Pet-Specific Care for the Veterinary Team

Most veterinary practices believe that clients should receive selection counseling before they purchase a pet, but most practices do not offer this important service.

Clients who select an appropriate pet are less likely to relinquish it, and are more prepared for the likely care the pet will need.

Discussing issues proactively allows the team to be regarded as advocates; when such counseling is not provided and problems ensue, the practice can sometimes appear adversarial (you never warned me about that).

Most selection counseling can be performed by the nonveterinary team and it can be a great bonding experience even without veterinary involvement.

It is better for veterinary teams to be involved preemptively in the selection process rather than complain about the results when they are not involved.

1 1 Ackerman, L.J. (2011). The Genetic Connection, 2e. Lakewood, CO: AAHA Press.

2 2 Landsberg, G., Hunthausen, W., and Ackerman, L. (2013). Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat, 3e. Edinburgh: Elsevier.

1 American Animal Hospital Association‐American Veterinary Medical Association Preventive Health Guidelines Task Force (2011). J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 239 (5): 625–629.

2 Ackerman, L. (2020). Proactive Pet Parenting: Anticipating pet health problems before they happen. Problem Free Publishing.

3 Fivecoat‐Campbell, K. (2020). Adoption marketing. Marketing to the new adopters of shelter and rescue animals. AAHA Trends 36 (2): 51–55.

4 Partners for Healthy Pets: www.partnersforhealthypets.org

Lowell Ackerman, DVM, DACVD, MBA, MPA, CVA, MRCVS

Global Consultant, Author, and Lecturer, MA, USA

In pet‐specific care, there is a focus on prevention and early detection. To accomplish early detection, both genotypic and phenotypic tests are needed. Genotypic tests examine an individual's DNA for mutations (variants) or markers that may be correlated with traits and disease risk. Phenotypic tests measure observable features (e.g., blood test results, heart rhythm, body weight, etc.) and diagnostic judgments are made on that basis, and comparisons with so‐called “normal” reference intervals (ranges).

Genotypic tests on their own have value, but they cannot always predict actual risk of diseases. In addition, genotypic tests are available primarily for conditions transmitted as simple Mendelian traits (e.g., von Willebrand disease, progressive rod‐cone dysplasia, mdr1 , etc.), mostly controlled by one set of genes. On the other hand, the most common hereditary conditions encountered in veterinary practice (e.g., atopic dermatitis, hip dysplasia, seizure disorders, etc.) have a more complex pattern of inheritance, often influenced by environmental factors and multiple genes, and confirmed principally through phenotypic testing. Because of this, both genotypic and phenotypic testing are needed as part of most early detection schemes.

Genotypic Testing:Testing that determines actual genetic mutations (variants) or markers of traits or conditions.

Phene:A trait or characteristic that is genetically determined.

Phenotypic testing:Testing that determines observable features of traits or conditions and compares them to normal or typical values.

Genotypic tests, those that rely on the detection of actual genetic mutations (variants) or markers ( Table 3.11.1), have a lot of benefits. They can be detected at an early age, even as early as one day of age. They don't change over time, so if a genetic mutation is present (or not present) when tested, repeat testing is not needed – the results should not change over time. In fact, if the parents have been tested for a specific variant, the status of the offspring can be inferred from such testing. So, if two Labrador retrievers are both “clear” for progressive rod‐cone degeneration (prcd) and they are bred together, theoretically it should not be possible for the pups to develop that specific form of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) if the testing has been done by a reliable genetic testing facility ( http://bit.ly/2YWXBscor https://dogwellnet.com/ctp). Of course, mistakes do happen. In this instance, the most likely cause for pups testing “affected” for prcd when the parents tested “clear” would be that the breeders made a mistake in identifying which animals were the actual parents. Theoretically, it would also be possible that the pups developed a spontaneous mutation, but this is very rare.

Table 3.11.1 Some of the genotypic tests currently available

The other big problem with relying on genotypic testing alone is that, at the present time at least, genetic testing is only available for a relatively small number of phenes (conditions, traits, etc.), representing perhaps 20–30% of heritable conditions. Some of the most common conditions with a heritable component, such as allergies or hip dysplasia, have more complex inheritance, often influenced by environmental factors. Such tests that get developed will likely not be entirely predictive, but may indicate whether risk is higher, lower or moderate for an individual, compared to the relevant population base.