AMC Pet-Temp PT-300 User manual

Pet-Temp®
Instant Ear Thermometer for Pets
Home Use Model PT-300
Quick Start
Instruction Manual
6215 Ferris Square, San Diego, CA 92121, U.S.A.
Toll-free Customer Service: 1-877-PET-TEMP (738-8367)
Telephone: [phone] www.pet-temp.com

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Pet-Temp® Quick Start
Step 1 –Locating the Ear Canal
A. The ear canal begins directly behind the tragus. As
a point of reference, identify the tragus and the ear
canal of a human. Fig. 1 shows the tragus on a
human. Just like you, your pet has a tragus.
However, it may be a little more difficult to locate.
Figures 2 and 3 show you the location of the tragus
on a cat and a dog.
►If the ear canal has a lot of hair, first trim or pluck the
hair to find the tragus and the canal.
►If the ear is very dirty or full of wax, contact your
veterinarian or local pet product retailer to identify
the best method of cleaning.
B. To visually locate the ear canal of your pet, pull the
outside of the ear towards the tail as shown in
Figure 2.
►It helps to have another person hold your pet’s head
to help stabilize it from moving. You can feel the
canal with your finger to be sure you have its correct
location.

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Step 2 –Understanding your Pet-Temp
A. The Pet-Temp Instant Ear Thermometer (Fig. 4)
has a sensor arm that can be folded for storage and
opened when the probe is to be inserted into your
pet’s ear canal for temperature measurement.
B. The tip of the probe contains an infrared lens made
of a hard black crystal. The lens must be kept clean
to assure accurate temperature measurement.
Clean with alcohol and a cotton swab.
C. Before the probe is inserted into an ear canal, it
must be covered by the protective Lens Cover which
is fabricated from a special plastic that is transparent
to infrared waves. Failure to use a Lens Cover will
result in inaccurate temperature measurement.
D. The activation button is located on the spine of
the thermometer. It is used to start the thermometer
and to measure temperature when the probe is
inserted into the ear canal.
E. The display will guide you through the process and
show the temperature after measurement. The last

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temperature measured will also show on the display
for two seconds at start-up.
F. To change the scale from Fahrenheit to Celsius or
vice versa, insert a paper clip into the C/F switch hole
and push.
Step 3 –Installing the Lens Cover
A. The Disposable Lens Covers are packaged in a box
of 20 and are conveniently packaged with a
dispenser. Position the dispenser on a firm surface
such as a table top. Slide the first cover in the box,
being careful not to touch the plastic film and place it
into the circular cavity in the dispenser as shown in
Figure 5.
B. Open the sensor arm of the Pet-Temp. Position the
tip of the probe at the center of the lens cover and
slowly but firmly push the Pet-Temp thermometer
down so the cover envelopes the probe tip. You
should feel a snap when the lens cover engages the
probe retention ring. The lens cover membrane must
smoothly and uniformly envelope the probe. Do not
touch the membrane area near the infrared lens.

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Step 4 –Starting the Pet-Temp®
A. Press and release the Activation Button. The
Display screen will briefly show the “Test Image”
(Fig. 6). You will also see the “Lens Cover” symbol to
remind you that a new Lens Cover must be installed.
B. The last temperature measured and the letter Mwill
be displayed for two seconds (Figure 7).
C. When the Pet-Temp is ready to measure
temperature, the READY symbol and a C or Fwill
be displayed (Fig. 8).
►Now, you are ready to measure temperature

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Step 5 –Measuring Temperature
►It is best to have another person stabilize the
animal’s head while measuring a temperature.
A. As we did in Step 1, find your pet’s ear canal.
Remember, it is located directly behind the tragus.
While pulling the ear towards the tail, insert the probe
into the ear canal as deep as possible as seen in
Figures 9 and 10. Point the probe tip in the direction
of the animal’s opposite jaw (toward the ear drum).
Continue to pull the outside of the animal’s ear
towards the tail as you insert the probe as shown in
Fig. 11.

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B. When the probe is as deep as possible (fitting
tightly), push the Activation Button (Fig. 12). Within
one second, the Pet-Temp will “beep” signaling it has
finished measuring the temperature.
►Do not leave the probe in the ear for longer than 3
seconds as this may result in reduced accuracy.
C. Remove the probe from the ear and read the
temperature as shown in Fig. 13.
D. Remove and discard the Lens Cover. To measure
another temperature, push the activation button and
wait for the READY symbol. Install a new clean Lens
Cover before measuring the next temperature. When
finished, close the Sensor Arm for storage.
►The Pet-Temp probe will not injure or harm your
pet’s ear drum or ear canal.
►The Pet-Temp measures the temperature of what it is pointed towards.
Variance in temperature readings will occur if the probe tip is pointed in
different directions. It is important to aim the probe tip towards the ear
drum for maximum accuracy. It will take practice to become
comfortable with the correct technique.

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Step 6 –Determine a Normal Baseline Temperature
A. As a point of reference for future temperature
measurement, you should establish a baseline
temperature for your pet. This should be done over
several days at the same time everyday (6:00 to 9:00
a.m. is optimal) and should be done when your pet is
healthy and at rest. This will give you the ability to
monitor abnormal temperature readings on your pet
in the future. Use the box to the right (Fig. 14) to
record the baseline temperature for three days and
then calculate and record the average baseline
temperature.
Step 7 –Interpreting Results
A. Normal ear temperature on dogs and cats (and
most companion animals) is between 100.0and
103.0Fahrenheit (37.7and 39.4Celsius). As in
humans, animals will experience fluctuations in body
temperature depending on the time of day and their
activity level. During a resting state, the ear
temperature of most animals will be closer to 100.0F
(37.7C). After exercise or on a hot day, the ear
temperature may rise to 103.0F (39.4C) or higher.

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B. To distinguish between a sickness and an exercise or heat induced temperature
increase, let your animal rest for 30-60 minutes and then measure its temperature.
Compare this reading to the average resting baseline temperature that you have
recorded above. If the animal’s temperature is higher than 103.0F (39.4C),
contact your veterinary professional for further instructions on treatment and care.
C. Temperatures below 98.0F (36.7C) or exceeding 104.5F (40.3C) are
potentially life threatening and may be harmful to the animal if untreated. Contact
your veterinary professional immediately for further instructions on treatment and
care.
Battery Symbol
A. For a maximum convenience, the Pet-Temp Instant
Ear Thermometer has a permanently built-in battery.
The battery has a long life and sufficient energy
capacity for over 5 years of operation in a home
environment. Once the battery reaches its limit, the
user should return the Pet-Temp to the factory for
service. For a nominal charge and at the Company’s
discretion, AMC will either replace the battery or
exchange the thermometer.
The battery symbol (Fig. 16) will be flashing when the battery capacity is depleted.
At this time, the thermometer should be sent to Advanced Monitors Corporation for
service.

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Error Messages
Pet-Temp Tips
The infrared lens must be kept clean at all times. This is accomplished
by cleaning with a cotton swab and alcohol. Wait 10 minutes before
measuring temperature after cleaning for the lens to completely dry. The
most common cause of low readings is a dirty lens. Please be sure it is
always kept clean.
Er1
Ambient air temperature is either too hot or too cold. Operating
ambient air temperature range is 50F –104F (10.0C –40C)
Lo
Measured temperature is lower than 93.2F (34C)
Hi
Measured temperature is higher than 109.4F (43C)
Er3
Temperature of the probe is not stable. Wait a couple of minutes and
retake temperature.
Er4
Pet-Temp could not compute an accurate temperature (possibly from
animal movement). Try again!
Er0
Hardware malfunction. Contact Customer Service if Er0 continues.

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For accurate temperature measurement, the ear should be clear of hair, wax
or debris. Commercial ear cleaning products are available through your
veterinarian or your local pet product retailer.
The Pet-Temp has been designed to quickly and easily measure animal ear
temperature. Leaving the probe in the ear for longer than 3 seconds can
result in reduced accuracy of the thermometer. It is best to get “in and out”
within 1 or 2 seconds.
Do not use the Pet-Temp if the ear is sensitive to touch due to an ear
infection or injury.
Pet-TempFacts
The Pet-Temp thermometer does not emit any signal or radiation. It is a
passive detector of infrared (heat) waves that are naturally emanated by the
surface of an ear canal.
The Pet-Temp is totally safe and will not injure or harm your pet.
As opposed to ear thermometers intended for human subjects, the Pet-Temp
infrared probe is specifically designed to fit into ear canals of dogs, cats and
most companion animals including rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs and
chinchillas.
Research has shown that the ear drum region in humans and animals is an
excellent location to monitor body temperature. The ear canal is located
near the brain and essentially is at brain blood temperature and is called

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“core” temperature. Rapid changes in “core” temperature reflect much faster
at the ear drum region than at the rectum. Unlike rectal temperatures, the
accuracy of your ear thermometer is not influenced by food, digestion or
intestinal gases.
Depending on the “core” body temperature of the animal, ear and rectal
temperatures may not match perfectly. This is due to the fact that rectal
measurements are not good indicators of “core” body temperature. Accurate
rectal temperatures are also dependent on: 1) the calibration of the rectal
thermometer 2) the time the thermometer is kept in the rectum and 3) the
presence of intestinal gas and feces. Even if the temperature of the ear and
the rectum are different, they are typically in the same diagnostic range.
Although the Pet-Temp can take accurate temperatures from most animals
including humans, it is not approved for the diagnostic purposes of people.
How Does the Instant Ear Thermometer Work?
In any object, atoms naturally emanate electromagnetic waves in the mid and far
infrared spectral ranges (invisible light) in relation to the object’s temperature. The
Pet-Temp contains a special infrared sensor which detects the strength of the
infrared light. From that, the built-in microcomputer computes temperature. Since
the measurement is performed by detecting light, the instrument works almost
instantaneously and does not need to come into contact with the ear drum.

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The Pet-Temp operation resembles a digital camera in that it incorporates a lens, a
light sensing device and a microcomputer. Contrary to the ear thermometers
intended for human applications, the Pet-Temp infrared probe is specially designed
to fit into ear canals of most animals and will not injure the ear canal or ear drum.
Why measure your pet’s temperature?
Animals are just like small children, they can’t tell us when they’re sick. Traditional
methods of identifying illnesses (touching their nose or observing behavior) are not
good indicators of internal (core) body temperature. The Pet-Temp is an extremely
accurate temperature measuring device that allows the user to identify fluctuations
in their pet’s temperature that may be an indication of an illness. Also, the risk of
infection and illness is increased after surgery (including spaying and neutering) or
from vaccinations, trauma, injury, insect bites and poisoning. As in humans, when a
change in temperature is identified, quicker medical attention will lead to improved
treatment and care for your pet.
How Pet-Temp is different from Human Ear Thermometers
Unlike humans, animal ear shapes and sizes can vary dramatically. Cats have
short and narrow ear canals while large dogs have deep and curved canals. To
accurately measure temperature on all different size ear canals, an ear thermometer
must be specifically designed to accommodate all ear sizes. As compared to
human ear thermometers, the Pet-Temp accomplishes this by utilizing a smaller
probe tip and an extended sensor arm. These two features allow the user to

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position the probe in the correct position of most companion animals: from kittens to
large dogs.
Maintenance and Care
The Pet-Temp Instant Ear Thermometer is a precision instrument that requires very
little care to assure years of reliable operation. The following is the recommended
maintenance:
1. The probe lens should be kept clean. This should be completed on a regular
basis (approximately every 10 measured temperatures). The lens should be
cleaned by using a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. After rubbing the lens with the
cotton swab, use a dry cotton swab to remove excess alcohol. After this is
completed, wait at least five minutes before using the Pet-Temp to assure the
window is completely dry. A clean window will appear uniformly shiny.
2. If the instrument housing becomes soiled or dirty, gently wipe it with a paper towel
or a soft piece of cloth. For better results, dampen the towel or cloth with rubbing
alcohol. Never use any other cleaning solutions or solvents. The use of a sharp
object, such as a knife, to clean grooves in the instrument can damage the
thermometer. If more thorough cleaning is required, use a soft tool such as a
toothpick.

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Problem
Possible Cause
Corrective Measure
Temperature
reading appears
too low
▪Dirty probe lens or lens cover
▪Incorrect insertion of probe into
an ear canal.
▪Obstructed ear canal or large
ear wax deposits
▪Clean lens with alcohol and cotton
swab. Use new, clean Lens Cover
▪Retake temperature with the correct
technique
▪Clean ear and retake temperature
Temperature
reading appears
too high
▪Lens Cover is broken or not
installed
▪Damaged lens or probe tip
▪Install a new Lens Cover and retake
temperature
▪Return for factory service
Display show Lo
▪Patient temp. out of range
▪Probe was not kept in ear for 1
second
▪Activation Button was
accidentally pressed too soon.
▪Seek medical care immediately
▪Retake temperature keeping probe in
ear for at least 1 second
▪Repeat temperature. Push Activation
Button after probe is seated in ear.
Display shows Er4
▪Probe was incorrectly inserted
into ear
▪Pet moved its head
▪Probe was removed from ear
before “beep”
▪Retake temp. with correct technique
▪Retake temp. with pet’s head stable
▪Retake temp., wait for “beep”
Instrument does
not respond
▪Dead battery or hardware
malfunction
▪Contact Customer Service
Trouble Shooting

Limited Warranty
The Pet-Temp (Model PT-300) Instant Ear Thermometer is warranted by Advanced
Monitors Corporation to be free from manufacturing defects for one (1) year from the
date of purchase by the original purchaser when used at home. This warranty does
not cover malfunction or damage that is the result of misuse, abuse or intentional
damage to the product. Opening or disassembly of the product housing or the
portion thereof or use for professional purposes voids this warranty.
Except for the expressed limited warranty set forth above, Advanced Monitors
Corporation grants no other warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the PT-300
Pet-Temp Instant Thermometer, the Lens Covers, accessories, and related
materials, their fitness for a particular purpose, their quality or their merchantability.
No oral or written information or advice given by Advanced Monitors Corporation, its
reseller, agents, or employers shall create a warranty.
In no event shall Advanced Monitors Corporation be liable for any special,
incidental, indirect or consequential damages that result from the purchase or use of
the Pet-Temp Instant Ear Thermometer. The maximum liability shall not exceed the
price paid for the instrument.

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Service
Pet-Temp (Model PT-300) Instant Ear Thermometer contains no user serviceable
components. If you encounter problems while using the instrument, follow these
steps:
1. Read the Trouble Shooting section. It may contain the solution to your problem.
2. Access our web page: www.pet-temp.com. It may contain a solution to your
problem and will allow you to communicate with Customer Service through e-mail.
3. Call our Customer Service Department. The toll-free number in the U.S. and
Canada is 1-877-PET-TEMP (877-738-8367). From other countries call 1-858-
677-3880.