Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (WADDL)

What Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (WADDL) does

Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) is a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory established in 1974 and operated within Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. The lab safeguards the health of agricultural animals, companion animals, aquatic animals, and wildlife through diagnostic testing and consultation, operating two physical sites — a main laboratory in Pullman housed in a state-funded 61,000-square-foot facility opened in 2021, and a branch laboratory in Puyallup specializing in avian health and food safety. WADDL organizes its work across 13 specialized sections including Aquatic Health, Avian Health, Bacteriology & Mycology, Food Safety, Immunodiagnostics, Molecular Diagnostics, Next Generation Sequencing, Parasitology, Pathology, Rabies, Toxicology, and Virology, plus branded genetic test products (DEPOHGEN for canine bleeding risk, MDR1 genotyping for dogs and cats).

The lab's core technology spans molecular diagnostics (conventional and real-time PCR), ELISA and immunohistochemistry for confirmatory testing (notably for Chronic Wasting Disease), next-generation sequencing, bacterial and fungal culture with antimicrobial susceptibility testing, histopathology, necropsy, and toxicology. WADDL operates the only BSL-3 high-containment university laboratory in Washington east of Seattle, supports an emerging AI-assisted digital pathology pipeline, and maintains a public Avian Influenza (HPAI) testing dashboard. It holds full AAVLD accreditation, USDA NAHLN Level I status, FDA Vet-LIRN and CDC Laboratory Response Network memberships, and USDA-APHIS approval for international export health certifications.

WADDL runs a fee-for-service business model with publicly listed per-test pricing (e.g., $50 for IHNV PCR, $110 for fungal identification and sequencing, with tiered fees for nested PCR re-runs). Customers include client veterinarians, animal producers (aquaculture operators such as Troutlodge, poultry and livestock producers), regulatory officials at federal and state agencies (USDA-APHIS, WDFW), tribal organizations, industry associations (USTFA), and nonprofit shelters (Seattle Humane). Distribution occurs through an online client portal (labs.tracefirst.com) and direct sample mail/courier submission. The lab has conducted approximately 3 million tests over the past decade, representing a greater than 250% increase in testing demand since inception, with a surge capacity demonstrated during COVID-19 (55,000+ human samples processed) and the H5N1 avian influenza response.

Name

Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (WADDL)

Legal name

Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory

Website

https://waddl.vetmed.wsu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WADDL is a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory within Washington State University that conducts fee-for-service disease testing across agricultural, companion, aquatic, and wildlife animals. It serves veterinarians, producers, regulators, and tribal organizations from facilities in Pullman and Puyallup, holding USDA and AAVLD accreditations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), Support Activities for Animal Production (1152)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories & Pathology (AFAEANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Molecular & Genetic Testing (Breed, Hereditary Disease, Oncology) (HLAMADAE), Veterinary Parasitology Testing (HLAMADAD), Veterinary Public Health Laboratories (Reference & Confirmatory) (HLAMAJAH), Veterinary Drug & Antibiotic Residue Testing (AFALAFAB)

Keywords

• Veterinary diagnostic testing
• Animal disease diagnostics
• Aquatic health testing
• Avian health testing
• Veterinary laboratory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pullman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Diagnostic Testing Services: Fee-for-service diagnostic testing for animal diseases across multiple species including agricultural, companion, aquatic, and wildlife animals. Tests are ordered online through the client portal and billed to client accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WADDL is a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory providing fee-for-service diagnostic testing, health certification, and consultation for agricultural animals, companion animals, aquatic animals, and wildlife. The lab operates across 13 specialized sections including Aquatic Health, Avian Health, Bacteriology & Mycology, Molecular Diagnostics, NGS, Pathology, Parasitology, Virology, and others, and offers branded genetic products such as DEPOHGEN and MDR1 genotyping.

Product overview

WADDL is a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory offering a comprehensive suite of diagnostic testing services organized into specialized laboratory sections. The laboratory provides testing across multiple modalities including molecular diagnostics (PCR), viral culture, bacterial culture, histopathology, necropsy, parasitology, toxicology, and next-generation sequencing. WADDL also offers specific genetic test products including DEPOHGEN for canine bleeding risk and MDR1 genotyping for dogs and cats. Testing services are organized by species (aquatic, avian, bovine, canine, feline, equine, caprine, ovine) and by laboratory specialty. The lab provides both diagnostic testing for sick animals and certification testing for interstate and international animal movement. WADDL operates as part of Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine with two locations: the main laboratory in Pullman and a branch lab (Avian Health & Food Safety) in Puyallup.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DEPOHGEN®: Genetic risk screening test for post-operative bleeding in dogs
• WADDL Avian Influenza (HPAI) testing dashboard

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 million tests conducted in 10 years with a more than 250% increase in testing demand since WADDL's inception in 1974
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Zebrafish International Resource Center (ZIRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2026WADDL collaborated with ZIRC to offer a ZIRC Pathogen Panel screening common zebrafish pathogens. Clients contact Dr. Katy Murray at ZIRC prior to submitting zebrafish for the panel, and Dr. Nora Hickey at WADDL handles performance metrics inquiries.
• United States Trout Farmers Association (USTFA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 January 2026WADDL serves as a critical guardian of the aquatic industry and is a member of USTFA. Kevin Snekvik has been involved with USTFA long-term, and Nora Hickey has been a formal member for two years. WADDL provides fish health testing services to USTFA members.
• Brotman Baty InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2025BBI collaborated with WADDL to share knowledge and equipment to advance testing for H5N1 and other viruses. BBI Research Scientist Luis Gamboa joined WADDL's team to support avian influenza research. This partnership enhanced WADDL's capabilities in high-containment virology testing.
• USDA National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWADDL is a founding/core member of the USDA-APHIS NAHLN, a partnership of 60 animal disease diagnostic laboratories in 42 states. NAHLN is dedicated to early detection of, response to, and recovery from animal health emergencies. WADDL functions as a Level I facility.
• FDA Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (FDA Vet-LIRN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWADDL is a member of FDA Vet-LIRN, which coordinates veterinary laboratory responses to animal health incidents and supports food safety.
• American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWADDL is fully accredited by AAVLD, which provides international recognition for trade and export testing. Dr. Tim Baszler served as AAVLD President in 2012 and chaired its accreditation committee.
• Paul G. Allen School for Global HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWADDL's new facility is connected to the Paul G. Allen School for Global Health at WSU. The BSL-3 laboratory is shared between researchers in the Allen School and WADDL. Allen School faculty work at WADDL facilities and locations across Africa. WADDL is a core founding laboratory in NAHLN under the Allen School's leadership.
• Washington Department of Fish and WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWDFW is a key partner in disease monitoring efforts across Washington state. WDFW submitted the samples that yielded Washington's first CWD positive case, which WADDL confirmed through ELISA and IHC testing.
• University of Washington Center for One Health ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWADDL collaborated with UW's Center for One Health Research on a coronavirus pet testing study to assess COVID-19 exposure and infection in companion animals.
• Pathogen Genomics Center of ExcellencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWADDL joined the Pathogen Genomics Center of Excellence, a $1.7 billion initiative, to play a key role in preventing the spread of disease-causing pathogens including new COVID-19 variants.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IDEXX Laboratories: IDEXX is the largest commercial veterinary diagnostics company globally, offering reference lab testing, in-clinic analyzers, and genetic tests for companion and livestock animals. It is the closest commercial analog to WADDL across species, modalities (PCR, parasitology, pathology), and customer base (veterinarians, producers).
• Antech Diagnostics (Mars Petcare): Antech operates a national network of veterinary reference laboratories and in-clinic diagnostics, now part of Mars Petcare alongside Heska. It directly competes with WADDL on veterinary reference lab testing, parasitology, and molecular diagnostics for companion animals.
• Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center: Cornell AHDC is a university veterinary diagnostic laboratory serving the Northeast US with broad species coverage and NAHLN participation. It mirrors WADDL's full-service diagnostic model across companion animals, livestock, and wildlife.
• Heska (Mars Petcare): Heska (now part of Mars Petcare) produces point-of-care veterinary diagnostics and laboratory tests, including parasitology and specialty assays. It directly overlaps WADDL's parasitology and molecular diagnostic offerings from a commercial perspective.
• UC Davis California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) Laboratory: CAHFS is a university-based veterinary diagnostic laboratory system serving California livestock, poultry, companion animals, and wildlife. It directly competes with WADDL on West Coast reference testing, NAHLN-level emergency response, and food safety diagnostics.
• Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory: ISU VDL is a major university veterinary diagnostic laboratory with strong livestock and food animal testing. Comparable to WADDL in its NAHLN participation, full-service test menu, and service to producers and regulatory officials.
• Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory: TVMDL is a state university veterinary diagnostic laboratory network serving Texas veterinarians, producers, and regulatory officials. It is the closest US university-based analog to WADDL in scope (multiple species, NAHLN participation, AAVLD accreditation, fee-for-service model).

Broad incumbents

• Charles River Laboratories: Charles River operates a global contract research and laboratory services business with biomedical and animal model diagnostics. While broader in scope than WADDL, it is comparable in operating high-volume specialty testing labs for animal health and life sciences clients.
• Zoetis: Zoetis is a large global animal health company offering diagnostics, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals. Its diagnostics division (Vetscan, reference lab partnerships) competes in some of the same categories as WADDL, though Zoetis is a much broader portfolio player rather than a specialized lab.
• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a large international testing laboratory network with food, animal health, and environmental testing services. It is comparable to WADDL as a high-volume commercial testing services operator with regulatory-grade accreditations.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WSUVetMed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/WSUVetMedicine
• Facebookfacebook.com/WSUvetmed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-animal-disease-diagnostic-lab-waddl-
• Instagraminstagram.com/wsuvetmed

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (WADDL)