How do I collect a saliva sample with the tube-and-swab kit?

Follow your kit’s leaflet. Instructions are also available through the leaflet’s QR code and at kokogenetics.com/welcome. 

Before you start: 

  • Register the kit in your account. 

  • Your pet must not eat or drink, even water, for the 60 minutes beforehand. 

  • Do not touch the cotton tips or let them touch any surface. 

  • During those 60 minutes, prevent your pet from licking other animals or sharing food bowls or toys. 

  • Make sure your pet does not bite or swallow the swabs. Never put a swab back into their mouth after it has touched the preservative solution. Keep the kit out of children’s reach. 

Collecting the sample: 

  1. Remove a swab from its wrapper without touching the tip. 

  1. Place it in your pet’s mouth and rub firmly against the inside of the cheeks for at least 60 seconds. Insufficient DNA is the most common reason samples fail, so follow the specified timing and technique. 

  1. Place the tip in the tube and stir it in the preservative solution. 

  1. Snap the swab at the notch near the cotton tip, leaving the tip submerged in the solution. 

  1. Repeat steps 1–4 with the second swab and, if your kit includes a third, with that one too. 

  1. Check that the tips are soaked and covered by the solution, close the tube firmly and invert it about 15 times. 

  1. Place the tube in the bag and the bag in the mailing envelope. 

  1. Print and attach the prepaid label emailed after registration and take the package to the specified drop-off point. Only use our labels; do not arrange your own postage.