. Our puppy and kitten food and supplement recommendations are based on survey data provided by you.

• While the reference ranges included in your Analysis Report are based off data collected from dogs and cats one year and older, using the Microbiome Analysis Kit for your puppy or kitten can establish a baseline for their gut profile, allowing you to track changes over time.

• As your pet ages, beneficial bacteria tend to decrease, so there is value in monitoring their levels over the life of your pet to help you stay proactive in their care.

• No, all the information you need to gather and send us a sample is available on the test package. To register your kit, create your pet’s profile, and get your results, we’ll send you to a separate Petivity Microbiome website, also linked to on the menu of our Petivity website. 

• If you have any questions, please contact our Petivity Support team. 

• The Petivity Microbiome Analysis Kit comes in a box with a pair of sterile gloves, a collection swab to gather your pet’s stool sample, a tube to place your sample in, a return envelope, and a postage paid mailing label, so you can send your pet’s sample back to our lab for analysis.

The code on the back of your kit’s box and the color of the label on the stool sample collection tube will tell you which type of kit it is.

Kit Codes:

• Basic – PTVASPC1
• Advanced – PTVDPC1
• Comprehensive – PTCMBC1

Stool Sample Collection Tube Labels:

• Basic – White
• Advanced – Blue
• Comprehensive – Pink

• When you receive your kit, visit www.microbiome.petivity.com/register and create an account. This account will be separate from your Petivity.com account, but you can use the same credentials. You’ll use it to track the status of your kit analysis and view your pet’s personalized reports.

• From there, click “Register New Pet” and enter the Registration Code found on a card inside your kit. After that, you'll be asked to complete a survey about your pet, your health goals for them, and the stool sample you end up collecting to complete the registration process and help inform our analysis and provide you with the best recommendations possible.

• Antibiotics can affect your pet’s microbiome analysis. We recommend waiting 30 days after finishing the antibiotics to collect your pet’s stool sample. This will give the antibiotics time to leave your pet’s system.

• No. You do not need to stop feeding your pet supplements before collecting the stool sample.  

• When registering your kit and filling out the survey, please specify the supplements your pet is currently taking, so we can take it into account while creating their personalized report. 

• A great way to see the impact supplements have on your pet’s microbiome is to test your pet’s microbiome before they start taking supplements, while they’re taking them, and after they stop taking them to possibly see the difference they make, so you can choose to continue taking them or switch to new supplement.  

• We recommend sending in your pet’s sample the same day you collect it, but as long as the sample is securely placed in the testing tube included in your kit and is stored at room temperature, the testing tube solution will preserve it for a few weeks.

• If you lost your mailing label and need a new one, please contact our Petivity Support team, and we'll send you a new one.

• Yes! When our lab receives your sample, we’ll send you an email letting you know. After that, it may take up to 3 weeks for us to process the sample and publish your Microbiome Report. 

• If it’s been a few weeks since you sent in your sample, and you haven’t received a confirmation email, please contact our Petivity Support team.

• To finish registering your kit, you need to complete and submit the survey. It’s important to complete your survey, so we can take your responses into account while creating their personalized report. The survey also helps us tailor the nutrition and supplement recommendations to your pet. 

To complete your registration and survey: 

• Log into your account at www.microbiome.petivity.com. 
  
• If you haven’t started your registration, click Register Kit under the Add a New Pet section, and we’ll take you through the survey process.  
  
• If you registered your kit but haven’t finished the survey, click View Reports under your pet’s Profile Card, and click Edit Survey from their Petivity Analysis Kit Dashboard.  
  
• When you complete the survey, make sure you click Submit at the end of the page. 
  
• You should receive an email confirming your registration is complete. 

If you have any questions or have trouble completing your survey, please contact our Petivity Support team. 

• After our lab receives your pet’s sample, it takes about 2-3 weeks for us to complete the analysis. Once it's complete, we’ll publish your Microbiome Report to your account and send you an email letting you know it's ready.

• You can access your report by visiting www.microbiome.petivity.com and logging into your account.

• If it’s been more than a month since you received email confirmation that we received your pet’s sample, and you haven’t received an email saying your report is ready, please contact our Petivity Support team.

• The specialized Veterinarian Report is intended to be shared directly with your veterinarian to add context to the results. 

• When your pet's analysis is complete, and you receive an email to access your pet’s Microbiome Report, we’ll send the Veterinarian Report to the clinic’s email address you provided when filling out the kit registration survey.  

• Remember, the Veterinarian Report contains the predicted butyrate production, gut microbial diversity, and beneficial bacteria levels as well as the uncommon bacteria and key bacterial findings identified in your pet’s microbiome. 

• Once created, you can also access the Veterinarian Report by logging into www.microbiome.petivity.com, selecting your pet, and choosing Vet Report. 

• If you have any questions, please contact our Petivity Support team. 

• You can edit your survey responses up until our lab receives your pet’s sample. Simply log into www.microbiome.petivity.com, choose your pet, and then select Edit Survey.  

• If you need to change your vet’s information after we receive your pet’s sample, please contact our Petivity Support team. 

• If you already received your Microbiome Report, but your veterinarian didn’t receive their report please contact our Petivity Support team, so we can check the email and file and resend the report.

• The Pro Plan Veterinary Supplement recommendations are available for purchase through the link provided in your pet’s Microbiome Report. 

• If you have any questions or have trouble accessing the link, please contact our Petivity Support team. 

• The right probiotic and prebiotic supplement blend can help balance and reinforce your pet’s gut microbiome to promote quality of life. Probiotics are naturally occurring living microorganisms that come in different strains and may support particular areas of pets’ health, from their digestive and immune systems to their overall health and well-being. Prebiotics are a special form of dietary fiber that nourish the good bacteria already in your pet’s gut.

• As part of your pet’s analysis, we provide tailored probiotic and prebiotic supplement blend recommendations based on what you tell us about your pet and their microbiome analysis so you can feel confident you are providing optimal care.

• We recommend retesting once a year as your pet’s microbiome can change as they age.