It’s best to do this before feeding your dog. Food particles can contaminate the sample and make your results less accurate. Avoid meals and treats at least 10 minutes prior to testing.
- If 3 months have passed since you opened the test strip packaging or the expiration date on the packaging has passed, we recommend disposing of the tests strips as they may no longer be accurate or reliable.
- Store your test strips in their packaging in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to administer the test.
- Do not reuse test strips.
- To collect a sample and get your results, remove one of the test strips from the package, and rub the pad of the test strip along your dog’s gumline for 5 seconds on each side of the mouth to get it fully wet.
- Start a timer for 2 minutes and wait until time is up to view your results.
Tip: When administering the test, do not leave the test strip unattended in your dog’s mouth. Avoid damaging the pad on your dog’s teeth or tongue. If the pad does become damaged, repeat the test with a new test strip.
- After waiting 2 minutes, compare the color at the center of your test strip pad to the color-scoring scale on your test package.
- The number of the color that matches your test strip will tell you your Final Result (Green, Yellow, or Red).
- Sometimes the edges of the test pad may appear darker in color. Read the color from the center of the pad, ignoring the dark edges.
- For each possible Final Result, recommendations are included on the test package.
Tip: If you’re unsure of the color, repeat the test with a new strip.
Take a picture of your test strip after 2 minutes of wetting the pad on your pet’s gums and contact our Consumer Support team at support@petivity.com, or call your veterinarian.
- We do not recommend bringing your test strip to your veterinarian as the results are no longer accurate after 5 minutes.
- If you’d like to review your results with your veterinarian, we recommend taking a photo of your test strip against the color-scoring scale. Keep in mind, however, poor lighting can affect how the results appear in your picture.
- If your pet is exhibiting abnormal behavior, or if you're concerned about your pet’s health, we recommend a vet visit.
- Dogs can be funny. They can try to gnaw on the test strip, put up a good fight, or simply be dehydrated when you try to collect a sample.
- We provide you with 2 test strips in each package, so you can try again if something happens to the first test strip, or you can do a quick retest later that day to double check your results.
- It is not recommended to save a test strip for 3-6 months after taking it out of the package
- That depends on your Final Result. The recommendation can be retest in 3-6 months, retest in 1 month, or contact your veterinarian immediately.
- If your dog was stressed or dehydrated while taking the test, you may want to wait a month and retest to confirm the results.
- If your pet continues to get Green (0/1) as their Final Result, we suggest retesting your dog every 6 months if they’re younger than 7 years and every 3 months if they’re older than 7 years.
- No, all the information you need to administer the test and get your results is available on the test package and our Petivity website.
- We don’t currently have an app associated with our Petivity Health Tests. If you have any questions, please contact our Petivity Support team.
- From puppies to senior dogs, pets of all ages can benefit from a Petivity At-Home Kidney Health Test to establish a baseline for their Final Result and track changes over time.
- As your dog ages, the chances of developing kidney health issues tend to increase, so monitoring results over the life of your precious dog can help you stay proactive in your pet’s health care.
Yes, since you’ll be collecting a saliva sample along their gumline, our test is still valuable for dogs that are missing teeth.
- The Petivity At-Home Kidney Health Test is not a replacement for regular visits to the veterinarian.
- It’s ideal for testing in-between routine visits or as directed by your veterinarian for frequent kidney health testing.