Veterinary healthcare teams are critical to being able to provide a lifetime of care, and are often the driving force behind such efforts.
Pet owners are at a disadvantage compared to parents of children, who tend to have a large variety of resources at their disposal for the anticipated care and expenses of child dependents. Armed with this knowledge, emphasis is placed on routine medical visits, preventive care, proper socialization, education, and risk management to mitigate the costs of medical care. For too many years, pet owners have been trained to expect that a one‐time neutering surgery, occasional vaccinations, and periodic veterinary visits are all that is needed unless their animal is ill. Ensuring continued excellence in pet healthcare requires engagement of pet owners and a veterinary team committed to pet‐specific care, education, and advocacy (see 8.1 Delivering Pet‐Specific Care as a Team).
1.2.7 Cautions
It is not possible to predict all health outcomes for pets, and this needs to be explained to owners. The purpose of planning is to detail anticipated needs and expenditures and to allow owners to plan accordingly. It is also possible that some clients will be overwhelmed with the information provided and elect to only engage with a very basic level of service. This does not negate the value of informing clients about what to logically expect but it might serve as a reminder that different approaches might be needed for different clients.
Abbreviation
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid
Recommended Reading
1 Ackerman, L.J. (2011). The Genetic Connection, 2e. Lakewood, CO: AAHA Press.
2 Ackerman, L. (2020). Proactive pet parenting: Anticipating pet health problems before they happen. Problem Free Publishing.
3 American Animal Hospital Association/American Veterinary Medical Association Preventive Health Guidelines Task Force (2011). AAHA/AVMA Preventive Healthcare Guidelines. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 239 (5): 625–629.
4 Bartges, J., Boynton, B., Vogt, A.H. et al. (2012). AAHA canine life stage guidelines. J. Am. Anim. Hosp. Assoc. 48: 1–11.
5 Giuffrida, M.A., Brown, D.C., Ellenberg, S.S., and Farrar, J.T. (2018). Development and psychometric testing of the canine owner – reported quality of life questionnaire, an instrument designed to measure quality of life I dogs with cancer. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 252 (9): 1073–1083.
6 Landsberg, G., Hunthausen, W., and Ackerman, L. (2013). Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat, 3e. Edinburgh: Elsevier.
7 Partners for Healthy Pets: www.partnersforhealthypets.org
8 Urfer, S.R., Wange, M., Yang, M. et al. (2019). Risk factors associate with lifespan in pet dogs evaluated in primary care veterinary hospitals. J. Am. Anim. Hosp. Assoc. 55: 130–137.
9 Vogt, A.H., Rodan, I., Brown, M. et al. (2010). AAFP‐AAHA Feline Life Stage Guidelines. J. Am. Anim. Hosp. Assoc. 46: 70–85.
1.3 Personalized Care Plans
Lowell Ackerman, DVM, DACVD, MBA, MPA, CVA, MRCVS
Global Consultant, Author, and Lecturer, MA, USA
1.3.1 Summary
Conventional veterinary medicine sometimes considers all pets to have the same needs on a species basis. So, by this reckoning, all dogs might warrant the same medical approach based on life stage and where they reside, and the same might be considered true for cats. However, this does not even begin to appreciate the differences between mixed‐breeds and purebreds, between different breeds, and even between individuals of the same breed.
Today's pet owners are educated consumers, and with access to the internet, it doesn't take much time for them to discover that the medical needs of a golden retriever are significantly different from those of a shih tzu, a Siberian husky, or a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. It's time for the profession to acknowledge and convey that pets deserve personalized care plans for their specific care – owners value them, and practices can benefit from providing the customized care that pets need and deserve.
1.3.2 Terms Defined
Adherence: The extent to which patients take the medications prescribed, which requires the pet owner to fill and refill the prescription, administer the correct dose, timing and use, and complete the prescribed course.
Compliance: The extent to which pets receive a treatment, a screening, or a procedure in accordance with accepted veterinary healthcare practices.
Epigenetics: The study of heritable changes in genetic expression caused by mechanisms other than those attributable to underlying DNA sequences.
Mixed‐Breed: An animal of unknown or mixed parentage. Mixed‐breed dogs are sometimes referred to as mutts or mongrels; mixed‐breed cats are sometimes referred to as moggies or mutt‐cats.
Off‐Label: Pharmaceuticals prescribed, dispensed, or administered for an unapproved indication. Also referred to as extra‐label drug use.
Pedigreed: An animal whose ancestry is recorded by a registry organization.
Pet‐Specific Care: An approach that tailors veterinary care to individual pets based on their predicted risk of disease and likely response to intervention.
Purebred: An animal bred from parents of the same breed or variety; one whose ancestry contains members of the same breed.
1.3.3 Premise of Pet‐Specific Care
All pets have risk factors pertaining to their specific circumstances. Pets have genetic risks associated with their genotypic predispositions to a variety of disorders [1]. In some cases, genetic testing is available. Like humans, pets can also have family histories in which there are breed predilections, even if genotypes cannot be identified (Table 1.3.1). The environment can also affect expression of traits, and certain environmental “shocks” can leave imprints on the genetic material in eggs and sperm, which can be passed on to future generations (so‐called epigenetics). Epigenetic marks can switch genes on or off, affecting disease risk, and they can be passed on to offspring [1].
