2nd International Dog Health Workshop, Feb 14 & 15, 2015
Dr Dan O'Neill
DogWellNet: Providing population
data on canine demography and
health
2nd International Dog Health Workshop, Feb 14 & 15, 2015
Dr Dan O'Neill
DogWellNet: Providing population
data on canine demography and
health
Health revolutions
19th century:
Darwin – Evolution
Mendel – Basic genetics
Pasteur, Koch – Germ theory
Jenner - Vaccination
20th century:
Watson and Crick – DNA
Ehrlich, Fleming, Domagk – Antibiotics
21st Century:
?????? – Health-related Big Data
We live at a hugely exciting time in
scientific discovery
Big Data Types:
• Large-scale sequencing: proteins, nucleotides
• Published articles
• Social media
• UK National Health Service
• Companion animal population data:
Veterinary e.g. VetCompass
Insurance e.g Agria
Health surveys e.g KC 2014
Pedigree registers
Microchip
Health-related Big Data
VetCompass project
Vet practice
Empower
VetCompass project
Vet practice
Empower
VetCompass project
Vet practice
Empower
Data collection 2009+
Practices 470
Animals: 4,239,656
Dogs > 2,000,000
Episodes of care: 11,346,485
Treatments 38,652,753
VetCompass Status*
* February 2015
Data collection 2009+
Practices 470
Animals: 4,239,656
Dogs > 2,000,000
Episodes of care: 11,346,485
Treatments 38,652,753
VetCompass Status*
* February 2015
Data collection 2009+
Practices 470
Animals: 4,239,656
Dogs > 2,000,000
Episodes of care: 11,346,485
Treatments 38,652,753
VetCompass Status*
* February 2015
Annual birth proportion:
purebred vs crossbred types
Annual birth proportion:
designer dog stats
Annual birth proportion :
Most common breed types
Annual birth proportion:
Brachycephalic breed types
Annual birth proportion:
Brachycephalic breed types
0
2
4
6
8
10
12 P
erc
en
tag
e
Most frequent disorders of dogs
O’Neill et al., 2014
0
5
10
15
20
25
30 P
erc
en
tag
e
Disorders in dogs: Breed comparison
Crossbred Labrador Retriever Staff. Bull Terrier
Jack Russell Cocker Spaniel German Shepherd
Yorkshire Terrier Border Collie
* *
* *
* P < 0.05
O’Neill et al., 2014
1. Disorder prevalence in dogs
2. Longevity and mortality in dogs
3. Disorder prevalence in cats
4. Longevity and mortality in cats
5. Canine health surveillance methods
6. Glucocorticoid use in cats and dogs
7. Epilepsy in dogs
8. Chronic kidney disease in dogs
9. Diabetes mellitus in dogs
10. Hyperthyroidism in cats
11. Pyoderma in dogs
12. Mast cell tumours in dogs
Peer-reviewed publications
Cumulative veterinary clinical experience
can be harnessed to improve companion
animal welfare
VetCompass is a philosophy
DogWellNet offers a means to enhance
these welfare improvements
Acknowledgements
www.rvc.ac.uk/VetCompass
RVC VetCompass Team:
Dave Brodbelt, Dan O’Neill, Jen
Summers, Maddy Mattin, Stephanie
Marlow, Emma Buckland, Noel Kennedy,
David Church
USyd VetCompass Team:
Paul McGreevy, Peter Thomson