Vision-Mission
Our Vision:
We will be a laboratory partner of choice for government and universities in Canada, for agriculture, food safety, and animal health testing. We will also be a leader in providing high-value laboratory services to the private sector in selected niche markets.
Our Mission:
Working together toward a healthier future … we provide high-value analytical and diagnostic services for the agricultural, food and veterinary sectors.
The Animal Health Laboratory (AHL) component of the Laboratory Services Division complements the agricultural and food testing carried out by the division. The AHL is a full-service veterinary diagnostic lab that boasts an extensive cadre of laboratorians with post-graduate training and specialty board certification. The expertise of AHL laboratorians and other University of Guelph personnel is linked to provide a single source of laboratory services in the field of animal health, encompassing both food-producing and companion animals.
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The AHL is accredited by: • American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) – full accreditation, all species - https://www.aavld.org/accredited-labs • Standards Council of Canada (SCC) to ISO/IEC 17025 standard for accredited techniques and specific tests listed on our scope of accreditation SCC accredited techniques • SCC for list of methods that fall under our flexible scope Please see our Accreditation page for more details |
Our Personnel:
Personnel at AHL-Guelph provide a wide range of veterinary laboratory tests in our specialty areas of:
| anatomic pathology, histotechnology and immunohistochemistry | immunology/serology | parasitology |
| bacteriology | molecular biology | toxicology |
| clinical pathology | mycoplasmology | virology |
Personnel at AHL-Kemptville provide anatomic pathology services, forward specimens to AHL-Guelph for additional testing as required, and provide case coordination
AHL personnel continuously strive to develop improved tests and to optimize our testing spectrum. The AHL provides reports and consultations to support veterinary practitioners, our primary client group. We keep our Vet-clients apprised of AHL current activities, lab-based animal disease events and disease trends, by way of the quarterly AHL Newsletter. and AHL LabNotes. The AHL is accredited for techniques and specific tests listed on our SCC scope of accreditation. There can be a lag in applying for and adding a test to SCC scope, therefore the AHL has also become accredited for veterinary laboratory testing techniques with a list of methods that fall under our flexible scope.
We also serve as the central source of provincial animal disease trend information. Changes in the patterns of existing disease, or the appearance of a new disease, are communicated to veterinarians, producers and industry groups. Laboratorians at the AHL are vigilant regarding surveillance for foreign animal diseases and zoonotic diseases. As a partner with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in the Ontario Animal Health Network (OAHN), the AHL contributes to maintaining healthy animals and safe food in Ontario.