A Model Pet Evaluation Matrix 

April 2011

The Pet Evaluation Matrix created by Iowa State University is an excellent model for communities to adopt if they lack the time or resources to do a matrix of their own. In this matrix, the community standard of care is based on findings from private practice veterinarians in corroboration with pet-owner surveys. The overall emphasis is on lifesaving.

To determine which behavioral or medical problems pet owners would be willing to assume, 423 households in central Iowa were questioned in a telephone survey about their attitudes toward the relationship of the pet to the family, their willingness to provide varying levels of medical or behavioral intervention ranging from treatment of acute to long term chronic care, and their level of financial commitment to resolving such issues.

In a corresponding survey, 97 companion animal veterinarians were asked to think about their client population and assess how the majority of their clients would consider a set of medical and behavioral problems using Asilomar Accords definitions: healthy (H), treatable-rehabilitatable (T-R), treatable-manageable (T-M), and unhealthy & untreatable (UU).

Here are the results: