A NEW digital resource will help Fluffy and Fido when they're sick.
VetCompass Australia is a new digital health hub designed to make it easier for vets to diagnose and treat their patients.
While having a database of pet illnesses is great news for the furry family members, but it will also help researchers studying animal diseases.
VetCompass is based off a British project of the same name. The UK version was launched in 2007 and has since had more than 450 veterinary practices use the service.
The Australian project was a collaboration with the UK's Royal Veterinary College and the University of Sydney, while researchers from Perth's Murdoch University built the database.
University of Sydney's Paul McGreevy said the system currently looks at the most popular pets, such as cats and dogs, but will soon expand.
"The Australian data may reveal different patterns of diseases and different breed predispositions because, to some extent, we have a separate gene pool to dogs and cats in the UK," Professor McGreevy said.
"Vets collect this information anyway and once VetCompass has its first 100 Australian practice signatories, data from the system will provide researchers with access to a wealth of information."
Pet owners can support the project by asking their local vet to join VetCompass.