Animal Diagnostics: Post-Pandemic Progress?

The animal diagnostics and veterinary market has seen huge changes since the pandemic. From reduced vet clinic and hospital visits, lowered consumer demand, and supply chain hurdles, companies of all scales have had to adapt. With an accelerated awareness and catalysed innovation around zoonotic diseases over recent years, we can anticipate an increase in demand for accurate, fast, and reliable point-of-care diagnostics treatments for the livestock and companion animal sectors.

The future trajectory of companies within the industry as we emerge from the pandemic is incredibly promising. Both current market leaders, and smaller businesses gaining a hold, have been working around recent changes – but what can their innovation offer clients?

The Future of Animal Diagnostics.

With ample funding opportunities, clear routes to investors, and teams of international expertise, the leading names in animal diagnostics have a broad range of resources at their disposal. Whilst their foundations are strong, the pandemic has caused disruption and uncertainty across the market – how have the big hitters adapted and developed within this space? Let’s take a look.

IDEXX

IDEXX leads in the industry, working across more than 175 countries to offer comprehensive healthcare services within the animal diagnostic industry. Their animal diagnostics offering covers the small animal, livestock, milk, equine, and water sectors, and is highly competitive. Clients can make the most of on-site and in-house laboratory testing, intelligent software analysis through the VetConnect PLUS platform, simple-to-use bench-top veterinarian systems, and even IDEXX-exclusive testing, including SDMA, CBC, Fecal Dx antigen, and IDEXX 4Dx Plus testing.   

IDEXX has also made the most of its extensive funding opportunities to consolidate its livestock market offering – their ruminant and swine test offering now covers pregnancy, viruses, bacteria, parasites, and prion diseases, whilst poultry testing and guidelines for effective flock monitoring have considerably progressed.

As we advance out of the pandemic, IDEXX have put animal clinicians in control, offering even more services that can be accessed locally.  IDEXX have made the most of extensive funding, investor support, and international knowledge to emerge safely with a broader client offering from the pandemic.

Zoetis

Zoetis, named one of the most innovative companies in 2022 by Fast Company, has been commended for its delivery of over 11000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to more than 70 zoos, alongside conservatories, sanctuaries and academic institutions across the United States. The company continues to monitor approximately 200 zoonotic diseases and is a leading presence in animal diagnostics.  

With 70 years of expertise and innovation, the company reaches more than 100 countries and generated a revenue of $7.8 billion in 2021. Their quality medicines, vaccines, diagnostic products, and biodevices offer clients a broad range of support they can trust in.   

Their livestock and small animal portfolios cover highly reliable and easy-to-use vaccines, anti-infectives, parasiticides, medicated feed additives, animal health diagnostics, and sedation products. Since the pandemic, they’ve also developed an impressive range of dermatological products and animal health diagnostics such as portable blood and urine analysis to really set them apart as an international leader in small animal diagnostics care.   

Heska

Doubling down on their leading position in the companion and small animal space, Heska have gone from strength to strength in the veterinary and pet owner animal diagnostic niche. Their lab diagnostics offer state-of-the-art chemistry, haematology, and blood gas and electrolyte test systems with fast and reliable efficiency, alongside quick and accurate digital imaging solutions. The Heska diagnostics laboratory suite offers rapid and reliable results to countless veterinary hospitals, with supportive software integration offering optimum data analysis.

Coming out of Covid, Heska reported an impressive 97.4% growth in its revenue during the first quarter of 2021 – and with specialist small animal care on offer with a market leader’s budget and masses of satisfied clients, they are sure to find even greater success.

Smaller Scale Companies.

Whilst market leaders have had resources to fall back on, how have smaller-scale companies or young start-ups navigated the pandemic? With fewer funding or investor opportunities, often working with smaller, more local teams, they’ve had to approach the pandemic very differently. This alternative space of innovation, however, has led to some impressive developments.

Advanced Animal Diagnostics

Advanced Animal Diagnostics provide rapid, on-farm animal diagnostics, enabling livestock producers to make informed decisions on animal management and treatment decisions. By providing prompt, accurate data, AAD supports clients in animal diagnostics they can rely upon, however, our supply chains or working worlds may change.

The company have recently been granted funding from BARDA to help support their advanced diagnostic development, including a focus on earlier sepsis detection. Advanced Animal Diagnostics have identified and occupied a profitable niche that can ensure their progress post-pandemic.

Ellie Diagnostics

Ellie Diagnostics defines its niche within animal diagnostics by focusing on optimum customer service, and user-friendly access to diagnostic reports. Offering full service-veterinary wellness and animal diagnostic laboratory services, Ellie Diagnostics offer quality bloodwork and essential testing to veterinarians with no contracts, minimums, or unexpected price increases.

This small company have recognised the increasing demand for individual understanding that navigating the difficulties of the pandemic have nurtured. Ellie have been applauded for helping clients streamline their processes, consistently accurate results, and quick and easy return. 

Embark Vet

Embark Vet have truly honed their niche in the animal diagnostics space, offering canine DNA testing directly to pet owners. Rated the highest performing dog DNA test on the market with a complex delivery of insights at an accessible price point, Embark has the capability to test over 350 breeds and delivers the most accurate DNA and disease results among other specialist providers. Having partnered with Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Embark are set to further define their authority in this space, even against market leaders.

Onwards and Upwards for Animal Diagnostics.

From market leaders with ample funding and investment opportunity taking time to evaluate the breadth of their offering to smaller companies getting resourceful to define their niche, companies across the animal diagnostics industry have made the most of pandemic changes to level up for success.

We have all learnt to adapt through the pandemic - successful companies have diversified their portfolio, while clients have explored their options and spent their time and money with industry specialists they feel seen and heard by. The key to the animal diagnostic industry’s continued success surely lies in continued innovation and skilled adaptation.

If you'd like to chat some more about the themes in this article, or about any other current and emerging themes in the animal diagnostics maret, then get in touch!

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