The Added Value of Veterinary Pathology

Abstract:  The Added Value of Veterinary Pathology

Veterinary Pathology is defined as the science that studies disease in animals. However, in addition to advancing and protecting animal health, pathologists do the same for human health. Pathologists work as diagnosticians for companion, food and zoo/wildlife animals and they are also invaluable members of drug discovery and development and research teams. Veterinary pathologist are uniquely qualified to understand disease in multiple species and can evaluate disease in many organs. Having a veterinary pathologist lead or as a member of the research team exponentially increases the quality of the quantifiable data that can be gathered from studies. Veterinary pathologists can assist with study design to ensure that the pathology related goals of the animal research are attainable and that the necessary samples are gathered and handled appropriately. The advent and subsequent growth of digital pathology has provided greater avenues for objective data analyses and theses analyses can be streamlined, performed on a larger scale and in a more standardized fashion. Digital pathology also greatly increases the types of analyses that can performed. This new toolbox for analyses, combined with the skill set of the veterinary pathologist has transformed the role of the veterinary pathologist in research and advanced our knowledge of disease pathogenesis, which as lead to the development of new methods to recognize, treat and prevent diseases.

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