Advances in genetic and oral microbiome screening are accelerating, pushing the frontiers of prevention.
Content submitted by BasePaws
Veterinary medicine is constantly evolving and today’s approach to proactive care goes beyond routine preventive measures such as annual vaccinations or prevention of fleas, ticks and heartworms. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is more relevant than ever given veterinarians’ increasing access to advanced early detection diagnostics, treatments and preventive interventions.
Preventive medicine is currently pursuing a multifaceted approach. Through the use of innovative technology, knowledge and a range of products, veterinarians are able to assess a pet’s overall health. This includes identifying potential health issues along with disease risk to support faster diagnosis and treatment planning. With aggregated data from new diagnostic tools, veterinarians can now offer their clients individualized medicine that focuses on early detection, prevention and evidence-based management, using a pet’s risk factors and conditions to determine the best course of action.
The genetic testing industry is committed to researching and discovering new knowledge that will help veterinarians provide personalized care to their patients. With the many pandemic-related challenges facing veterinarians, popular distance-based technologies and diagnostic tools are likely to continue to be relied on as pet parents become increasingly involved in proactively caring for their furry family members from the comfort of their own home. These research initiatives and direct-to-consumer products have much to offer veterinarians and their customers during and after this industry-wide transition.
Telemedicine, teletriage, teleconsultation
The industry has seen a surge in virtual consultations. For better or worse, virtual care has become a way for clinics to defer non-emergencies while focusing their limited capacity on more urgent cases. Although not all regions have broadly adopted the practice of virtual care, the benefits of telemedicine, teletriage, and teleconsultation services far outweigh any potential concerns. There are numerous success stories of pet owners reaching out to veterinarians in otherwise inaccessible times and places, particularly when teleconsultation has been vital to their pet’s health in cases related to allergies, infections, general well-being and nutrition.
The increasing availability and quality of convenient at-home tests supports early detection of dental disease, identifies predispositions to genetic diseases, and provides pet owners with personalized home care recommendations and what to discuss with their veterinarian.
Monitoring and early detection at home
Along with virtual grooming, at-home monitoring tools like the Basepaws Cat Dental Health Test are quickly becoming the norm for pet owners who need convenient ways to get answers relevant to their pet’s potential health issues. Today’s tech-savvy pet owners are looking for proactive, budget-friendly solutions to caring for their beloved furry family members.
For example, if you look at the cost of preventive dental care, removing a single diseased tooth is more expensive than professional teeth cleaning and significantly more expensive than monthly dental care at home. Routine dental care at home is an important aspect of good oral health that also saves pet owners money.
Conclusion
Genetic and oral microbiome screening tests are an exciting frontier that continue to advance and increase their value as additional diagnostics to improve patient health. The ability to advance in the prevention and treatment of the diseases can lead to longer and healthier lives for patients, as well as more efficient practices. With the screening results in hand, clinicians can plan screenings tailored to what the patient is more at risk for and hopefully identify and treat diseases before they become terminal.