Performance horse veterinarians treat everything from the cutting horse to the dressage mount, but when it comes to issues pertinent to their practice, they are much alike. The problems of online and traveling pharmacies, clients’ administering medications, drug testing at shows, and compounding were discussed at the performance forum at the 2004 convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners in Denver, Colo. Midge Leitch, VMD, Dipl. ACVS, of Londonderry Equine Clinic in Cochranville, Penn.; and Darrin Kelley, DVM, of Redmond Veterinary Clinic in Redmond, Ore., moderated the Dec. 4 session.

Online and Traveling Pharmacies

Practitioners attending the forum have had clients request prescriptions that will be filled by discount online pharmacies. “Online pharmacies sometimes present an ethical problem for us,” said one practitioner. “I make it very clear to my clients that (the medication from these operations) is not coming from my clinic and we’re not responsible (if something goes wrong)