Editorial Notes
BY TIM PHILLIPS, DVM
Big money in play
This headline is an easy way
to get the attention of most
business people. But it’s also
relevant because it relates to
a paradigm shift that will change what
and how much petfood you sell. This
shift is called predictive medicine.
Predictive medicine
Predictive medicine uses various
tests to predict disease risk and then
uses strategies to offset that risk. “The
predictive test need not be a genetic
test,” says Gail Smith, VMD, PhD,
professor of orthopedic surgery at the
University of Pennsylvania (USA). “It
can be one or more of several tests—
radiographs, ultrasounds, blood tests
and others—that have been shown to
correlate with the susceptibility to a
specific disease.”
The logic is the same regardless of
the type of testing: Knowing the risk,
one can implement measures early to
offset that risk. In this context, canine
Knowing the risk,
one can implement
measures early to
offset that risk.
— Tim Phillips
hip dysplasia (CHD) and a hip screening test known as PennHIP (www.
pennhip.org) are a good example.
Exhibit A: hip dysplasia
CHD is an extremely common ge-
netic disease that affects millions of
dogs and leads to osteoarthritis (OA)
of the hip, causing pain and decreased
mobility. The pharmaceutical indus-
try manufactures several nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs to treat the
pain of OA and many of the leading
petfood companies offer premium and
prescription diets with
additives aimed at re-
lieving joint discomfort
and slowing the rate of
cartilage degradation
in osteoarthritic joints.
The traditional
paradigm for treating hip OA is to start
medication or a new
petfood shortly after
the onset of the pain
and disability of OA.
But why wait? If there
is a test that can predict
a pet has a high risk of
developing a certain
disease, why not start
preventive treatment
immediately?
© cynoclub. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
The PennHIP test
The Penn HIP radiographic test was
developed at the University of Pennsylvania in 1983. A large body of research has been published to validate
the test’s ability to determine the risk
for osteoarthritis at an age as young
as 16 weeks. It is the only test capable
of estimating the risk for hip OA, says
Smith. Radiographic OA risk increases as the PennHIP score increases.
With the knowledge that a dog has
a risk for a disease such as OA, one
is justified to implement early strategies to offset the risk. The net effect
to the petfood industry is to lengthen
considerably the treatment interval—
that is, the length of time treatment is
used. The advantages to the dog and
the dog owner are obvious: later onset
of OA and reduced severity of the disease and a better quality of life. ●
Dr. Phillips is the editor of Petfood
Industry magazine. He can be
reached at Tel: +1.815.734.5644,
E-mail: tphillips@wattnet.net.
The German Shepherd breed is one that could
definitely benefit from the predictive medicine
approach.
➤ O nline extra!
Available online is the full paper by
Dr. Gail Smith at www.petfoodindustry.
com/ 0805PETpredictive.aspx.
