The veterinary diagnostics market is a crucial part of the fight to prevent animal illness and death. Humans love their animals. In the United States alone we own an estimated 70 million to 80 million dogs and between 74 million and 96 million cats. We own about two million horses as well, and this doesn’t even take into consideration the rabbits, goats, cows, ducks, reptiles, rodents, and other animals that we love and find useful. Veterinary practices that have clinical diagnostics laboratory are able to take advantage of the huge uptick in veterinary diagnostics market potential that we’ve seen in recent years.
What Does a Veterinary Laboratory Test For?
The veterinary diagnostics market is constantly expanding, and some of the most common tests available include the antigen heartworm test, the equine infectious anemia virus antibody test, food safety testing, and testing for diseases like distemper or parvo. It’s important to understand why this is necessary. Every year, a million dogs turn heartworm positive in the United States, and the treatment for this can cost as much as $1000. Fewer cats get heartworm, but it takes far fewer heartworms to dangerously sicken a cat than it does to sicken a dog. When it comes to horses, almost nothing is more serious than equine infectious anemia. This virus can cause a horse to develop acute signs of the disease and die in just a few weeks. There is no treatment and no prevention for this virus, and just 1/5 of a teaspoon of blood from a horse who has it has enough virus in it to infect 10,000 more horses.
Providing the Best Care Possible
Ask any veterinarian why they entered the practice and almost all will say that they wanted to be able to give animals the best possible care that they could. Veterinary diagnostics is an important way of providing that kind of care. Without it, our animals are vulnerable to all kinds of infections and diseases. With it, we have the tools to prevent a lot of suffering for those beloved animals who cannot protect themselves.
Veterinary Diagnostics Market Profit
Entering the veterinary diagnostics market is also a great way for a veterinary practice to grow their business. Wellness screens, senior screening, and screening for medications and other issues is an important way of bringing in the funds necessary to keep the practice running. This is crucial in an area that is constantly balancing the need to provide care for animals that owners can afford with the need to stay profitable enough to keep the doors open.
What About Veterinary Diagnostics Companies?
Though it is a good idea for individual practices to have some veterinary laboratory equipment, veterinary diagnostics companies are very important as well. It’s simply impossible for the average veterinary practice to have all of the diagnostics they need for the wide variety of animals and conditions they may encounter. Having access to veterinary laboratory services from a professional company dedicated to such work allows even the smallest veterinary clinic to provide excellent care for its patients.