Vets fight back against equine obesity epidemic
Top vets stress the need to tackle epidemic of obesity facing Britain’s horses today, calling it a major welfare issue
TOP vets have been discussing the obesity epidemic as “one of the biggest welfare issues facing British leisure horses”.
The topic came up at the British Equine Veterinary Association’s annual congress, as vets discussed tackling obesity and its related conditions, and how owners perceive the issue.
Caroline Argo, head of veterinary clinical science at the University of Surrey, wants to “descience” the topic, and find out what vets may be missing.
“Equine obesity is probably the biggest welfare issue facing the industry,” she said. “The list of direct and indirect effects is extensive. We’ve had a lot of focus on laminitis, which is understandable, but if you look at the direct implications on health they’re severe in their own right and should not be tolerated.”
OTHER OPTIONS
PROF Argo said identifying obesity is “challenging”, as “the tools are quite blunt”. She cited body condition scoring as the most dependable but said owners must monitor condition regularly and take action when needed.
Prof Argo said changes in ownership trends have affected understanding of obesity.
“With this shift from working to companion animals, we see a big disconnect between owners and traditional wisdom or advice on animal husbandry,” she added. “The equine community is looking to us for leadership and if we don’t act as leaders to this new cadre of owners, they’ll look elsewhere,
and the role models they’ve got are really inappropriate.”
Prof Argo said a study showed 62% of equines at unaffiliated championships were overweight or obese, mainly in dressage or showing, and owners believe show horses’ ideal condition is greater than expected in other disciplines.
“We’ve got a job on our hands in terms of education,” she said.
She said good-quality forage, rugs and lighter work contribute to weight gain, and discussed management such as soaking hay, although this can lead to faster weight loss than is safe, and grazing management.
“We need to engage more and accept responsibility for this new cadre of novice owners,” she said. “Many perceive fat as normal; we need to challenge dressage and showing fraternities who seem to ratify that obesity is good.”
Mark Bowen of the University of Nottingham, a specialist in equine internal medicine, spoke about other options.
He said: “If your equine weight management isn’t working, go back and do it better. It’s about managing diet, improving exercise and not jumping to the tablets.”
He added that different body condition scoring systems use different numbers, pictures and descriptions, and that if consistent language and terms are not used, owner behaviour will not change.
Mr Bowen said he has used drugs on laminitic horses, for example, but: “Drugs are controversial in weight loss; there’s a lack of evidence of any benefit or harm from their use… but this does fuel the idea of obesity as a disease, and clients use them rather than relying on weight management, so I urge you to use them with caution.
“Our hope is that BEVA will take on some of the role of driving awareness,” he added. “Having shared targets and common language — we need to agree on the terms we use as if we can’t, clients won’t understand.
“The important thing is intervening early, not waiting for equine metabolic syndrome or laminitis, managing obesity, setting targets, monitoring progress and rewarding clients.”