New Equine Pain Scoring System Could Provide Quicker, More Effective Intervention

A new stall-side pain scoring system for horses could help veterinarians better determine the need for analgesics in lame horses, according to Kirsten Wegner, DVM, Dipl. ACVA (veterinary anesthesiology), an assistant professor of anesthesia at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.

In order to properly manage pain in lame horses, veterinarians must measure how much pain

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A new stall-side pain scoring system for horses could help veterinarians better determine the need for analgesics in lame horses, according to Kirsten Wegner, DVM, Dipl. ACVA (veterinary anesthesiology), an assistant professor of anesthesia at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center.

In order to properly manage pain in lame horses, veterinarians must measure how much pain the horse is experiencing as objectively as possible. This can become challenging due to unique behavioral and physiologic qualities of the horse (horses tend to be very stoic), the nature of the pain, and the ability of one or more observers to produce consistent, specific results, Wegner said

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Jennifer Whittle, TheHorse.com Web Producer, is a lifelong horse owner who competes with her Appaloosas in Western performance events. She is a University of Kentucky graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in Community Communications and Leadership Development, and master’s degree in Career, Technical, and Leadership Education. She currently lives on a small farm in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

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