Beyond the Guesswork: How Rapid Point-of-Care Diagnostics Are Transforming Animal Health
When we founded ControlPoint, our goal was simple yet transformative: to give veterinarians and animal care professionals the real-time diagnostic power they need to make precise, confident, and immediate treatment decisions.
As we continue developing our flagship rapid diagnostic platform, the feedback from the veterinary community and pet parents has been nothing short of inspiring.
The Silent Problem in Veterinary Medicine
Did you know that in a survey of 1,000 pet owners, over 90% insisted they want their veterinarian to pinpoint the exact cause of the respiratory infection before prescribing medications or sending them home with a "wait and see" approach?
Yet, despite incredible advances in human medicine, veterinarians today are too often forced to rely on empirical guessing when treating respiratory infections like "kennel cough."
Without rapid, comprehensive testing right in the clinic or shelter:
Pets receive unnecessary or incorrect medications (such as antibiotics for viral infections).
Shelters waste vital resources isolating animals for pathogens they don't even have.
Pet parents leave with anxiety, waiting days for send-out lab panel results that may arrive too late to guide initial treatment.
Eye-Opening Clinical Insights: What Our Studies Revealed
Our clinical and market studies exposed just how common misdiagnosis can be under the current system:
In one study at a partner shelter, clinical staff believed their dogs with upper respiratory infections were primarily suffering from Bordetella or Distemper. When tested comprehensively, there were ZERO cases of Bordetella or Distemper. Instead, the dogs were affected by either Canine Coronavirus, Mycoplasma, or Canine Herpesvirus—frequently as complex co-infections!
Because treatment and isolation protocols were based on initial assumptions, many dogs had been given antibiotics unnecessarily or placed under strict isolation for pathogens that weren't present. When presented with results during our study, shelter staff were thrilled by the prospect of replacing educated guesses with definitive answers.
Building the Platform for Tomorrow's Veterinary Care
At ControlPoint, we know the pain points because we listen directly to veterinarians, shelter operators, and pet owners.
We are actively developing a versatile, point-of-care multiplex diagnostic platform designed for both companion animals and production livestock. Our vision is to deliver:
Multi-Pathogen Detection in Minutes: Test for multiple viral and bacterial targets simultaneously during a single visit.
Targeted Treatment from Day One: Eliminate unnecessary antibiotic usage and implement proper isolation protocols immediately.
Peace of Mind for Pet Parents and people who care for animals: Give them clarity and confidence the same day testing is performed.
We are pushing hard through development to bring this breakthrough tool to market. Together, we can elevate animal health and usher in a new standard of rapid, targeted veterinary diagnostics!
