(PRESS RELEASE) HELSINKI, FINLAND — Jarno Kukila, CEO and co-founder of diagnostics company Bellylabs Ltd., calls it the most significant pet pregnancy related innovation in decades.
“No other home-use rapid pregnancy tests for dogs exist, so we are creating a brand new category to the global market. Bellylabs Pregnancy Test for dogs is our first product, and we see a vast potential in introducing new health tech for testing pets at home.
“The gestation period in dogs is relatively short, about 63 days. Detecting pregnancy at an early stage allows the owner or breeder to arrange the best possible conditions for the dog. Easy, safe and reliable, the Bellylabs Pregnancy Test brings peace of mind to the owner. Testing from the familiarity of home is a great way of ensuring a less stressful and more convenient way of detecting pregnancy,” Kukila says.
Developed with top veterinarians, researchers and breeders, Bellylabs Pregnancy Test detects relaxin hormone — produced only by the placenta of a pregnant dog — from a sample of a single blood-drop snapped from the dog’s lip. Thus, it can also be used to distinguish between pseudopregnancy and a real gestation. Bellylabs recommends that the test is performed no earlier than 28 days post-ovulation.
“The idea stemmed from our co-founders identifying challenges in breeders’ everyday life. We became convinced that there must be an easier, more reliable and affordable way to determine dog pregnancy. That prompted us to study vast amounts of research and ultimately begin product development that has been conducted in Europe, China and the U.S.”
“We have tested the Bellylabs Pregnancy Test with over 30 dog breeds and its accuracy is 96 percent. Following a positive result, we recommend you seek the advice of a veterinarian who can determine the number of foetuses and monitor their health via ultrasound or x-ray,” Kukila says.
Bellylabs Pregnancy Test is available online at www.belly-labs.com. It will also soon be available in pet specialty stores internationally. Patent pending.