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In other words, what is the likely prevalence of each risk?

1 Most common

2 Somewhat common

3 Not very common

Sometimes this is easy to determine, but what is statistically likely in one patient may be uncommon in another. Common causes of death or injury in an indoor and an outdoor cat, for example, are completely different. You need to have a signalment, history and background information on a patient, as well as exam findings, to judge risk accurately. The answers to these questions will often determine how likely certain diseases are, what level of understanding the pet's guardian has about care for the pet, and in what direction you need to steer your healthcare plan.

 When did the owner acquire the pet and from whom?

 Where does the pet go and what does it do?

 What does it eat and how much?

 What type of care does the pet get at home? Does the owner brush its teeth? Clean its ears? Administer preventive medications regularly and on time?

Some diseases are high risk for a great many dogs and cats. Universal or high‐risk conditions for most pets would include:

 dental disease – 80% of pets over age 3 years

 obesity – over 50% and climbing every year

 risk due to age – a small percentage of young apparently healthy patients will have a disease diagnosed on screening bloodwork whereas a significantly larger percentage of those of senior age will do so. Risks for cancer, heart disease, endocrine disorders, and metabolic problems increase with time. Furthermore, almost all pets will eventually develop arthritis if they live long enough.

With species and breed come other lists of disorders that need to be ranked as common or uncommon, including genetically related diseases. For example, the risk for cardiac issues in a Cavalier King Charles spaniel is virtually 100% if they live long enough, and gastric dilation‐volvulus (GDV) risk is significantly higher in Great Danes than shih tzus.

Moderate‐risk conditions would include orthopedic disorders such as cranial cruciate ligament disease, hip dysplasia or medial patellar luxation, and many ear, eye or skin problems, among others. The actual amount of risk will vary greatly from patient to patient, depending on age, breed, lifestyle, and many other factors. Diabetes mellitus, for example, is a high‐risk disease in an obese cat eating a high‐carbohydrate diet but a lower risk in a normal‐weight cat eating a low‐carb diet.

Low‐risk conditions include many rare genetic disorders or cancers that we barely even consider when diagnosing or screening for diseases. Yet, for an individual patient the rare condition may turn out to be pertinent and worth considering or talking about. Uncommon in a Labrador retriever may be common in a toy poodle or vice versa. A disease uncommon in your part of the country may be much more likely if your patient was recently living or traveling somewhere else. There is no list of common or uncommon conditions that applies to everyone (see Recommended Reading for tools that can be useful in determining how common risks are for particular patients).

When teaching clients about pet healthcare or offering screening tests, another set of criteria comes into play.