Unlike humans, cats, dogs, and even zoo animals, objective methods to help equine veterinarians address their patients’ quality of life (QOL) have yet to be developed. Presently, veterinarians rely on subjective measure of QOL, which are invariably affected by personal biases and possible errors, according to researchers from the United Kingdom.

"Assessing QOL is a core part of clinical decision making for all equine veterinary problems, yet we currently do not possess sufficient aids for QOL assessment," remarked James Yeates, BVSc, BSc, DWEL, PhD, MRCVS, from the University of Bristol’s Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, in the U.K.

Working to combat this problem, Yeates and colleague Russell Parker, BVSc, MRCVS, suggested six steps that equine veterinarians and horse owners alike can use to improve their ability to assess their patient’s QOL:

1. Decide which aspects of the horse’s life affect his QOL
2. Identify what information can be useful to assess these aspects
3. Develop an appropriate assessment method
4. Infer the patient’s expected QOL
5. Make a decision about actions or recommendations
6. Achieve that decision

"QOL entails more than simply ‘medical’ issues," noted Yeates. "Husbandry issues such as care, exercise, and nutrition also impact a patient’s mental and physical health