Veterinarian's Responsibility to Patient Welfare
Concurrent with an increase in the number of nonprofit equine rescue organizations and politically powerful lobbying groups devoted to animal welfare, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of legal bills proposed and statutes imposed specific to the welfare of horses.
The public's response after a series of high-profile breakdowns and abuses that occurred on Thoroughbred tracks and at other competitive horse events in the United States has placed veterinary practices engaged in servicing these sectors and others in the horse industry under intense scrutiny. As horse owners become more sensitive to these issues, veterinarians are expected to exercise careful handling of their patients so as not to cause undue pain or discomfort in the eyes of their owners or other onlookers.Few veterinarians would challenge the idea that an abusive procedure such as “soring” of a Tennessee Walking Horse, used solely to improve show ring performance, is unacceptable. However, it could be argued that certain surgical and medical procedures performed with regularity in daily practice may be less obvious but equally suspect. Dispensing or administering steroidal and nonsteroidal medications locally or systemically to horses known to have underlying pathology, thereby enhancing the risk of further physical damage or catastrophic breakdown, could be viewed as a form of neglect of duty or malpractice. Castration in semiconscious horses without the use of local anesthetics37 and postsurgical analgesics could also be looked upon critically. Surgical procedures such as distal limb neurectomies, done solely to remedy pain so that a horse may fulfill a career goal, can result in further bodily harm to the horse and affect the safety of current or future riders. The use or promotion of procedures such as internal blisters, injection of “off-label” or exotic substances (cobra venom), and electrocautery (pin firing), which not only lack the support of evidence-based medicine38 but also may result in pain or long-term suffering for the patient, should be carefully evaluated. Requests for certain cosmetic procedures such as tail docking, which is currently illegal in several states, should be seriously justified.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has produced several guideline publications39-44 specific to various breeds and disciplines to assist equine veterinarians in their management and care.Veterinarians should strive to do the following:
• Achieve balance between protecting the health and welfare of their charges and satisfying the wishes of their clients
• Educate clients who may be unaware of the negative effects that husbandry or training practices impose on the horse's health and psychological well-being
• Direct owners to make informed decisions in the case of chronically ill animals, especially when financial constraints may affect appropriate treatment and quality of life
Horses are sensitive and incredibly compliant creatures. They are particularly vulnerable to many forms of continued physical and psychological abuse, whether done intentionally or unintentionally through ignorance or negligence. Equine veterinarians have a responsibility to protect horses and should make every effort to evaluate patients carefully for signs of inappropriate treatment or cruelty. Evidence of abuse or neglect may be blatantly obvious or less conspicuous initially, so constant surveillance is necessary to determine whether physical or behavioral problems challenge the horse's health and welfare.