Tranquilizers can calm a nervous, first-time dam and allow her to accept her foal; anti-inflammatory drugs may allow a mildly arthritic horse to continue safely in a handicapped riding program; antibiotics can be life–and career–saving to a racehorse with pneumonia. At some time, medications could be an important part of the equation in your horse’s health, which starts with a relationship with your veterinarian.

The Veterinary Connection

The telephone calls (and now e-mail) are incoming at least five or six times every week–"My horse has mange and the stuff that my veterinarian gave me isn’t working. What should I use?" "A yearling of mine has chronic diarrhea and I’ve tried everything, but nothing has worked. What do you suggest I try next?" And even international calls: "My horse has white muscle disease, what should I give him … there have only been three cases in my country."

Veterinarians (or physicians, dentists, etc.) cannot diagnose a condition or prescribe treatment over the telephone without direct knowledge of the animal. Think of it this way…can you imagine calling up a cardiologist and saying (if you could even directly speak to him/her) "Gee, I really don’t agree with my physician about what is wrong with my fluttering heart. This is what it feels like, and this is the medication I am on–what other drugs could I try?" No upstanding physician would attempt to answer that question without directly examining you and perhaps conferring with your original physician with your permission