This abstract strongly indicates a need for pet parents to consider accuracy before choosing to test.
“Based on these results, the saliva test for food specific IgA and IgM and the ELISA serum test for food specific IgE were not reliable to diagnose adverse food reactions in dogs. Until more data are available, elimination diets remain the reference standard in the diagnosis of this disease.”
This study included both animal hair and saliva as well as synthetic fur and a sterile sample.
Animals: Seven healthy animals (six dogs, one cat); six animals (five dogs, one cat) with atopic dermatitis; 11 samples of synthetic fur and sterile saline.
Methods and materials: Duplicate animal hair and saliva, and 11 synthetic fur and saline samples were collected (total samples 35) and submitted to the company for analysis, yielding 12,075 outcomes for statistical analysis.
Results: Positive test results were provided by the direct-to-consumer pet allergy for all submitted samples, including synthetic fur and saline. The test results for healthy and atopic animal samples were no different from each other or from synthetic fur and saline samples.