Click. Swab. Diagnose: Are at-home kits disrupting veterinary medicine?

On this episode of Vet Watch, our host Christopher Lee, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DACVM (Parasitology), welcomes founder and CEO of QSM Diagnostics, Ed Goluch, PhD, to the show to explore the world of at-home testing kits. Throughout the episode, Lee and Goluch discussed the multiple options available to veterinary professionals, including cat urine and ear swab, how they integrate with veterinary clinics, including their electronic medical records, and more about the goals of QSM Diagnostics, to enhance veterinary efficiency and client engagement.

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity.

Christopher Lee, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DACVM (Parasitology): So let's address that elephant in the exam room, so to speak. Are at-home tests replacing traditional veterinary tests? Are you a threat or you a tool for veterinary hospitals?

Ed Goluch, PhD: We're very much a tool. I don't see us as a threat, because we don't do the full gamut of testing. We focus on microbiology and with Fetch Dx, with our mail in testing line, which really has taken off, and that's the majority of our sales, we really supplement what you can do in the clinic. So we see this as tests that you provide in those situations where you can't collect a sample during the visit, or it's inconvenient to get the patient in to collect a sample. So it's really a small percentage of the time, but it's a very important percentage.

So if the animal doesn't have any urine in their bladder, do you have them sit around all day waiting? Or can you send them home with the kid and have the pet owner collect a sample and send it in? If they forgot, or if someone calls up and says a I need, I think my pet has an issue. Can I get a prescription? This is a way to say, well, let's run some diagnostics first and add that in. And so that's the role that we play. And I think there's also a growing role with clinics that are incorporating telehealth. Is, this is a way to gather additional information when you don't have the patient in front of you, potentially in between visits, or, like I said, ahead of a visit, that's where we come into play.