should owners or vets make the final call?
The question is whether owners or experts should take responsibility for welfare when it is time to make the call
SHOULD vets step in when an owner chooses to prolong an elderly horse’s life or continue its athletic career despite potential welfare implications?
The topic was raised at the 2017 Animal Welfare Foundation forum on 5 June in light of the growing older horse population.
Recent reports show that around 30% of the UK horse population is 15 years or older; about 300,000 horses.
“Geriatric surgery is growing because we’re getting better at it,” said Lesley Barwise-Munro of Alnorthumbria Vet Group. “We have more sophisticated veterinary care available and we’re increasing the lifespan of our horses because of that.”
On top of the growing number of veterans, there has also been a change in attitude towards ownership, so horses are no longer just viewed as a work animal, but a pet that is kept into old age, said Ms Barwise-Munro .
“With this stronger pet-owner bond, there is much more drive to seek and finance veterinary help and together with the fact that around 58.5% of older horses are insured for vet fees, there can be an increased expectation from vets for treatment,” she added.
Tim Greet, of Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons, said that effective medication can be a “double-edged sword”.
“It brings benefits but also allows horses to continue in competition for longer,” he said. “There is a risk that [owners, riders and trainers] may decide to medicate rather than to rest the animal. We as a profession have a huge responsibility to bear in being the interpreter of the wellbeing of horses.”
RESPONSIBILITY
MR GREET believes vets must take back responsibility for horses’ welfare.
“I think it is by conversation with clients, a better understanding and honesty, that we can try to sustain the wellbeing of horses that are used for our pleasure in competition,” he said.
“It is this close relationship that is necessary to try and ensure the welfare of the horse remains a cornerstone of what we do.”
It is essential that vets have clinical justification for what they do when considering the quality of life of a horse, according to Ms Barwise-Munro.
“We must be transparent, we must maintain our professionalism and there must always be a response to treatment or recognition of that hopeless prognosis,” she said.
“Will the animal benefit from the treatment or are they too old to benefit?
“Horses don’t understand time trade-off — a term used in human medicine, where they will trade some time where it is poor quality of life for an extension of life — they need good quality of life at that time. Delaying euthanasia can compromise welfare.”
QUALITY OF LIFE
MS BARWISE-MUNRO noted that assessing quality of life does present challenges, as there is no objective tool that can be used to make the decision.
But she said owners can help identify quality of life indicators when looking after the horse from day to day (see box, below).
“There is a wide span of age in geriatric classification and each case needs separate consideration — you can’t have a blanket [rule] that older horses shouldn’t receive certain treatment,” she added.
‘We have a huge responsibility to bear’
VET TIM GREET