About Us (AHL)

The Animal Health Laboratory (AHL) unit of the Laboratory Services Division complements the regulatory and analytical testing carried out by the Division. The AHL is a full-service, fully computerized veterinary diagnostic lab that boasts an extensive cadre of laboratorians with post-graduate training and specialty board certification. The expertise of AHL laboratorians and 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.

The AHL is ISO 9001:2008 registered (registrar is BSI), and is accredited by:

American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) - full accreditation on species
Standards Council of Canada (SCC) - for specific tests listed on our scopes of accreditation
Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA) - for specific tests onour scopes of accreditation
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) - EIA
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals Inc. (OFA) - fT42s, TgAA, cTSH
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease).

Personnel at AHL-Guelph provide a wide range of veterinary diagnostic tests in our specialty areas of:

anatomic pathology, histotechnology and immunohistochemistry
bacteriology
clinical pathology
immunology/serology
virology, avian and mammalian
molecular biology
mycoplasmology
parasitology
toxicology

Personnel at AHL-Kemptville provide anatomic pathology services and case coordination, and forward specimens to AHL-Guelph for additional testing as required.

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.

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 Surveillance Network (OAHSN), the AHL contributes to maintaining healthy animals and safe food in Ontario.

http://www.labservices.uoguelph.ca/labserv/units/ahl/files/OAHSN-2009-v3-3b-%20FINAL.pdf

Questions, comments, suggestions on the AHL User’s Guide and Fee Schedule?

Please contact Ms. Helen Oliver, AHL Email: holiver@uoguelph.ca

Phone: 519 824-4120, ext 54538