By Tessa Kelly, TDA Lab Manager
The Dairy Authority Lab may have started as a small lab culturing milk samples in Colorado 20+ years ago but it has grown into a one-stop shop that delivers fast, accurate and actionable results for veterinarians and producers nationwide. On the animal side we offer testing for dairy and beef cattle, goats, sheep, cats and dogs.
On the feed side we offer wet chemistry and NIR testing. Because of our partnership with Dairyland Laboratories, we can use their robust NIR calibration database, which was built from Dairyland’s extensive and ever-growing body of wet chemistry work. NIR analysis, forage wet chemistry, dry matters, harvest panels, nitrates, and particle size – we do it all in-house, six days a week.
Each service that we offer was added to meet the needs of our producer and veterinary clients. Milk microbiology may be where we started, but over the years the lab has added ELISA, PCR and NIR testing services. Real-time PCR testing, because of its extremely accurate and rapid results, has become a game changer in diagnostics. It can be used to test milk, blood, and tissue samples and is the gold standard for testing for Mycoplasma, large herd surveillance, herd outbreaks of any kind, and to screen purchased animals before they join the herd.
Our most recent addition is MALDI-TOF testing. MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight) mass spectrometry is a rapid, sensitive and economical test that can identify bacteria, fungi, and yeasts, which makes it another great diagnostic tool. MALDI-TOF can identify bacteria faster than older diagnostic methods which means faster identification and faster reporting.
As our lab services have grown, the most common question we get from potential clients has become what tests do you offer? Or can you test blood for this? That’s why we have created a comprehensive list of the tests currently available at the TDA Lab. They are grouped by type of sample submitted, i.e. milk, blood, feed, forages, tissue, ear notch, fecal, urine, bedding, towels, and other. The list was created in a pdf file so that you can easily download and print for your reference.
At The TDA Lab we strive to meet clients’ needs. We are not a cookie-cutter service. Our job is to understand what is needed and deliver actionable results. Lab services are open to everyone. You don’t need a veterinary-client-patient relationship with the TDA veterinarians to use the lab services. But having veterinarians on staff means we have the ability to develop custom tests for unique circumstances if a situation warrants.
To learn more about all of the testing services provided by the TDA Lab, contact us at info@dairymd.com
