A MinuteClinic for pets? That’s the thinking behind a new walk-in clinic launched by Minneapolis-based pet health startup MySimplePetLab.

Last week, CEO and president Jen Hagness announced on LinkedIn that the company has opened two small-format clinics inside a pair of PetSmart locations in the Denver suburbs. Hagness, a Caribou Coffee veteran who’s worked with several consumer product brands, is based in Minneapolis, but MySimplePetLab’s main testing facility is in Denver.

The clinics, branded as MySimplePetExpress, are just operating in the Denver metro for now.

MySimplePetLab’s primary business comes from a line of mail-in test and care kits for dogs and cats. Customers use the kits to test for common pet concerns like ear infections or digestive issues, and to help address symptoms.

In an interview on Wednesday, Hagness said the new small-format clinics “allow us to blur the lines between animal health and consumer in a way that’s just never been done before.”

She also sees the express clinics filling a much-needed gap in veterinary care, especially after many households shifted from just one pet to multiple during the pandemic.

“The reality is there’s still a massive supply-and-demand gap relative to pet care,” she said. “We just haven’t had enough veterinarians or vet techs” to meet community needs.

The express clinics are staffed by vet techs five days a week, and by a veterinarian two days. Staff at the clinics use MySimplePetLab’s existing products, which Hagness noted are all under $200. Visits to pet urgent care can run much higher. “I would say we have a little more approachable price point,” she said.

“Our mission is about access and simplicity,” Hagness added. “The small-format clinic is a step in a right direction around choice.”

MySimplePetLab has already been selling some of its kits at other retailers like Target, Walmart, and online pet pharmacy Allivet. The company is also expanding the number of kits available at Target.

MySimplePetLab, which participated in Target’s “Takeoff Accelerator” program in 2022, has raised just under $10 million through two financing rounds.

The startup employs around 30 in total, who are divided between Minneapolis, Denver, and elsewhere. Hagness said the company is in the process of finding office space in the Minneapolis area for local employees.

For Hagness, the team’s depth of experience across both animal health and consumer goods is a key differentiator for her company. Veterinarians Drs. Dennis Chmiel and Nancy Willerton founded the company in 2019 and brought on Hagness in 2021.

“It’s the combination of those two backgrounds – animal health and consumer – that is largely fueling our success,” Hagness said.