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How do I setup the connection between Animana and IDEXX VetLab Station?

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The IDEXX VetLab Station brings all your in-house diagnostics together. It serves as a hub for managing laboratory results, integrating with analyzers, and sharing information with Animana. In this article, we explain the configuration for the integration between IDEXX VetLab Station and Animana, allowing you to send an in-house diagnostics request from Animana to your IDEXX analyzer and then receive the results in the patient file.

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Handy tip before you get started:

  • Know your setup type: are you a single-location or a multi-location practice with multiple IDEXX account numbers (SAP or LIMS IDs)? This determines which steps below apply to you.
  • Know your IVLS count: check how many IDEXX VetLab Station (IVLS) units you have at each location. If you have more than one IVLS at a location, each one will need its own set of integration credentials.

Before you start

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  • To send and receive results via the VetLab Station, you need a (free) VetConnect PLUS account with valid integration credentials. Your IDEXX reference lab team can provide these credentials for you. See the related articles for instructions.
  • You need permission to access your Animana settings. Practice administrators can adjust this under Settings > General Settings > Role Management.

Single-location practices

  • One VetLab Station (IVLS): enter your VetConnect PLUS integration credentials on the IVLS via dashboard > Settings > Vetconnect plus, then click “test your connection” to confirm it works. It can take up to 24 hours for the connection to become active.
  • Multiple VetLab Stations (IVLS) at one location: each IVLS needs its own separate set of VetConnect PLUS integration credentials, entered directly on that device. This makes sure test requests and results are sent to and received from the correct machine.

Multi-location practices

  • Ask your IDEXX reference lab team to link all your locations to one main location in the IDEXX systems. They will provide VetConnect Plus integration credentials for the main location, as well as separate integration credentials per IVLS, to support the multi-location Animana integration.
  • Important: before this linking takes place, the VetConnect PLUS credentials must first be removed from every IVLS at every location. Doing this afterwards can cause results to be routed to the wrong location.
  • One VetLab Station (IVLS): enter your VetConnect PLUS integration credentials, specific to that location, on the IVLS via dashboard > Settings > Vetconnect plus, then click “test your connection” to confirm it works. It can take up to 24 hours for the connection to become active.
  • Multiple VetLab Stations (IVLS) at one location: each IVLS needs its own separate set of VetConnect PLUS credentials, entered directly on that device. This makes sure test requests and results are sent to and received from the correct machine.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Go to Settings > General Settings > VetConnectPLUS.
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    If you don’t see “VetConnect PLUS” in the menu on the left, please contact our Customer Support team to activate the VetConnect PLUS module for you.
  2. Enter your “VetConnect PLUS Login username”. Or go to the next step if your username is already entered in this field. Please note: your VetConnect Plus Login username is always a name, never an email address.
  3. Enter your “VetConnectPLUS Login password”. Or go to the next step if your password is already entered.
  4. Only if your practice has multiple locations that use VetConnect PLUS, you also need to complete the fields “Lab Account number” and “Location Name”.
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    If you don’t have this information, you can contact IDEXX VetConnect PLUS support on 0203 7887 508. In the menu, choose option 1 > option 3 > option 1.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Fill out this request form to let our Animana Customer Support team know they can enable the option to order IDEXX VetLab Station tests via VetConnect PLUS.
  7. Once enabled, go back to Settings > General Settings > VetConnectPLUS.
  8. Select the checkbox if you want to enable “Automatic billing for IDEXX in-house orders”. If enabled, Animana will automatically add the product charges for a requested IDEXX in-house diagnostics test as an uninvoiced item to the patient file.
  9. Click Manage IVLS Devices.
  10. Select your VetLab Station device.
  11. Click Save.

You can now send a test request to the VetLab Station directly from the patient file. See the related articles for instructions.

More about this

How do I know if my VetConnect PLUS credentials are correct?

If you are already sending test requests for IDEXX Reference Laboratories via Animana, using VetConnect PLUS, then your VetConnect PLUS credentials are correct.

If you are not sure if you use IDEXX Reference Laboratories, you can check your VetConnect PLUS credentials by visiting the IDEXX VetConnect PLUS portal, clicking Sign in with VetConnect PLUS and trying to log in there. If you can login then your credentials are correct.

If you have VetConnect PLUS credentials but are unable to login, please contact IDEXX VetConnect PLUS support on 0203 7887 508. In the telephone menu, choose option 1 > option 3 > option 1.

How does it work if my practice has multiple VetLab Station devices?

Follow the steps below to identify and link your VetLab Station devices to Animana. This will auto-select the appropriate VetLab Station device when you create a test request order.

  1. Follow step 1-8 of the instructions above.
  2. Click Manage IVLS Devices.
  3. For each Animana location, select the VetLab Station device that is available. Should a location have multiple VetLab Station devices, click the + button to link an extra VetLab Station device to that location. If you don’t know which code corresponds with which VetLab Station device, you can check this on your VetLab Station device or change the name of your VetLab Station.
  4. Click Save.

How do I change the name of my VetLab Station device?

  1. Go to the IDEXX VetLab Station dashboard.
  2. Click on Settings.
  3. Click on Practice Management.
  4. In the section “Practice Management Software” > “Other” > “Network Connection” click on Configure.
  5. Enter the name for your device in the field “Integration Name”. This name will be displayed in Animana when you need to select a VetLab Station device.
  6. Click OK to confirm.

How do I resolve the error with auto charging?

For auto-charging to work, the IDEXX product must be available in your product database. Make sure of the following:

  • The Supplier field is set to idexx_ihd.
  • The Supplier code field matches the code provided by IDEXX in their catalogue.

The easiest way to add these products is directly from the supplier price list. For instructions, see How do I add products from a supplier?

I don’t see (all of) my VetLab Station(s)?

If your practice has newly installed VetLab Station devices or if you have recently configured them, it might take VetConnect PLUS up to 24 hours to have the devices appear in the dropdown menu in Animana. It’s best to wait until the next day. If your device(s) are still not visible after 24 hours, please contact our Customer Support team for further help.

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Updated on 15 September 2026
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