href="#fb3_img_img_3f61bda4-f77b-53e7-9d12-31938c0e5010.gif" alt="C01i003"/> EXAMPLES
Bella is an 18‐month‐old spayed female golden retriever who presented to ABC Animal Hospital with evidence of licking and chewing at her paws. Her owners recognized that this might be early evidence of atopic dermatitis, because the veterinary team had described this during puppy visits as something relatively common in the breed. When the owners asked if anything could be done prior to problems being recognized, the hospital team introduced them to behavioral approaches to condition Bella to willingly accept bathing and ear cleaning, so the medicated baths now recommended were not going to be an issue. A DNA panel taken at 12 weeks of age indicated that Bella was a carrier for a specific form of progressive retinal atrophy seen in golden retrievers, but since it is a recessive trait it was not a clinical concern, and since Bella had been spayed, it would not affect future generations. Bella was due for orthopedic screening in a few months, and the owners were very dutiful about providing care according to the health schedule recommended by the veterinary team.
Pet‐specific care provides customized care for pets and constitutes an important and value‐added healthcare experience for pet owners.
Pet‐specific care involves approaches that allow predictions to be made as to an individual's susceptibility to disease, the course of that disease, and the disease's likely response to treatment.
The goal of pet‐specific care is to prevent disease if at all possible, or to decrease the impact of disease on the patient, thereby improving the pet's quality of life.
The fundamentals of pet‐specific care involve prevention, early detection of issues, appropriate management, and facilitated compliance.
The ultimate success of pet‐specific care relies on pet owner engagement in the healthcare process, and a commitment to play an important role in their pet's care.
Abbreviation
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid
Recommended Reading
1 Ackerman, L. (2011). The Genetic Connection: A Guide to Health Problems in Purebred Dogs, 2e. Lakewood, CO: AAHA Press.
2 Ackerman, L. (2019). An introduction to pet‐specific care. EC Vet Sci 4 (1): 1–3.
3 Ackerman, L. Personalized medicine improves outcomes. Today's Veterinary Business, 2018. https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/personalized‐medicine‐improves‐outcomes
4 Ackerman, L. (ed.) (2020). Pet‐specific care. In: Five‐Minute Veterinary Practice Management Consult, 3e, 260–263. Ames, IA: Wiley.
5 Ackerman, L. (2020). Proactive pet parenting: Anticipating pet health problems before they happen. Problem Free Publishing.
6 American Animal Hospital Association (2012). Evolving to a Culture of Prevention: Implementing Integrated Preventive Care, 1–23. Lakewood, CO: AAHA.
7 Hamburg, M.A. and Collins, F.S. (2010). The path to personalized medicine. New England Journal of Medicine 363 (4): 301–304.
8 Harris, D.L., Rosenthal, K., and Hines, A. (2019). Thinking like a futurist could help the veterinary profession. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 255 (5): 523–524.
9 Mealey, K.L., Martinez, S.E., Villarina, N.F., and Court, M.H. (2019). Personalized medicine: going to the dogs? Human Genetics 138 (5): 467–481.
10 Stull, J.W., Shelby, J.A., Bonnett, B.N. et al. Barriers and next steps to providing a spectrum of effective health care to companion animals. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 253 (11): 1386–1389.
1.2 Providing a Lifetime of Care
Lowell Ackerman, DVM, DACVD, MBA, MPA, CVA, MRCVS
Global Consultant, Author, and Lecturer, MA, USA
1.2.1 Summary
Much of veterinary care delivered today is based on short‐term goals, either providing care for a defined period (e.g., puppy and kitten care) or addressing issues as they present themselves, and often defaulting to treating conditions when they arise rather than trying to be proactive. In fact, it is not unusual that pet owners are seen regularly for puppy and kitten visits and then there is a drop‐off in regular care until pets become senior or otherwise develop medical issues that bring them into the veterinary hospital.
Veterinary teams would be well advised to spend time with clients, understanding their needs and concerns, explaining in advance what the likely healthcare process will be, including expenses to be anticipated along the way and when changes in healthcare requirements will likely occur. Then, the entire healthcare team should endeavor to deliver lifelong pet‐specific care on an evidence‐based schedule.
1.2.2 Terms Defined
Adherence: The extent to which patients take medications as prescribed, which involves the pet owner in filling and refilling the prescription, administering the correct dose, timing and use, and completing the prescribed course.
Advocate: Someone who speaks or takes action on behalf of another.
Compliance: The extent to which pets receive a treatment, screening, or procedure in accordance with veterinary healthcare recommendations.
Continuum of Care: The timespan over which all care is provided.
Convergence Schedule: In veterinary medicine, the coming together of different processes into the same continuum of care
Genotype: The underlying genetic constitution of an individual.
Healthspan: That portion of the lifespan during which the pet remains in good general health.
Pet‐Specific Care: An approach that tailors veterinary care to individual pets based on their predicted risk of disease and likely response to intervention.
Phenotype: The outward observable characteristics of an individual, resulting from the interaction of its underlying genetic constitution with environmental factors.
Telomere: Structure at the end of a chromosome that protects DNA data. Telomere shortening is associated with aging.
