When a vet decides during a consult that a patient needs a blood panel, biochemistry profile, or other diagnostic test, they can send the order directly from the consult — no separate portal, no paper requisition, no phone calls. Lupa hands the order off to your connected provider (IDEXX, Zoetis, Laboklin, or VetEnvoy), tracks its progress, and brings the results back into the pet's record automatically.
💡 In short: Open the Diagnostic Tests section on an appointment or pet profile, click Order Test, choose a provider, pick the tests, review the order, and submit. Results appear on the pet's record once the lab returns them.
Why placing lab orders through Lupa matters
⚠️ Order through Lupa, not the provider portal. Tests ordered directly in the IDEXX or Zoetis portal won't be tied to the consult or the invoice. Always start the order from inside Lupa so the result lands where the rest of the team expects to find it.
Benefit | Why it matters |
One source of truth | Every order, status update, and result lives on the pet's record alongside the consult, weight, and meds |
Automatic invoicing | When set up, lab fees flow straight onto the appointment invoice — nothing to chase down at the end of the day |
Real-time status | The team can see whether a sample is in transit, running, or back, without checking the lab portal |
Less data entry | Pet name, species, breed, DOB, and owner are pre-filled from the record — there's nothing to type |
Where to start an order
You can place a lab order from either the appointment page, or from a pet - it triggers the same flow:
Location | When to use it | How to find it |
An appointment | Most common — a vet is in a consult and decides on a test | Open the appointment → scroll to Diagnostic Tests → click Order Test |
A pet profile | The order isn't tied to a specific consult (e.g. follow-up test, drop-off sample) | Open the pet → Diagnostic Tests tab → click Order Test |
Step-by-step: placing a lab order
Step 1: Choose a provider
After clicking Order Test, Lupa shows every lab provider connected to your store as a card on the Select a provider screen.
Pick the provider that will run the test.
📍 Don't see any providers? Your store hasn't been connected to a lab integration yet. See or , or contact Lupa support.
Step 2: Pick the tests
Lupa loads the provider's full catalogue — sometimes a thousand tests or more — into a two-column picker. Available tests are on the left; tests you've selected appear on the right.
The toolbar above the list lets you narrow it down quickly:
Search Tests — type a test name, code, or keyword (e.g. "CBC", "thyroid", "T4")
Sort by: Alphabetical / Order Frequency — Order Frequency surfaces the tests your practice runs most often at the top of the list, which is the fastest way to find what you reach for every day
Filters: In-house / External — separates point-of-care tests (run on your in-house analysers) from reference lab tests (sent away) Each row shows the test name, the provider's test code in parentheses, whether it's In-house or External, the turnaround time, and the sample requirements. Click a test to add it to Selected tests on the right. Click again — or the × next to a selected test — to remove it. There's no limit on how many tests you can add to a single order. When you've picked everything you need, click Review Order.
Step 3: Review the order
The Order Summary screen lists the tests you've selected and a few details Lupa needs before sending the order.
Field | What to enter |
Pet | Pre-filled and read-only — confirm it's the right patient |
Species | Required for most providers. Lupa pre-selects from the pet's record (e.g. "Canine", "Feline"); change it if the provider uses a different species code |
Assign To | The vet or nurse responsible for reviewing the result. Defaults to the requesting vet |
IDEXX IVLS | Only appears for IDEXX in-house tests — pick which analyser will run the test |
⚠️ External IDEXX tests need a date of birth. If the pet's record is missing a date of birth, you'll see an error when you try to submit. Add the date of birth to the pet's profile and try again.
Click Back to add or remove tests, or Order Tests to submit.
Step 4: Submit (and finish in the provider's screen if needed)
What happens next depends on the provider:
Direct providers (Zoetis, VetEnvoy) — the order is sent straight to the lab. You'll see a success toast and the order appears in the Diagnostic Tests section with a status of Created or Ordered
Embedded providers (IDEXX, Laboklin) — the provider's own ordering interface opens inside the same dialog. Complete their fields (sample type, billing account, priority, etc.) and submit there. Lupa watches for the "done" signal from their interface and refreshes the order automatically
Step 5: Add the test fee to an invoice
If your store has Lab Fee Automation enabled and the test is linked to a service, Lupa handles the billing for you:
💡 Setting up before go-live? When linking a service to a diagnostic test type, the Diagnostic Integration list includes integrations that haven't been switched on yet — shown as Provider Name (Disabled). You can complete the linking now so everything is ready the moment the integration goes live.
Appointment already has an invoice: the fee is added automatically — no prompt, no extra step
No invoice yet, or you started from a pet profile: Lupa opens an "Add to Invoice" prompt with the patient's open invoices listed. Pick one, create a new one, or close the prompt to skip and add it later Every order in the Diagnostics table also has an Add to Invoice action in its three-dot menu, so a missed fee can always be added retrospectively.
💡 Setting up Lab Fee Automation is a one-time configuration done at the company level. See for the per-service or reference-list import options.
Tracking the order
Once submitted, the order appears in three places at once:
The Diagnostic Tests section on the appointment
The Diagnostic Tests tab on the pet profile
Apps → Diagnostics for the practice-wide view
Cancelled orders are hidden from the pet profile tab by default. If you need to review a cancelled order, you can find it in Apps → Diagnostics, which shows all orders regardless of status.
The status changes as the lab works through the sample — from Created through Waiting for Sample, Sample Received, Running, and finally Complete (or Partial if some analytes are still pending). For a full table of every status and what triggers it, see .
Lupa polls each connected provider every 30 seconds and updates the status the moment new data arrives — you don't need to refresh anything.
If you suspect a result was missed (for example, after a network issue), you can trigger a manual refresh. Click the three-dot menu on any order in the Diagnostics table and choose Sync with provider, or open the order details and click Sync with provider next to the Cancel Order button. Lupa re-fetches the latest result data from the provider and updates the order. You'll see a Synced with provider confirmation when it completes, or an error message if something went wrong.
Viewing results
Click the three-dot menu → View Results on any order, or open it from the pet's timeline. The Order Details panel shows the order header at the top and every test group below.
Reading the order header
The header carries the metadata you need to interpret the result: order ID, when it was requested and last updated, who requested it, who it's assigned to, the pet, the species sent to the lab, the order status, and which provider returned the result. If the order was placed outside Lupa (e.g. directly through the IDEXX portal) and arrived back through the integration, you'll see a small red question mark next to the patient name. Use Link to Pet from the order's three-dot menu in the Diagnostics table to attach it to the right record.
Reading test results
Each test group has its own card with the result date and a table of analytes:
Column | What it shows |
Test Name | The analyte that was measured (e.g. ALT, Creatinine, Glucose, T4) |
Value | The measured result. An (L) or (H) flag appears for results outside the reference range, and abnormal results render in bold red |
Range | The lab's reference range and units for this analyte and species |
Range indicator | A small bar showing where the value sits relative to the range — at a glance, tail-end values are obvious without reading the numbers |
Some result groups also include notes from the lab — pathologist comments, sample quality observations, or follow-up suggestions — shown as a banner above the table.
Printing and external links
At the top of the Order Details panel you have two ways to get the results out of Lupa:
Print — click Print in the top-right corner of the panel (next to the close button) to open your browser's print dialog. Lupa isolates the order summary and all result sections so only the diagnostic content prints — the surrounding table and dialog chrome are stripped out automatically.
External Links — the External Links dropdown exposes:
Open PDF — the lab-formatted result PDF for printing or sending to a referring clinic (when the provider returns one)
View in {Provider} Portal — opens the order in the lab's own system in a new tab, useful for advanced provider features Lupa doesn't surface
If the External Links dropdown is greyed out, the provider hasn't returned external links for this order yet.
Results in the pet's timeline
Completed results also appear as Lab Result(s) for [test codes] entries on the pet's medical history timeline. Clicking the entry opens the same Order Details panel without leaving the timeline — handy when you're reviewing a pet's history before the next consult. Results from cancelled orders do not appear in the timeline.
Cancelling an order
Open the order from the Diagnostics table or the appointment, then click Cancel Order at the top of the Order Details panel. The button is red-outlined to make it clear this is a final action.
⚠️ Once a result is back, cancellation is no longer possible. Cancellation is also blocked for some providers (e.g. Zoetis VETSCAN) — the button shows a tooltip explaining why if it's disabled. To re-submit a test you've cancelled by mistake, place a new order; there's no "uncancel".
Once cancelled, the order no longer appears on the pet's Diagnostic Tests tab or in the pet's medical history timeline. You can still find it in Apps → Diagnostics if you need to refer back to it.
Tips
✅ Best practice from busy practices running lab integrations daily:
Sort by Order Frequency during consults — the panels you reach for most appear at the top
Always set the assignee to the vet who needs to review the result. Orders aren't access-restricted, but the assignee is the person Lupa expects to follow up
Add the DOB to every pet on registration — it's not optional for IDEXX external tests, and it's friction every time a vet has to chase it down mid-consult
Add the fee at order time — even when Lab Fee Automation is enabled, the prompt is the easiest moment to confirm the right fee is going onto the right invoice
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
No providers shown when clicking Order Test | Your store has no lab integration. See / , or contact Lupa support to connect a provider |
"IDEXX requires a date of birth" error when submitting | The pet's profile is missing a date of birth. Open the pet's record, add the date of birth, then place the order again |
"These tests cannot be ordered together" error | IDEXX does not allow a single order to mix in-house, reference lab, and diagnostic imaging tests. Split the order and submit each type separately |
"One or more of the selected tests are not valid" error | The order includes a test that can't be ordered on its own — for example, an add-on test whose parent test isn't also selected. Review the selected tests, remove any that are invalid, and try again |
"IDEXX requires a field that is missing" error | A required detail — such as a device, vet, or pet field — is incomplete. Check the pet's profile, the requesting vet's details, and the device settings, then try again |
"IDEXX rejected the credentials" error | The IDEXX integration credentials are no longer valid. A practice manager will need to re-authenticate the IDEXX integration in the practice settings |
Can't find a test in the catalogue | Try the test code instead of the name — provider catalogues use codes the lab knows. Toggle the In-house / External filter off in case the test is the type you didn't expect |
Order stuck in "Creating" | Lupa is still confirming with the provider. Wait a minute or two; if it doesn't progress, contact Lupa support |
Results are missing or didn't come through | Open the order's three-dot menu and click Sync with provider (or click the same button in the order details header). Lupa re-fetches the result directly from the provider. If results still don't appear, contact Lupa support |
Status is "Error Placing Order" | Open the order — the error message from the provider is shown on the order. Common causes: missing DOB, invalid species code, provider system unavailable. Fix the data and place a new order |
Order appears with a red question mark next to the pet | The result came back from the provider but wasn't tied to a Lupa order (likely placed directly in the provider portal). Use Link to Pet from the order's three-dot menu to associate it with the right record |
Add to Invoice option is missing | Lab Fee Automation isn't set up for that test. See for how to link services to test types |
A cancelled order has disappeared from the pet's record | Cancelled orders are hidden from the pet's Diagnostic Tests tab and timeline by default. Open Apps → Diagnostics to find it |
Frequently asked questions
Can I order tests from more than one provider in a single order? No — every order is tied to one provider. If you need bloodwork through IDEXX and a SNAP test through Zoetis, place two separate orders. What if some results come back faster than others? The order moves to Partial when some test groups have returned but not all. Open the order to see what's available now; the rest will appear on the same page as they arrive. Do I need to refresh to see new results? No. Lupa polls each connected provider every 30 seconds. As soon as the lab marks the test complete, the order status and result data update on their own. Can I order a test if the pet doesn't have an upcoming appointment? Yes. Open the pet's profile, go to the Diagnostic Tests tab, and click Order Test. The order will be linked to the pet but not to any specific appointment, and the Add to Invoice prompt will offer to attach the fee to an existing or new invoice. Who can see lab results? Anyone with access to the patient's record. The Assign To field is for accountability — it doesn't restrict who can view the result. Can I download or share a result PDF? Yes — the External Links → Open PDF option in the order details opens the lab-formatted PDF, which you can save or attach to an email. Some providers don't return PDFs; in that case the option is disabled.
Can I print the results directly from Lupa? Yes. Open the order details and click Print in the top-right corner of the panel. Your browser's print dialog opens, and Lupa prints only the order summary and result sections — not the surrounding screen.