Australia's 'pet census': data-sharing program to improve pet health

A new data-sharing project involving the University of Melbourne is set to make it easier for owners to look out for their pets.

Some of the most common ailments and causes of premature death in companion animals are easily preventable – that is a key finding of data-sharing project VetCompass in the United Kingdom, which is set to launch in Australia today.

The not-for-profit project is a collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College in the UK, the University of Melbourne and all veterinary schools in Australia, investigating companion animal health problems and identifying risk factors for common disorders in our favourite pets.

Findings of VetCompass in the UK include:

• Trauma/road traffic accidents were the top and third-leading cause of death for young cats and dogs respectively*
• Puppies under three years were most commonly killed/abandoned because of behavioural issues
• Cancer was the top and second leading cause of death in dogs over three years and cats over five
• The most common general problems in cats are dental – regular check-ups recommended
• Other general conditions in cats ranked: flea infestation (8 per cent) and obesity (6.7 per cent), followed by heart murmur (five per cent) and injury (4.6 per cent) – microchipping and regular check-ups recommended
• Almost one in three cats have no health problems; compared to three in four dogs that do
• Dogs’ ages ranged from 5.5 years (Dogue de Bordeaux) to 14.2 years (miniature poodle).
• VetCompass employs big-data surveillance to provide a better understanding of disease risk factors for common disorders and enable the assessment of welfare impacts to prioritise disease-prevention strategies.

The project is an innovative collaboration between the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, Murdoch University, Charles Sturt University and James Cook University.

The consortium of veterinary schools secured Australian Research Council funding to establish VetCompass and will oversee the development and management of the resource for the improvement of companion animal health, with potential impacts on human health and the environment.

Associate Professor Caroline Mansfield, from the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, heads the University of Melbourne’s involvement in the project and is available for interviews.

Pet owners can discover more about companion animal issues from VetCompass UK and access top tips regarding common disorders affecting dogs, common disorders affecting cats, canine life expectancy and feline life expectancy.

Information about VetCompass in Australia is at vetcompass.com.au; vets can register their interest in signing up by emailing vetcompass@sydney.edu.au.

References

* The leading reasons of death in dogs aged under three years were behavioural (eg. aggressive behaviour towards children) and gastro-intestinal (14.7 per cent, 14.5 per cent respectively); followed by car accidents (12.7 per cent). Puppy-training can be crucial for socialisation.

About VetCompass in Australia

All pet owners are encouraged to ask their vet to opt into the system, which will enable pet-specific information from their practice to be included in a national resource.

Essentially a software application, the VetCompass system extracts clinical records from veterinary practices, collating them in a centralised repository. Researchers can then analyse this data to investigate the frequency and distribution of health problems seen by veterinary surgeons working in general practice and to identify risk factors for those problems.

The information is drawn from the standard practice clinical records, with no additional input needed from the vets. Each animal is given a unique code to allow researchers to follow an animal or treatment over time, but neither animal nor owner can otherwise be identified. The postcode is the only identifier included in the data transferred. This allows for the geographical surveillance of diseases and conditions. The sex, age, breed, presenting complaint, diagnosis and treatment will also be included in the data shared.

So many of the questions asked rely on extensive data to find the answers. VetCompass provides a simple, non-invasive way for researchers to access what they need to interrogate these ideas. In turn, this has significant benefits for veterinarians, their clients and, most importantly, the animals themselves. All research that is conducted using this system will be freely available on the VetCompass website, making sure that the entire community benefits from this project.

VetCompass is a voluntary project relying on the collaboration of veterinarians and pet owners.