Research Swab
Contribute your dog or cat's DNA to science! It's currently free to participate in this study and get to learn new things about your pet's health.
This research study is an on-going project that seeks to collect mouth swab samples across the lifespan of pet's. In order to participate, you must be willing to provide at least one mouth swab of DNA.
Free shipping on all test kits within the US. Shipping to Canada can be accommodated but the customer will have to cover the cost.
Test kits typically ship within 2-5 business days depending on day of week and holidays.
The Pet Age Test
Product Description
Use science to estimate your pet’s age!
The Pet Age Test estimates age in dogs and cats from a mouth swab. Age estimates come with a suggested birthday and life stage determination from age/breed/weight and helpful insights based on your pet's life stage for nutrition, health monitoring, behavior, and lifestyle/safety.
Each kit comes with:
- Mailer box, the same box is used to mail back the sample
- Welcome letter/What to expect
- Information sheet to send with sample to lab
- Swabs
- Tube with DNA preservative
- Return label
Technology
This DNA-based test uses cutting-edge epigenetic biomarker technology to estimate your pet's age from DNA methylation, a widely published and validated method of age estimation in animals.
Please visit the Science page for more information on the technology behind this test.
Accuracy
Age estimates are within a year of actual age (+/- 12 months).
This is a huge improvement to the 5 year window that vets can typically provide using physical features, such as teeth.
It can be very difficult to estimate age in rescue pets coming from bad situations that have led to poor physical condition due to lack of healthcare.
Things that Change with Age:
- Diet- nutritional components and amount should change.
- Amount and type of exercise.
- Which and how often health monitoring tests should be performed.
- Helps vets identify what is wrong when new symptoms or behaviors pop up.