Jim Kenney, DVM, and Kevin May, DVM, co-facilitated a small gathering at the Therapeutic Options Forum at the 2006 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention in San Antonio, Texas, held Dec. 2-6. The first item on the agenda was research.

Kenney noted that for the topic of acupuncture, at the University of Florida there are five research projects ongoing, including acupuncture treatment of equine anhydrosis (failure to sweat), cancer, pain management, equine recurrent airway obstruction, and persistent equine endometritis.

Kevin Haussler, DVM, PhD, DC, at Colorado State University, is studying the effects of spinal mobilization and manipulation on thoracolumbar kinematics on back stiffness in standing horses Haussler is also using pressure algometry to assess treatment options for back pain in which he compares chiropractic, massage therapy, phenylbutazone, stall rest, and a control group.

A research project by P.R. van Weeren, associate professor, Department of Equine Sciences at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, is looking at asymptomatic horses and patients before and after chiropractic treatment. Data analysis appears to demonstrate significant differences in both groups.

There was a study published in the American Journal of Veterinary Medicine on lavender used to relieve travel anxiety in dogs.

There was discussion on therapeutic options in veterinary schools, and it was amazing how many schools are offering programs. For example, the University of Florida has four faculty clinicians and two full-time interns in the Acupuncture Service at the Animal Medical Center. CSU has the first endowed professorship devoted to the study of alternative and complementary medicine that is held by Narda Robinson, DVM, DO (doctor of osteopathy in human medicine), MS, Dipl. ABMA.

There has been a movement to include more therapeutic options in mainstream veterinary education events, with a new publication entitled The American Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine edited by Cheryl Chrisman, DVM, Ed.S. MS, Dipl. ACVIM, professor and chief of the Neurology Service at the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine. (For more information contact carsone@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu.)

There was quite a bit of discussion about non-veterinarians performing modalities on horses. The major problem with non-vets, according to one veterinarian in the audience, is that they don’t always understand equine pathology. For example, a horse is given chiropractic treatments six times for a hind end lameness and it’s a hoof abscess.

There was some discussion over the term “lay.” Is it a non-trained person or a non-vet who is trained in a modality? In reality, the term chiropractic should only be used in regard to treatment of humans.

Veterinarians discussed how to train fellow veterinarians who want to have these modalities done on client horses, but who don’t want to do the treatments themselves. There was a question of whether the veterinarian could be liable if the client is referred to a non-veterinarian for treatment of a disease or health problem. If that non-vet does something wrong, the veterinarian’s insurance might not cover malpractice or might cause your insurance to be invalid.

When the discussion arose about a client who wants therapeutic options and that person’s veterinarian won’t refer, one veterinarian said it’s up to the client to do what’s best for the horse. “If a veterinarian won’t provide a service, the clients will seek it out,” said one veterinarian.

The Forum was going to request the AAEP conduct a survey of members to see how many are performing therapeutic options, have someone in the practice who is providing these, services, or are referring clients to other practitioners and whether they are lay persons or veterinarians.

Get research and health news from the American Association of Equine Practitioners 2006 Convention in The Horse’s AAEP 2006 Wrap-Up sponsored by OCD Equine. Files are available as free PDF downloads