Collection Protocol

Animal should be fasted prior to sample collection. Avoid hemolysis and lipemia.

Collect blood in appropriate vacutainer tube. Allow blood to clot at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes prior to separation. Centrifuge to separate serum from the clot. Transfer (pipette) serum into plain leakproof tube.

**Animal must not have received thyroid therapy for at least three (3) months prior to sample collection.**

Unspun samples will not be accepted. Do not send whole blood. Do not ship samples in serum separator tubes.

Shipping Requirements

Freeze sample prior to shipment. Ship on ice via overnight courier. Sample must arrive at 60°F or below per OFA criteria. Please strictly adhere to instructions as given on the OFA submission form.

Serum samples arriving unchilled or at room temperature within 48 hours of the shipment (with ice) date will be accepted. Samples arriving after this time must be received either chilled or frozen in order to be accepted for registry.

We recommend shipping with an ice pack using MSU VDL insulated mailer with UPS (99220 - single, 99221 - 3 pack, 99222 - 6 pack).

Additional Information

This profile includes total T4 (TT4), total T3 (TT3), free T4 by equilibrium dialysis (FT4d), T4 autoantibody (T4AA), T3 autoantibody (T3AA), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroglobulin autoantibody (TgAA).

Owner must submit a separate $15 check made out to OFA and a completed OFA application form must be enclosed.

OFA certification results are only available from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (573) 442-0418.