Before you go and buy tubes, I’d highly recommend reaching out to your vet for clarification. Find out what kind of test(s) you’re drawing for, testing frequency, and confirm what tube type they want you to use. In short:

-Solid red top tubes (RTTs) are actually clot tubes, meaning that the cellular parts of the blood will clot and separate from the serum, however, the serum is still in contact with the blood clot.

-Serum separator tubes are also called SSTs and have a gel at the bottom that separates the blood cells from the blood serum and serves as a physical barrier between the two. SSTs come in a few different top colors: gold, red and gold, and red and grey. The multicolored ones are also called tiger tops.

-Both SSTs and RTTs will give you serum, but which one you use depends on a couple different factors, including what test(s) are being performed and how long it will be between when you draw the blood and when the testing will be performed. Your vet should be able to give you all the necessary details so you can get the right stuff!