Does the swab expire?

Yes, but not for a while. Don't worry about it.

We provide you with a Genotek PG-100 swab. Every swab has an expiration date of 28 months from the date that you can see on the swab (e.g.31001602132502). After the saliva sample has been collected, the swab tube is sealed and the swab is soaked in the stabilizer liquid; we can still extract the DNA for testing for up to a year. However, we recommend sending the sample as soon as you can providing that there are no specific reasons to hold onto the swab. 

In any case, sufficiently sampling the dog's DNA is the most important step. Get lots of slobber! 💦

Do samples expire?

A properly collected DNA sample will last in the tube with the included stabilizing fluid for 6 months and possibly up to a year. We cannot make any guarantees as every sample is unique, so we recommend that you send the sample back to us as quickly as possible after collection. If the sample does not work, we will let you know and send you a free replacement swab.