SCOTTSDALE, Ariz, Oct. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affordable Pet Labs (APL), the fast-growing direct-to-consumer veterinary laboratory that brings lab testing to pets' homes in 52 cities nationwide, today announced a large validation study of a new, patent-pending at-home heartworm test. The method allows a dog's sample to be collected at home, without a needle, and analyzed in APL's laboratory. The company expects to collect more than 1,500 samples in the study, which is enrolling now at affordablepetlabs.com/HWT.
If the study proves the new method meets the current gold-standard blood test, APL will offer it to the public. The company plans to roll the service out nationwide, direct to pet parents, through at-home collection kits (no needle required) and its 52-city network of field teams, a footprint that would normally take years to build and already exists at APL. Dog owners could complete their dog's annual heartworm check from home, share the result with their veterinarian, and receive a heartworm prevention prescription, including through a telehealth visit where state law allows it. Whether and when that happens depends on what the study finds.
"This is not a product or service announcement, yet. We are announcing a study and asking dog owners to help us prove this new testing is as reliable as the current methods. If we find that it is, and we have high confidence it will be, we will be able to open access to heartworm prevention for so many more pets," said Dr. Joseph Menicucci, co-founder of Affordable Pet Labs. "The dogs in this study get the best heartworm test available (same as their veterinarian will do) today, for free, drawn in their own living room. In exchange, we get the samples we need to validate the new test honestly and quickly, including the possibility that the answer is no."
Science first, because the stakes are high
APL is a veterinary and science team first, and it will only pursue what it can stand behind. This is a validation study, and it remains possible the new test will not prove as effective as the blood test. If it does not meet the thresholds set by the study's independent review committee, APL will say so and will continue offering its other in-home and at-home blood, fecal, and urine testing to pet parents nationwide.
If it succeeds, it could be one of the biggest breakthroughs yet in the access-to-care problem for pets in the United States. Heartworm is a devastating disease and a preventable one. Prevention requires a prescription, and in most states the prescription requires a negative heartworm test every year. For millions of dogs, the test is the barrier, and the dogs that go untested are the dogs that go unprotected.
Faster, in the community, with independent researchers
Studies like this usually happen in academic settings, over years. APL is running this one as a company focused on access to care in the community: in a private setting, with independent researchers setting the acceptance thresholds and reviewing the results, so the test can be validated rigorously and reach pet parents faster.
"We are accelerating this because we know how many pets are not on prevention simply because the annual test is out of reach," Menicucci said. "If the barrier is testing, the answer is to fix testing. We have the field network to do that, and we are asking independent researchers to hold us to the standard."
A growing company, built to run this study
APL has added 16 new cities in the past 12 months and now has 124 technicians serving pets across the country, with 52 cities in its network. Few companies can put a trained technician in a pet’s living room across 52 cities, and the experience is wonderful, low-stress, and convenient. That network is what makes a study of more than 1,500 samples possible, and it is the same network that would deliver the service if the study succeeds. APL is continuing to scale its field teams and laboratory capacity to meet demand and is excited about what this study could mean for the pet community.
What the study is
Every dog enrolled receives the standard heartworm test that veterinarians rely on today: a blood sample drawn at home by an APL technician and run in the laboratory for heartworm antigen and for microfilariae, the immature stage of the parasite. Those results are reported to the pet parent and to the dog's veterinarian exactly as they would be for any APL client.
At the same visit, the technician also collects the non-blood sample for the new test. In this first round of the study, APL technicians collect every sample. The new sample is run in parallel in APL's laboratory, and the study measures how closely the new method agrees with the blood test, dog by dog, across more than 1,500 samples.
Results from the new test are shared with participants only after the study is complete. No decision about any dog's prevention or treatment is made from them. The blood test is the test of record for every dog in the study.
Who can participate
APL is looking for dogs that are:
- At least 7 months old.
- Living in one of the 52 cities APL serves. Every visit is made by an APL technician, so participation is limited to those cities. Check yours at affordablepetlabs.com/HWT.
- Not treated for adult heartworms with melarsomine (Immiticide) in the past 12 months, and not given doxycycline in the past 60 days. A brief history questionnaire also asks about other recent antibiotics and medications.
- Free of blood in the urine or an active urinary problem at the time of the visit.
Dogs on monthly heartworm prevention and dogs that are not on prevention are both welcome, and both are needed. Dogs recently diagnosed with heartworm and not yet treated are especially valuable to the study. APL also welcomes rescue and shelter partnerships, alongside the owned dogs that make up the heart of the study.
What participants receive
- A complete heartworm test (antigen and microfilaria) drawn at home by an APL technician, free of charge.
- Results sent to the pet parent and to the dog's veterinarian within 2–3 business days after the lab receives the sample.
- The option to add basic blood work at the same visit at a discounted price.
- A credit for a free at-home heartworm test if the new service launches.
- A credit toward other future APL testing.
What participants are asked to do
- Schedule one home visit of about 15 minutes.
- Read and sign a consent form covering the blood draw, the additional sample, and the de-identified use of samples and results for test development and publication.
- Complete a brief history questionnaire: the dog's age, prevention history, travel, prior heartworm testing, and recent medications including antibiotics.
- Be present while the APL technician draws the blood sample and collects the study sample.
Any dog whose blood test is positive will be referred to its veterinarian for follow-up.
Availability
The at-home heartworm test is not yet available for purchase, and it is not a substitute for a veterinary visit. If validated, APL plans to offer it directly to pet parents, with heartworm prevention prescribed by the dog's veterinarian or a telehealth veterinarian where state law allows.
How to enroll
Visit AffordablePetLabs.com/HWT or call 602-847-9123 to check eligibility and schedule a visit. Enrollment is open until the study reaches its target.
For veterinary practices, shelters, and industry partners
Veterinary practices, shelters and rescue organizations, telehealth platforms, and animal-health companies that want to learn more about the program can contact Dr. Joseph Menicucci at Joe@affordablepetlabs.com. Study details are shared under confidentiality agreement.
About Affordable Pet Labs
Affordable Pet Labs is a direct-to-consumer veterinary laboratory service founded in September 2019 by veterinarians Dr. Rory Lubold and Dr. Joseph Menicucci, with a simple promise: same results, fast, with no vet visit and no waiting room. APL brings veterinary-grade lab testing to the pet’s home in two ways. Licensed technicians visit the home to draw blood for routine and sick-pet blood work, pre-anesthetic screening, vaccine titers, and APL’s Total Health Assessment. Easy home-collection kits let pet parents collect fecal, urine, and parasite samples themselves and mail them to the laboratory. Results are delivered electronically to the pet parent and their veterinarian. APL pioneered direct-to-consumer pet lab testing and fecal parasite testing for boarding and daycare facilities, and it remains the market leader in facility testing and surveillance, partnering with operators nationwide to improve health and safety and reduce the spread of disease among the dogs in their care. APL has tested hundreds of thousands of pets, holds a 4.9-star customer rating, and has set a mission to test one million pets nationwide. The company serves pet parents in 52 cities with 124 technicians in the field, partners with veterinary practices through its Partnering with Practitioners program, supports rescues through a dedicated discount program, and offers PetWell+ wellness plans for year-round care. APL’s at-home heartworm test is the subject of a pending United States patent application. Learn more at AffordablePetLabs.com.
Dr. Joseph Menicucci, COO,DVM,MBA Affordable Pet Labs, Email: Joe@affordablepetlabs.com Phone: 951-310-0573
