Blood Sample Collection Instructions:

Veterinary Appointment

Blood can be collected by your veterinarian or a licensed veterinary technician and must be processed according to the instructions below. OptiGen does not supply a sampling kit, since your veterinarian will have the necessary supplies. Make an appointment to have a blood sample drawn early in the week to avoid shipping over the weekend. Inform the clinic in advance that the blood must be drawn into a small lavender (purple) topped vacutainer tube and that the blood MUST be unclotted.

Test Request Form

Complete the Test Request Form with all the required information on the dog to be tested. If more than one dog is being tested at the same time, complete a form for each dog even if they are from the same litter.

Both the owner and the responsible veterinary staff must sign the form affirming a match of the dog described in the paperwork and the blood sample.  Although OptiGen requires very little information in order to run the test, many registries may require additional information such as a permanent ID.   Please contact the registry for their requirements.

You may copy the completed form for your records.

UNCLOTTED Blood Sample

Supplies needed at clinic:

• 18-22 gauge hypodermic needles
• 3 ml or larger syringe. Syringe must be new, in original package, and never re-sterilized.
• Lavender (purple) topped tube (EDTA anti-coagulant), any size is acceptable; however, 2 ml or larger is preferred. (We need at least 1 ml of blood for testing.) If necessary, ACD yellow topped tubes are acceptable substitutes.
• Sealable (ziplock) plastic bag to hold tube
• Two sticky labels marked with owner's name, dog's name and date - one affixed to the tube and the other to the plastic bag

• COLLECT 1-3 ml of blood from the test dog.
• IMMEDIATELY  transfer the blood to the anti-coagulent tube (do NOT overfill tubes).
• INVERT the tube several times to prevent clotting. Clotted blood cannot be used. Do NOT send clotted blood. If necessary, a new blood sample should be collected. Do NOT put tape over the cap of the tube.