The Arkansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) in Little Rock supports the diagnosis of livestock, poultry, and aquatic farm animal diseases to support the livestock, poultry, equine, and aquaculture industries, as well as practicing veterinarians in the achievement of their disease control programs. The VDL strives to provide high quality and legally defensible diagnostic results in a timely, efficient, and professional manner.

The laboratory services include post-mortem examinations and bacteriological, chemical, serological, and virological tests. Laboratory findings help a broad array of constituents to ensure the wellness of their animals.

The VDL cooperates closely with the Department’s Livestock and Poultry Division for validation and determining next steps if an animal disease outbreak has occurred or if there is a disease issue of concern. The VDL is our first line of defense in monitoring and identifying potential animal disease outbreaks in the field.

The VDL has completed the addition of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fayetteville under its National Animal Health Laboratory Network participation agreement as a branch lab for federal program diseases of concern to the poultry industry.

Accreditation and Memberships:

The lab is accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation for the activities listed on A2LA Scope of Accreditation 4109.01, which is in compliance with the International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005. See the Arkansas VDL scope of accreditation here.

The Arkansas VDL is a member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN), and National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP).