Livestock diseases have a major impact on industry as well as the end-cost of meat at the local supermarket. To track maladies and keep them under control, the Department of Animal Science and AgriLife Extension have released a Veterinary Syndromic Surveillance (VSS) mobile app and website.

The technology will initially be used by participating veterinarians and animal health regulatory agencies in Texas, New Mexico and parts of Arizona. The app and website were developed with the help of the Division of Information Technology.

Thomas Hairgrove, DVM, Ph.D., and extension specialist in the Texas A&M Department of Animal Science, said the VSS is part of a three-year project funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The goal of the grant, he said, is to make early career veterinarians more sustainable and utilize their education for successful herd management.

VSS monitors all livestock, including swine, sheep, camels, horses, deer, goats and bovines. Veterinarians record problems related to systems of the musculoskeletal, digestive, reproductive, respiratory and others. VSS also benefits the participating vets, since they can enter notes for their own records that are not shared with anyone else.

“VSS allows us to look at patterns or syndromes of disease and see if they are isolated to a specific area, or if this is something that needs to be brought to the attention of everyone,” Hairgrove said. “Veterinarians can share diagnostic images and information and can even have Zoom discussions when needed.”

Department of Animal Science Compliance Officer and graduate student Debbie Perry helped with creation of the tools. Karun Kaniyamattam, Ph.D., is working on the analysis of the data using artificial intelligence (AI). The AI breakdown will then be used to flag patterns on a map so trouble spots can be easily detected.

In the past, some syndromes were blamed on weather events in a particular area. Now when a pattern appears in a certain location, data from the nearest weather station can be analyzed to see if weather was a factor. Such research previously took days.

The idea for the app came in 2011 when Hairgrove was at a meeting in Kansas. He heard of a “pencil and paper” reporting system where sheets were filled out by hand and faxed or emailed to an office. A similar system had also been tried in Australia. The first attempt at an app required an iPad, something few rural vets used. The new mobile app, which also works on an iPhone or Android phone, increases the likelihood it will be utilized. The app and website are also designed to require only a few minutes of a veterinarian’s time to enter the necessary information.

“We also own the server now, so the data is safe and confidential and can continually be analyzed,” Hairgrove said. “The Animal Health Commission can monitor the app, but they will not know the specific site. They only see the zip code to protect producer confidentiality and ensure transparency.”

Hairgrove said the initial grant will also help employ telemedicine to rural areas, where large animal clinics may be hundreds of miles away.

Hairgrove said the app and website are very impressive and pointed to the “excellent job” of the Division of IT. Tracy Persky, IT Manager IV, said the division was also impressed by the aim of the project.

“When Dr. Hairgrove and his team approached us, I was excited about the opportunity for my team to help build an app and web portal that can make a real difference in the health of livestock and veterinary practices,” he said. “This has the potential to protect the livelihood of farmers and ranchers, as well as the food supply.”

 To ensure the integrity of data, VSS users must be approved. If you are interested, contact vet.surveillance@ag.tamu.edu.