A pet wellness startup has secured deals with two major retailers, offering in-home pet health testing kits at Target stores and walk-in clinics at PetSmart.
MySimplePetLab — which has its leadership team based in Minneapolis and operates its laboratory in Denver – will have two new testing kits on Target shelves this month. These products join the company's First Aid Care Dog Kit + Virtual Vet Advice already on shelves at Target.
MySimplePetLab products can also be found in veterinary clinics and at animal-care services such as boarders and groomers, on Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, Allivet and Tractor Supply RX.
MySimplePetLab provides mail-in tests that use a skin, stool or ear swab sample from a pet to screen common issues from itchy skin to ear infections. The company's Denver-based lab analyzes the samples and within two days pet owners receive results via email. The results can then be auto shared with a pet owner's primary veterinarian, groomer or boarder.
The company currently offers 22 products online, including pet care kits to ease symptoms of common issues while waiting on results from testing kits.
"Pet parents are increasingly seeking products that offer support for their pets wherever they are," said MySimplePetLab CEO Jen Hagness in a press release. "Ear, skin and digestive issues are among the top concerns that pet owners can't always anticipate and often want just-in-time care for. We are focused on creating products and solutions that make pet parents feel both confident and well-prepared to tackle any challenge that comes their way."
The company is currently securing office space in Minneapolis for its headquarters. In 2023, the company expanded into a 6,100-square-foot laboratory space in south Denver.
Last week, the company launched two MySimplePetExpress walk-in clinics in Denver PetSmart locations. Those clinics offer select services for pet owners who may be unable to get an appointment with their primary veterinarian. The clinics are open seven days a week with no appointment required. The clinics will offer prescription nutrition, vaccines, wellness consultations, and pet parent education, available both on a walk-in basis and virtually, according to a LinkedIn post by Hagness.
With the current nationwide veterinarian shortage and long waits for appointments, the testing kits could provide some relief to pet owners. Part of the reason for the shortage is during the pandemic, many single-pet households became multiple-pet households, Hagness said.
"We really saw a surge," Hagness said. "There’s not enough vets in the market or vet techs in the market to manage the number of pets we have. It still exists today that you can’t get into the vet for two to three days. There continues to be this massive challenge with supply and demand. Our mission is to make pet ownership and care accessible and simple."
MySimplePetLab was co-founded by veterinarians Dr. Dennis Chmiel, who practices in New Hampshire and Denver, and Dr. Nancy Willerton, who practices in Denver, in 2019. CEO Hagness joined the company in 2021 after working for consumer brands like Target and Caribou Coffee over the past 20 years. Company executives were part of the sixth cohort of the Target Takeoff Pet accelerator in 2022.
The company has raised just under $10 million in two funding rounds, and continued to grow to 30-plus employees, Hagness said.
"This year is really going to be focusing on our core business, new test innovation coming out and expanding with retailers," Hagness said.
