Mission
“For the genetic improvement of our domestic animals”
We have the knowledge; we have the technologies. We now have the responsibility to improve the genetic health and well-being of our domestic animals. This will take education and political will, both of which require access to current, reliable, evidence-based information. The Labgenvet website strives to provide this information.
History
Dr. David Silversides graduated as a veterinarian in 1982 from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Since 1990 he has been a researcher, professor and educator at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Montreal, in Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada.
In the last 20 or so years, with advances in molecular biology and genomics, considerable new knowledge concerning the genetic diseases of our domestic animals has been generated. To address a perceived lack of accessibility to up-to-date and reliable information regarding the simple genetic diseases of domestic animals, both in Canada and particularly in Quebec, Dr. Silversides created the Labgenvet website in 2015. The website was designed, with contributions from Diana Raiwet, Benoit Bouchard and Dr. Guy Labbé, to provide a public domain source of evidence-based information on domestic animal genetics to help breeders, owners, students, veterinarians and vet technicians make informed decisions concerning the genetics of the animals they live and work with. Knowledge is power and power is responsibility. And knowledge should be freely available.
Impact
The Labgenvet website is freely accessible in both English and French. Information is provided for the dog, cat, cow and horse. Content is curated by Dr. David Silversides, at times with input from students of the Veterinary Medicine program of the University of Montreal. Simple genetic diseases, inbreeding and colour genetics are addressed. Clinical and molecular aspects of genetic diseases are presented, and diseases are linked and cross-referenced to specific breed mutation frequencies and to the scientific literature. In 2025, the Labgenvet website is projected to have upwards of 225,000 visits with almost 2 million pages referenced.
To ensure unbiased content, the Labgenvet website is not affiliated with, nor sponsored by commercial interests. The site relies on donations from users through periodic GoFundMe initiatives to generate the resources needed for website hosting and support. Philanthropic support would be greatly appreciated to insure the independence and perennity of the site.
The Labgenvet website has been recognized by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Journal and by the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) website.
Contact
If you find the Labgenvet web site useful, share your views and opinions with your colleagues and friends. If you have comments to improve the websites, share your views and opinions with me, at david.w.silversides@umontreal.ca.