Strategic Research Projects

Twice a year, VetCompass Australia calls for Strategic Research Projects (small, achievable projects that answer a clinically relevant research question) from early to mid-career academics and veterinary clinicians. All topics relating to clinical and epidemiological questions in companion animals will be welcome for consideration, and we encourage innovative questions.

In addition to these, at times we also accept submissions for a limited number of Strategic Projects that are directly associated with and support the current Major Projects.

Project requirements

Projects proposed must:

• address a specific clinical question
• demonstrate clear benefits to an early- to mid-career researcher and/or clinical researcher
• use a maximum of 2 years data unless this is retrospective
• have realistic goals and scope

The Lead Investigator must:

• be a staff member within the proposing university's faculty or school of veterinary science
• be ranked at Level A-D (not E, except with the permission of your local Head of School)
• not be the lead on more than 2 projects at any given time
• have at least 2 years' tenure to ensure the project is seen through to completion
• be supported by at least one team member who also has 2 or more years' tenure

If you would like to discuss your project idea further then please contact your local representative on VetCompass Australia’s Board or Steering Sub-committee.

Applications are closed for the current period but will open again soon. For more pressing requests, please contact us.

Current and previous projects

• A descriptive analysis of patient factors, environmental factors, and clinical outcomes of gastric dilation-volvulus in the Australian canine population (Charles Sturt University)

• Aetiology and prognosis for dog bites injuries in veterinary practice (University of Adelaide)
• An epidemiological review of canine and feline open wounds treated in Australian veterinary practice (Charles Sturt University)
• An investigation into the prevalence and risk factors associated with skin tumours in domestic dogs in Australia (James Cook University)
• An investigation of neuter status and contraceptive management as risk factors for mammary tumours and urinary incontinence in bitches attending Australian veterinary practices (Murdoch University)
• Anaesthesia and sedation of pet rabbits in Australia: an overview of common drug protocols, techniques, and complications. (University of Adelaide)
• Analysis of clinical case data from rescued native mammals presented to veterinarians for triage, diagnosis and treatment, to identify factors influencing prognosis and survival in order to guide decision making. (Charles Sturt University)
• Antimicrobial prescribing patterns in Australian dogs with tick paralysis presented to primary care practices (University of Sydney)
• Antimicrobial usage in dog-to-dog fight wounds (University of Queensland)
• Appropriate antimicrobial use: scaling surveillance using digital health (University of Melbourne)
• Are we going to have to rename Queensland Itch? Epidemiological aspects of equine Culicoides hypersensitivity using the VetCompass Australia database. (University of Sydney)
• Assessment of the significance of incidental hepatic enzyme increases in routine biochemistry (University of Melbourne)
• Cardiovascular-renal disorders in cats (University of Melbourne)
• Characterising use of imepitoin and phenobarbital in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy in first opinion veterinary practices in Australia (University of Adelaide)
• Chronic kidney disease in dogs attending primary care practices in Australia (University of Sydney)
• Cluster - randomised controlled trial of antimicrobial stewardship on appropriate antimicrobial prescribing in Australian veterinary practices: A pilot (University of Melbourne)
• Companion animals as a source of enteric bacterial zoonoses in Queensland: An exploratory analysis of clinical consultation data (University of Queensland)
• Comparative analysis of treatment and prophylaxis protocols and associated outcomes for canine heartworm infection in Australia (University of Queensland)
• Comparing the nature and frequency of adverse effects following administration of isoxazoline and spinosyn parasiticides in dogs  (University of Sydney)
• The Cost of Cute: Evaluating the Health and Disorder Burden in Designer Crossbreed Dogs in Australia (University of Queensland)
• Cranial Cruciate Disease in Dogs Attending Australian Veterinary Practices: Prevalence, Clinical Management and Outcome (Murdoch University)
• Demographic characteristics and disorders of working dogs in Australia (University of Sydney)
• Dexesing too early: A Hidden Cancer Risk? (University of Queensland)
• Diagnostics and therapeutics utilised in mild equine asthma in Australian horses (Murdoch University)
• Does Australia have a feline injection site sarcoma (FISS) problem? (University of Sydney)
• Does geospatial mapping of feline asthma correlate with that of geospatial mapping of human asthma cases? (University of Sydney)
• Does lateralized behaviour manifest as asymmetric dental damage in domestic dogs and cats? (University of Sydney)
• Effect of Apoquel on otitis externa and antibiotic use in patients with atopic dermatitis (University of Queensland)
• Epidemiological aspects of equine laminitis: insights from the VetCompass Australia perspective (University of Sydney)
• Epidemiological investigation of parasitic zoonoses (hookworm, hydatids, toxocariiasis/roundworm, giardia, toxoplasmosis) as reported by veterinary practices in Australia (University of Sydney)
• An Epidemiological Investigation of Risk Factors for Canine Urolithiasis in Australia Using Large-Scale Veterinary Clinical Data (Charles Sturt University)
• Epidemiological investigation of ultraviolet associated skin diseases on companion animals (University of Queensland)
• Epidemiological, clinical and clinicopathological factors associated with the development and outcome of colitis in horses (University of Queensland)
• Epidemiology and risk factors of feline and canine mammary tumors in Australia (University of Queensland)
• Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus in dogs (University of Melbourne)
• Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID): Epidemiological characteristics and factors associated with clinical outcomes (University of Melbourne)
• Evaluation of antimicrobial use and prescribing behaviour in equine veterinary practice in Australia (University of Melbourne)
• Evaluation of how often elderly cats and dogs present to their primary care veterinarian prior to euthanasia in Australia: Helping veterinarians help their clients manage their ageing pets. (James Cook University)
• Evaluation of underlying factors, microbial involvement and treatment outcomes for dogs in general practice being treated for otitis externa (University of Adelaide)
• Exploring heartworm endemicity by combining weather-based transmissibility with centralised veterinary records (University of Adelaide)
• Factors associated with the prevalence, distribution and treatment outcomes of keratomycosis in horses in Australia (James Cook University)
• Factors impacting decision making and outcomes for limb amputation in Australian dogs (University of Melbourne)
• Frequency of, and criteria for, diagnosis of hyperthyroidism in cats in Australia in primary care practice.  (Murdoch University)
• Frequency, Distribution and Impact of Vector-Borne Diseases in Australian Cats and Dogs. A VetCompass Study (2018-2024) (Murdoch University)
• Gastrointestinal disease in Australian cats; are parasites in a fresh fish diet the missing link? (Charles Sturt University)
• Geographical association between antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial isolates cultured from canine skin and ear infections and oclacitinib usage (University of Queensland)
• HeartwormAlert: development of a spatiotemporal early-warning model for canine heartworm (University of Queensland)
• How often are abnormalities on cardiac auscultation reported in cats by Australian vets and what happens next? (Murdoch University)
• How representative are VetCompass data of the Australian dog and cat population under veterinary care? (University of Melbourne)
• Identification of infectious risk factors on the prevalence of canine prostate cancer (University of Queensland)
• Identifying environmental and spatial risk factors for tick paralysis in domestic dogs (University of Sydney)
• Impact of anti-microbials in developing animals on risk of diseases later in life (University of Melbourne)
• Impact of cruciate ligament injury and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory use on risk of joint-associated tumour development in Australian dogs (University of Melbourne)
• Impact of the year of birth on the lifespan of dogs: a pilot study using Pomeranian, Cocker Spaniel, Jack Russell Terrier and Dalmatian records (University of Adelaide)
• Interactions of dog and kangaroo populations: traumatic wounds in dogs inflicted by kangaroos (Charles Sturt University)
• Investigating analgesic practices used for canine caesarean section in Australia: a retrospective study (Charles Sturt University) 
• Investigating geospatial co-distribution and climate and environmental risk factors of human and canine liver cancers in Australia (University of Queensland)
• Investigating incidence, risk factors and geographical distribution of testicular tumours in pet dogs for cancer prevention and decision support (University of Queensland)
• Investigating prognosis including response to chemotherapy for canine splenic nodular hyperplasia and stromal sarcomas (University of Queensland)
• Investigating risk factors and geographical distribution of lymphoma and urothelial carcinoma in pet dogs for cancer prevention and decision support (University of Queensland)
• Investigating the clinical prevalence of Cryptococcus in dogs and cats with respect to geographic climate (James Cook University)
• Investigating the role of host genetics in feline infectious peritonitis susceptibility and resistance (University of Sydney)
• Investigation into prevalence of urinary tract infections in the Australian dog population (University of Queensland)
• Investigation of a neurological syndrome in young kittens (James Cook University)
• Investigation of food-associated megaoesophagus (University of Melbourne)
• Kidney Injury in dogs after anaesthesia and surgery (Charles Sturt University)
• Lower urinary tract signs (LUTS) in Australian cats attending first-opinion veterinary practices: prevalence, cause, risk factors and comorbidities (Murdoch University)
• Machine Learning for Early Prediction of Kidney Disease in Cats (University of Melbourne)
• Mapping Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Australian Pets (University of Adelaide)
• Modelling life course epidemiology of the impact of Kennel cough vaccination on respiratory health outcomes and associated antimicrobial use (University of Queensland)
• Mortality resulting from undesirable behaviours in dogs aged under three years attending primary-care veterinary practices in Australia (University of Sydney)
• Osteochondrodysplasia in Scottish Fold cats (University of Sydney)
• Predictors of desexing in cats presented to veterinarians in Australia (University of Sydney)
• Prevalence and risk factors for degenerative joint disease in cats attending primary-care veterinary practices in Australia (University of Sydney)
• Prevalence and risk factors for obesity in dogs in Australia (University of Sydney)
• Prevalence and risk factors for osteoarthritis in dogs in Australia (University of Melbourne)
• Prevalence and risk factors for periodontal disease in dogs and cats (Charles Sturt University)
• Prevalence and signalment of dogs diagnosed with congenital portosystemic shunts in dogs in Australia (University of Melbourne)
• Progression of Australian dogs life expectancy over time. (University of Adelaide)
• Retrospective analysis of pelvic limb monoparesis in working dogs with retroperitoneal abscesses. (Charles Sturt University)
• Retrospective Evaluation of Causes and Incidences of Drug and Chemical Induced Toxicity in Australian Cats and Dogs (James Cook University)
• Retrospective evaluation of the clinical use of fresh frozen plasma in dogs in Australia (University of Queensland)
• The distribution of canine transmissible venereal tumour in Australian dogs. (University of Queensland)
• The distribution of diabetes in Australian dogs (University of Sydney)
• The impact of surgical sterilization on the incidence of primary malignant bone tumours in Australian dogs (James Cook University)
• The potential impact of heat-waves on the health status of dogs in the greater metropolitan region of Sydney (University of Sydney)
• The rationale, duration and choice of antimicrobial agents used during chemotherapy in canine and feline patients in Australia. (University of Sydney)
• The secret killer: Unravelling the link between urban air pollutants and lung cancer in dogs (University of Queensland)
• The use of critically important antimicrobials in small animal practice (University of Queensland)
• The use of gastric cytoprotectants in small animal practice in Australia (University of Melbourne)
• The use of spot on fluralaner instead of full body clipping in Ixodes treatment (University of Sydney)
• The use of ultrasonography in general veterinary practice to find canine vegetal foreign bodies. (Charles Sturt University)
• The use of VetCompass Australia to track canine parvovirus-like cases in Australia (University of Sydney)
• TickAlert: development of an integrated early warning surveillance platform for tick-borne illness (University of Queensland)
• Trends in age at desexing of Australian dogs (James Cook University)
• Use of immune suppressive drugs in dogs in general practice (University of Melbourne)
• Use of prescriptive modelling to formulate action plans for research and clinical approaches to diseases presenting diagnostic challenges in companion animals; canine brain cancer (University of Queensland)
• Use of proton pump inhibitors in small animal general practice (University of Melbourne)
• Using data from Australian small animal veterinary practice to inform Day One Skills of graduating veterinarians (Murdoch University)
• Using data from Australian small animal veterinary practices to estimate prevalence of inherited diseases in cats and dogs (University of Sydney)
• What is the site predilection of canine appendicular osteosarcomas in large breed dogs in Australia compared to studies in the United States? (University of Sydney)
• Who Ate All the Socks? A Retrospective Case Control Study on Foreign Body Ingestion in Dogs (University of Sydney)