[Epidemiological studies in veterinary practice].

Abstract

Veterinarians in small animal practices are constantly confronted with problems concerning the aetiology, diagnosis and prognosis of certain diseases. Those who would like to do epidemiological studies, are inclined not to choose just a single item, but to approach matters on a large scale. The possibilities offered by computers give rise to the belief that, provided a lot of time is spent on recording, the answers to various questions will roll out of the machine almost of their own accord. And this is not true. Adequate studies start with a single relevant statement of a problem. Ample attention should then be paid to the planning of the study, including all merits and demerits. Studies solely concerned with the occurrence of a disease are usually dull and not very informative, Investigations will not become interesting as a rule until efforts are made to relate forms of disease to particular risk factors, signs and symptoms or prognostic factors. Instances are given in the present paper. The relevance of studies associated with small animal practices is considerably increased when investigations are also carried out in these practices. Finally, the fact is stressed that a beginning veterinarian-investigator will be better off on purchasing a good textbook of epidemiology than a personal computer.