Do you need veterinary permission for a physio to work on your horse?

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Ziggy_

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Slightly dumb question
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I need to get my mare's back checked. I was looking on my physio's website and it said permission from a vet is needed to authorise physiotherapy. My old YO used to book back checks for me so I've never had to do it myself; do I need to ask the vets' permission and how would I go about obtaining it?

Also, my plan is to get the ginger beast a thorough MOT as she's ''not quite right'' ATM - would you reccomend a physio, chiropracter, or 'other' as a first port of call?

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yes I rang my vets this morning
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. They don't mind though I do kind of feel I am wasting their time and they have never said no.

I have had some phone the vets themselves and some ask me to phone them.

oh and I am also I chiro fan, with lots of massage.
 
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would you reccomend a physio, chiropracter, or 'other' as a first port of call?


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Depends on who you use, obviously, but I'd go for a physio personally. Have used McTimoney before, and seen a number of different 'back quacks' but if it's something a bit vague I would think a physio might have wider knowledge (IMO
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As everyone else said, you should really as god forbid something happened to your horse then it would invalidate any insurance claim.
 
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Also, my plan is to get the ginger beast a thorough MOT as she's ''not quite right'' ATM - would you reccomend a physio, chiropracter, or 'other' as a first port of call?

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My horse gets seen by physio and mctimmony and mctimmony lady suggests physio first to release any muscle spasms and just relax the muscles. Theory is that if she does her work with muscles that are already tight it will cause more problems than it will solve. She always prefers physio/massage to have been done first if there is something 'not quite right' with him. If it is just an annual check then i don't bother with the physio.
 
I would be concerned if the person treating my horse did not either say they were going to contact my vet or ask me to contact my vet.

Am not sure whether most vets are for or against this sort of treatment or what they would do if they said yes go ahead and horse had more of a problem.

I say chiro only because I have had better luck with them myself and my usual lady treats me and horse at the same time so we are both straight again together! She does a lot of massage too though.
 
Yes, as Louby said it would invalidate your insurance if there were any issues as a result of treatment that had not been supported by your vet.
 
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by law no-one must treat your horse without your vets permission

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Rubbish, you decide who treats your horse, not your vet. The only law regarding the 'treatment' of horses relates to only registered farriers being allowed to prepare hooves for the fitting of shoes. Courtesy dictates telling your vet so they can put details down on your horses records but it's definately not law.
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it would invalidate your insurance if there were any issues as a result of treatment that had not been supported by your vet.


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That's a totally different issue.
 
Its certainly not law though however essential if insurance is concerned.

A proper equine physio will usually insist for permission to cover themselves as well as you.

I have never let my vet know when the dentist has worked on my horse!
 
just had a chiro out to our horses, after she did them she said she would be phoning the vet to report her findings. Did get the vet out and she spoke very highly of the chiro we used and said she works on a number of cases with her.
 
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Its certainly not law though however essential if insurance is concerned.

A proper equine physio will usually insist for permission to cover themselves as well as you.

I have never let my vet know when the dentist has worked on my horse!

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So you are saying the 1966 veterinary surgeons act on treatment of animals does not apply? having looked it does seem a bit wooly on its exemptions.
 
'Under the terms of the Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order of 1962, the manipulative therapies of chiropractic, physiotherapy and osteopathy can be given by a non-veterinarian therapist to animals. This act restates that it is illegal for any other non-veterinary therapist to treat an animal. A manipulative therapy can legally be given to an animal only by direct veterinary referral. '

from http://www.i-c-m.org.uk/icm/faq/animals
 
from RCVS

Physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors
15. The Veterinary Surgery (Exemptions) Order 1962 allows for the treatment of animals by physiotherapy, provided that the animal has first been seen by a veterinary surgeon who has diagnosed the condition and decided that it should be treated by physiotherapy under his/her direction.

16. 'Physiotherapy' is interpreted as including all kinds of manipulative therapy. It therefore includes osteopathy and chiropractic but would not, for example, include acupuncture or aromatherapy (see Part 1I, paragraph 2, Your responsibilities in relation to the treatment of animals by non-veterinary surgeons).
 
I am still very sceptacle it is law sorry, there are so many cow boys out there if what you say is true prehaps its a pity it is never enforced.

Can't really see the police knocking at my door, I did have the dentist out last week!!!! So prehaps I should be extremely worried.

I think the main point is for their own protection a proper chartered equine physio will insist you or they obtain permission first.
 
llannerch - how can you be sceptical when ester has quoted the exact law that applies??? and it's not talking about dentists - they have an exemption which allows them to treat without veterinary permission.

and toby_zaphod whoever you are, i'd thank you for not telling me i'm talking rubbish when actually it's you. i happen to have studied the veterinary surgeon's act during my training to be one and whilst you might think it's rubbish, it still is the law - it's in black and white so no-one can say it's not the law!
 
The law is the law, but they have to catch you first. What do they do if you are caught? How comes 'tooth raspers' (not EDT's) are exempt?

Should have done QR so not aimed at anyone.

I'll add here that I use a fully qual'd EDT and always ask my vet before the physio comes. I get the feeling they are laughing at me rather than approving (of) my extra therapy sessions.
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it's a law that no-one is going to actually enforce apart from the fact that the insurance companies wont pay if they find out you used someone without consulting a vet first. that doesn't mean it doesn't exist and is rubbish. cant see the police caring somehow though, so no-one would actually get prosecuted for it. dont think there's even been a case anyway! hell, they didn't care when i got my car vandalised the other week, so they wouldn't give a monkeys about a physio or whoever touching your horse!

i'm pretty sure the law was made before EDT's came about so it wasn't designed to take them into account. they are currently trying to rewrite the Vet Surgeons Act but Parliament keep putting it back so prob wont get done for a few more yrs. They want to make rules about regulating EDT's and def unqualified teeth people but you cant just make laws - takes a lot of time to pass a law.
 
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