Do people go to the vet before they should?

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somethingorother

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Couldn't think of a catchy title!

As above really... It is great that i see more people calling the vet whenever a behavioural problem arises, whereas in the past i think the vet was a last resort for many, and behavioural problems were seen as just that. It's great that less horses are being punished for being in pain and lots of investigations are being done to find out why.

But i have been thinking... Do you think people sometimes call the vet out and go down this route, before looking at what they are doing or the horses past etc?

Some people seem to have the vet out every ten minutes, with nothing serious ever found or treated.

Same goes for those who have a very slight lameness sometimes but are more often than not completely sound.

In the past on yards i have been on, these horses would be rested for a couple of days, and if sound after this they would be back in work. No bute, no vets. Just a bit of time. Maybe it was a bit of stiffness from artritis which wasn't diagnosed... but they were usually sound 90% of the time, and when they weren't they were turned out.

I hope i've not offended anyone, just thought it would make an interesting discussion! :)
 
Yes, I think it's good that many more cases are properly investigated, but on the other hand, it seems to me that sometimes it is easier to call vet/physio/farrier/communicator or whoever than to look in the mirror and admit that it is about time to learn to ride:D
 
Lol M - you could be talking about me :D

I think we're incredibly lucky in that our vet is on call as it were 24/7. We don't take the mickey, but we know we can call her any time and she will answer. She knows us and our horses very well and takes excellent care of us all :)

Having had Tigs on/off lame for so long, I am (as most on here will know) paranoid, and that was before Dizz came along. Ho hum.

I see some posts on here and sometimes wonder what on other the OP must be thinking - why the heck haven't they called the vet out already???!!!
 
I think I would agree that there are those who would call the vet at the slightest sign of trouble without looking closer to home and without applying time and common-sense. I think there are many situations in which it may be prudent to wait and see rather than to rush for an instant remedy. Time can be used in many ways for healing and for evaluation. Obviously in an acute or life-threatening situation, time is of the essence and help is required - and it may not always be a vet.
 
Lol Martlin, sort of what i was thinking but didn't say :p

I don't just mean that though. I mean things like a change in behaviour could come from a change in routine...

I want to be clear, that i do agree, if in doubt- call the vet! But sometimes i think... that cut doesn't need a vet, just needs washing and keeping clean. Vet comes and says 'just keep it clean' and goes. If a behaviour cames up that wasn't there before, i consider pain first. Then i go through everything else, i might try changing the bit, saddle, way i ride/handle etc. And then i will call a vet. Unless it is obvious or dramatic.

On the otherhand, there are still (although fewer than 10 year ago imo) people who leave it far too long to call a vet when one is obviously needed. For example horses who have a major cut which is near a joint or gaping and could do with a couple of stitches. They ignore it, the flesh starts to protrude (forgot the name- granulation?) and then it takes twice as long to heal.

Suppose there's a fine line between too soon and too late, and it's obvious which is the better side to be on!
 
I think it depends how experienced you are... and how confident.
I have interesting relationship with my vet, we trust each others judgement and quite often do 'long distance diagnosis'. To the point that I sometimes ring him and say: 'Could you nip down with some Buscopan and Finadyne, please' instead of 'Could you come to see my horse that might be colicking, please'.
I am a bit old fashioned though and without obvious (well, at least to me) signs of pain, when a horse develops a behavioural problem, I do consider a possibility that it might be just naughty:)
My old coach used to respond to ramblings about changing bits, saddles etc with a lovely suggestion that it would be beneficial to get a half decent seat, stable hand and a grip on ones emotions first, follow that with regular exercise and corresponding amount of feed and if that fails, have a go at some tack solutions:D:D I think he had a point...
 
Not so sure about behavioural problems, the vet certainly wouldn't be my first port of call I would go to a friend who has a sight more experience than I have and I trust her judgement as a horsewoman only if it progressed into a serious matter would I seek my vet's advice. Medical issues, years ago I was a panic merchant and would call a vet for advice or for an onsite diagnosis for bumps, swellings, colicky symptoms, lameness or whatever. Nowadays I tend to rarely panic and will monitor, then call the vet, discuss it and if I need to go pick something up like Danilon I will nip down and get it otherwise Vet will nip out if needs be. But with age I have become a lot more practical and a lot less panic stricken :)
 
Oh i definitely agree... obviously if people want to call the vet for everything that's fine and their choice... but personally if my pony is slightly lame i will rest her for a few days and see if she is sound after that, not just call the vet straight away as some do :)
 
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