Veterinary Big Data: When Data Goes to the Dogs

Abstract

Dogs provide an ideal model for study as they have the most phenotypic diversity and known naturally occurring diseases of all non-human land mammals. Thus, data related to dog health present many opportunities to discover insights into health and disease outcomes. Here, we describe several sources of veterinary medical big data that can be used in research. These sources include medical records from primary medical care centers or referral hospitals, medical claims data from animal insurance companies, and datasets constructed specifically for research purposes. No data source provides information that is without limitations, but large-scale, prospective, longitudinally collected data from dog populations are ideal for further research as they offer many advantages over other data sources.

Cross Species Analysis and Comparison of Tumors in Dogs and Cats, by Age, Sex, Topography and Main Morphologies. Data from Vet-OncoNet

“…Companion animals live in more than 88 million households in Europe (38% of all) with around 90 million dogs and 110 million cats [1]. Natural occurring diseases in companion animals, like cancer, are often similar and sometimes identical to human diseases, in terms of etiology, progression and treatment response [2,3].…”

“…Dogs are considered a useful, attractive, and complementary model of human cancer as sharing human physical, chemical environments, and approximately "650 Mb of ancestral genetic sequence" [3][4][5]. From a histological perspective, numerous cancer types, e.g., osteosarcomas, melanomas, non-Hodgkin lymphomas, bladder cancer, and mammary carcinomas are quite similar in dogs and humans [6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Dogs as a Natural Animal Model of Epilepsy

“…Domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris ) provide an ideal model for translational medicine as they have the most phenotypic diversity and known naturally occurring diseases of all land mammals other than humans ( 1 ). Dogs share an evolutionary history and high amount of ancestral genetic sequence with humans, as well as the characteristics of our environment ( 2 ).…”

“…Thus, data related to dog health presents many opportunities to discover insights into health and disease outcomes in both dog and human populations. In fact, naturally occurring diseases in companion animals are often similar—and sometimes identical—to human diseases concerning the disease etiology, progression, and how that disease responds to medical intervention or treatment ( 1 , 3 , 4 ). In addition, dogs are the main non-rodent species in preclinical drug development, particularly in the evaluation of pharmaceutical safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy ( 5 – 7 ).…”

Development and evaluation of a survey instrument to assess veterinary medical record suitability for multi-center research studies

“…Electronic medical records (EMRs) have been critical to the expansion of veterinary clinical research, and their widespread use has coincided with growth in multi-institutional studies, large retrospective case series, and biobank-driven research. Studies have been conducted using the Veterinary Medical Database started by the National Cancer Institute which provides a summary of electronic records from a select group of North American Veterinary Schools (1), along with electronic record databases housed in the United Kingdom (Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network), and the Royal Veterinary College (VetCompass) (2,3). Having access to these records allows researchers to form conclusions based on larger, more diverse groups of animals.…”