As a pet owner, there are few things more stressful than an unplanned trip to the vet. We’ve all experienced it; your dog starts acting strangely, refusing food, and maybe acting lethargic. So, you load them into your car, try to keep them calm and comfortable while you sit in the waiting room (or worse, in your car in the parking lot b/c of COVID curbside vet services), then head back home with an upset pup and an expensive vet bill.
Truffle and I went through this exact scenario in early 2020. One day, I noticed Truffle wasn’t acting like himself; he wasn’t eating and having horrible gas and diarrhea. It was obvious the poor guy was miserable, so I rushed him to the vet!
After a bunch of costly tests and x-rays, a simple stool sample test revealed that Truffle had hookworms. He most likely contracted hooks by stepping in an infected dog’s waste then licking his paws when he got home. If only I had done a stool test first!
Are you grossed out? So was I. What if Truffle infected me with hookworms?! After emailing the vet a thousand questions, I fell down a dark Google hole reading everything I could find about hookworms.
There was so much information online, and the situation was so overwhelming that I got a little freaked out.
MySimplePetLab
Luckily, things took a turn for the better. Truffle got rid of his hookworms, and I learned about MySimplePetLab, a pet health testing product from the comfort and safety of home. MySimplePetLab gives pet owners easy access to veterinary-approved lab tests.
I’ll admit, at first, I was skeptical. Shouldn’t only brick and mortar veterinarian offices be responsible for handling my pet’s medical tests? Could an online company really give me accurate results I can trust?
The answer is “Yes!”
MySimplePetLab was created by Maranda, an animal health company founded by Dennis Chmiel, DVM, MBA, and Nancy Willerton, DVM. This means MySimplePetLab’s tests have been developed by veterinarians and are backed by certified laboratory testing. So basically, using MySimplePetLab allows you to cut out the middleman and get your results straight from the laboratory! Their lab is literally the first veterinary reference lab in the U.S. that will give test results back directly to pet parents. No vet relationship is required.
I was instantly on board. Paranoid the hookworms would come back, I ordered a MySimplePetLab test for Truffle. The process was so easy. They mailed the test right to my house, so all I had to do was collect a sample, send it back in their pre-paid box, then sit back and relax while I waited for the results. Giving Truffle a checkup with a MySimplePetLab test meant I got to:
- Avoid a trip to the vet. My dogs don’t hate their vet, but his office is definitely not their favorite place to be.
- Save money. I didn’t have to pay for a vet visit or any extra tests!
- Not drive around with a bag of my dog’s poop in my car. Does anyone enjoy that?
This alone is enough to make me a fan of MySimplePetLab, but the reason we HIGHLY recommend MySimplePetLab Vet Lab Tests is because of their results dashboard. It is everything that an over-paranoid, super-controlling, helicopter dog parent could want.
- You don’t need a veterinary degree to understand MySimplePetLab’s reports. They’re straightforward and informative without being overly technical.
- Having experienced vets at the helm and being backed by Maranda Veterinary Laboratories LLC means that your veterinarian can trust MySimplePetLab’s VLA-certified results. Their tests are processed and analyzed by highly experienced laboratory technicians in ways that meet or exceed modern reference laboratory testing standards.
- Worried your test will get lost in the mail? Don’t be. MySimplePetLab has engineered and deployed the most advanced sample tracking technologies in veterinary healthcare. This ensures sample-pet-test matching accuracy for mistake-free lab operations.
- MySimplePetLab doesn’t just send you a typed-up report with your pet’s results. Their team provides evidence-based test results, with photographic proof of microscopic findings (e.g., stool parasites) included on the pet’s report and careful documentation at the laboratory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Personally, my favorite part about MySimplePetLab is their Frequently Asked Questions. They cover everything from what a specific parasite is to how to treat it. And everything is written in simple language so anyone can understand it. They even provide links to additional, vetted articles so you can learn without falling into the dreaded Google Black Hole. Can’t find an answer to your question? Just reach out via their chat box, email, or phone! MySimplePetLab can even help connect you with a licensed vet virtually for pet-specific advice! That is pretty awesome.
You will always have access to your pet’s records and can email their results to your vet, daycare, groomer, or whoever might need a negative stool sample result. If your pet does test positive for something, you can email MySimplePetLab’s results to your veterinarian to get a prescription. A number of intestinal parasites like worms can even be treated with over-the-counter medications.
While MySimplePetLab is excellent, it should not be your pet’s only form of medical care. We (and they) believe in the value of the veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR). We strongly encourage you to share your pet’s test results with a local or virtual veterinarian for professional medical perspective and guidance, whether the results come back negative or positive.
Final Thoughts
So if your dog has a medical condition, is getting up in years, or if you’re just a paranoid pup parent like myself, I strongly recommend giving MySimplePetLab a try. Did you know? Dogs should have their stool tested twice yearly (every six months) even if they appear healthy with normal looking stools, while puppies should have their stool tested four times in their first year of life. That’s a lot of poop to carry around, but not if you use MySimplePetLab!
