The study produces a large amount of data. Sources include end user collection instruments (surveys), staff generated resources via daily study operations, data cleaning artifacts and outputs of research collaborations. The following list enumerates the data that is available.
- Annual questionnaires: This information is always available in the first year. Data for other study years may or may not be present. In a typical year, approximately 700 data points are collected from each owner questionnaire and over 200 data points are collected from each veterinarian questionnaire.
- Questions in the Annual Owner Questionnaire.
- Questions in the Annual Veterinarian Questionnaire.
- Malignancy Related Questionnaire: Completed by veterinarians for any cancerous malignancy diagnosed in-between annual visits (excluding low-grade mast cell tumors). Includes questions about how the malignancy was diagnosed.
- Death and Necropsy Questionnaire: Occurs at the dog’s death to gather information after the last annual questionnaires, and to gather information about the cause of death and necropsy.
- Clinical pathology lab results: from samples taken at annual, biopsy, and necropsy visits.
- Paraffin blocks: When biopsies are performed and malignancies found, paraffin blocks are often collected. Digital slides produced from these blocks will be available in the future.
- Causes of death and all cancer diagnoses: Entered into our database with a tiered confidence rating. All cause of death endpoints, regardless of source (biopsy or necropsy) or diagnosis method, are adjudicated.
- Tier 1: Confirmed histology or cytology reviewed by a board-certified pathologist (for lymphoma, flow cytometry and PARR are acceptable alternatives).
- Tier 2: Direct visualization or imaging (MRI, CT, ultrasound, radiographs) reviewed by board-certified specialist without microscopic confirmation (for lymphoma, in-house cytology is an acceptable alternative).
- Tier 3: Clinical diagnosis only, diagnosis origin unknown.
- Neuter and spay dates: Obtained through annual questionnaires and confirmed by study volunteers with the veterinarian's office.
- Genotyping: With generous support from the V foundation, all of the dogs have been genotyped using Affymetrix Array. Whole genome sequencing of a subset of samples is currently underway and will be available once processing is completed.
- Supplemental Questionnaires
- The optional Golden Age study extension started in April 2021 and collected data from the following questionnaires:
- LOAD (Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs) owner questionnaire every 6 months to assess the owner’s perception of how osteoarthritis impacts their dog’s daily life.
- COAST (Canine COAST (Canine OsteoArthritis Staging Tool) veterinarian questionnaire every year to capture the veterinarian’s assessment of osteoarthritis severity.
- DISHAA (Disorientation Social Interactions Sleep/Wake Cycles, DISHAA (Disorientation Social Interactions Sleep/Wake Cycles, Housesoiling, Learning and Memory Activity Anxiety) owner questionnaire every 6 months and veterinarian questionnaire every year to assess the severity of Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome symptoms.
- Canine Atopic Dermatitis Research Questionnaire (cAD-RQ): One-time optional questionnaire added to the study in May of 2022. This questionnaire evaluates skin issues and response to treatment to help identify dogs with atopy. Owners may submit the questionnaire outside of normal annual study schedule.
- The optional Golden Age study extension started in April 2021 and collected data from the following questionnaires:
- Reference “dictionary tables”: Used as part of the process of cleaning the data to prepare it for researchers.