Resources

Helping you understand veterinary clinical research

If you're new to veterinary research, you're not alone. Many animal guardians (owners) have questions about what veterinary clinical studies are, why they are carried out, and what taking part might involve.

This Resource section has been created to explain what veterinary clinical research is. Whether you're simply curious or considering if your animal could take part in a study, we hope these resources will help you make informed decisions.

Our aim is to provide trusted information that supports openness, understanding and informed choice.

What is a veterinary clinical study?

A veterinary clinical study is a planned piece of research that helps veterinary professionals learn more about animal health and improve the care they provide. Some studies look at how diseases develop, while others investigate whether a new medicine, treatment, diagnostic test or way of caring for animals works better than current practice. Many studies simply collect information to help answer important questions about animal health.

Unlike laboratory research, veterinary clinical studies involve animals that are receiving veterinary care. Studies take place in veterinary practices, referral hospitals or universities, with the agreement of the animal's guardian (owner). Participation in studies is voluntary, and a decision not to take part will not impact the care the animal receives.

Why are veterinary clinical studies carried out?

Veterinary medicine is always improving. Research helps answer questions such as:

Is this new treatment safe and effective?
Does one treatment work better than another?
Can we diagnose a disease earlier?
How can we improve an animal's quality of life?
What is the best way to prevent disease?

The answers help veterinary professionals provide better care for animals now and in the future.

Does every study involve testing a new treatment?

No. Many veterinary clinical studies do not test new medicines or procedures. Some studies simply observe animals receiving their usual care or their behaviour. Others may ask animal guardians (owners) to complete questionnaires, collect information from medical records (with permission), or monitor how animals respond to treatments that are already part of normal veterinary practice. These types of studies are usually referred to as observational.

Every study is different, and before an animal takes part in a study information is provided to the guardian (owner) to decide if they want their animal to take part and to provide consent on the animal's behalf. This is a very important part of the research process, and animal guardians (owners) can make a decision without it impacting the care of their animal in any way.

Every study helps build knowledge

Whether a study finds that a treatment works well, works no better than existing care, or doesn't have the expected results, the information is valuable. Every well-conducted study adds to our understanding of animal health and helps improve veterinary care for future animals.

Research words you may hear

Research word	What does it mean?
Clinical study	A planned project that helps answer questions about animal health or veterinary care.
Protocol	The written plan that explains exactly how the study will be carried out.
Informed consent	Making a decision after being given all the information you need. Informed consent is a process. Information is provided about the study, including what will happen during the study, potential risks, and how long the study will take. The person making the decision on behalf of the animal considers this, and if they are happy for their animal to take part, they will sign a consent form. If during the study the person giving consent is worried, they can speak to the veterinary professional and withdraw their consent at any time.
Randomisation	A fair way of deciding which treatment an animal receives. It is a process of using chance to assign participants to different groups in a study — like a treatment or control group. This helps to determine which treatment works better. Sometimes, but not always, the treatment is compared against a placebo.
Placebo	A treatment that looks like the real treatment but has no active medicine. (Used only in some studies and under strict ethical rules.)
Inclusion/exclusion criteria	Inclusion criteria describe the animals that can take part in the study, for example a dog with arthritis that is at least 6 years old and above. In a similar way, exclusion criteria specify what is not suitable — an example would be a dog under the age of 6.
Interventional vs observational study	Interventional studies introduce a new treatment that is different to standard treatment. It could be a new drug or new medical device — there is an intervention taking place which is different to usual practice. Observational studies observe current practices; this could be collecting information on existing treatment.

Please see our FAQs section for more about the Veterinary Clinical Studies Registry and why it is important. We will continue to build this Resource section over time. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us.