The Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) was created by the 60th Legislature and was formally opened in College Station in 1969. The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in Amarillo opened its doors in 1975.  In 1991 the 72nd Texas Legislature transferred responsibility for implementing the requirements of the Texas Pullorum-Typhoid Act and administrative responsibilities for the poultry diagnostic laboratories in Center and Gonzales from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station to TVMDL. The Texas Racing Act stipulates that TVMDL will have primary responsibility for providing a drug testing service to the pari-mutuel horse and greyhound racing industries of Texas. All laboratories function as one unit and are part of The Texas A&M University System administered by the Board of Regents.  In 1996, TVMDL assumed responsibilities for providing diagnostic services to the aquaculture animal industries. Overall requests for the services of the diagnostic laboratories have increased tremendously over the years, making the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory System one of the busiest in the world.

TVMDL provides service to the animal industries and companion animal owners of Texas by conducting laboratory tests on specimens from live or dead animals and their environment.  The accuracy and prompt completion of laboratory results can provide critical information needed to assist owners, producers and veterinarians in decisions pertaining to appropriate treatment of individual animals, herd, or flock health management decisions.  In addition, the laboratories facilitate commerce of Texas livestock by providing testing required for international, intrastate or interstate shipment of animals. The laboratories also provide critical data necessary to identify disease outbreaks including emerging and re-emerging diseases and issue appropriate warnings to individuals and governmental agencies. Research to improve existing testing procedures, develop new diagnostic tests, and study new or unusual diseases, is currently ongoing within the TVMDL System. The College Station laboratory also performs testing necessary to detect illegal drugs in horses and dogs involved in racing events where pari-mutual wagering occurs in the State, as well as in animals entering certain livestock shows.

In 2002, TVMDL was selected by the United States Department of Agriculture to be one of only five state veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the nation to receive significant federal funding for surveillance and diagnostic services to detect infectious agents which could be introduced into Texas livestock accidentally or deliberately.  These resources will be used in construction and equipping of a new “Biosafety Level 3” (BSL-3) facility that is capable of safely working with and containing these disease agents.  This important component of our mission is expected to be in service in the spring of 2004.