A competitor of South Portland-based Idexx Laboratories Inc. has been advised to stop making claims that its animal-disease testing product works better than a similar product sold by Idexx.

The Advertising Self-Regulatory Council, an affiliate of the Better Business Bureau, issued a news release Wednesday recommending that Irvine, California-based Antech Diagnostics Inc. remove from its veterinarian-focused ads claims that its multiple-disease testing product, called AccuPlex 4, is more accurate and sensitive to early stage illnesses than the analogous Idexx product, called SNAP 4Dx Plus.

The National Advertising Division, the council’s investigative unit, found that such claims were based on head-to-head comparisons with a previous-generation Idexx product that has since been improved, the release said.

“Following its review of the evidence in the record, (the division) recommended the advertiser discontinue or modify all but one of the challenged claims,” it said.

The council’s recommendations are nonbinding, but companies often follow them to avoid a possible lawsuit.

Antech said in a written statement that it was “extremely disappointed” with the council’s findings, but it would use them as a basis for crafting future ads.