Same-day vitamin D test for dogs developed with domestic kit

A domestically developed diagnostic technology can now cut the days-long wait for canine vitamin D test results. Rather than sending a blood sample to an outside laboratory, the kit measures vitamin D levels on-site at the veterinary clinic. Once the product reaches the market, dog owners will be able to receive results the same day and consult their veterinarian immediately.

The Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry announced Wednesday that a vitamin D test kit for dogs, developed through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' companion animal full-lifecycle industrialization technology development project, has received approval as a veterinary medical device. The product, cleared on July 27, is called the DELISA Vitamin D kit for Canine.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for dogs, supporting bone health and calcium metabolism. Both deficiency and excess can cause health problems. Researchers are also increasingly studying links between blood vitamin D levels and conditions such as chronic kidney disease, heart failure and some infectious diseases, raising the need for reliable on-site measurement.

Until now, veterinary clinics typically drew blood and sent samples to outside laboratories, a process that took several days and left owners waiting for results.

The new kit measures the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in a dog's blood — the standard biomarker used to assess the body's vitamin D status — and indicates whether levels are deficient or excessive.

The key innovation combines immunoassay technology based on antigen-antibody reactions with a microfluidic chip. The chip routes a tiny volume of blood through microscopic channels to analyze the reaction, enabling quantitative measurement of vitamin D concentration at the point of care.

The product was jointly developed by Small Machines, Jeonbuk National University and the Huvet research team. The kit is also significant as a domestically produced alternative to a measurement technology that previously relied entirely on outside testing services. The Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry expects the product to shorten waiting times and reduce costs for pet owners once it is distributed.

However, a vitamin D test alone cannot diagnose conditions such as chronic kidney disease or heart failure. Blood vitamin D concentration is one of several indicators that can be used to monitor a dog's nutritional and overall health status.

The product has not yet reached veterinary clinics. Small Machines is currently building a manufacturing facility for commercialization and plans to begin supplying animal hospitals and other outlets once its production system is in place.

"This diagnostic kit, born from agricultural and food research and development support, will serve as an opportunity to raise the technological competitiveness of the domestic companion animal healthcare industry," said Park Hong-jae, president of the Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture and Forestry. "We will continue to support technology development that reflects market demand so that domestic companies can generate results."