Rx: Responsible Drug Use

Tranquilizers can calm a nervous, first-time dam and allow her to accept her foal; anti-inflammatory drugs may
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Tranquilizers can calm a nervous, first-time dam and allow her to accept her foal; anti-inflammatory drugs may allow a mildly arthritic horse to continue safely in a handicapped riding program; antibiotics can be life–and career–saving to a racehorse with pneumonia. At some time, medications could be an important part of the equation in your horse’s health, which starts with a relationship with your veterinarian.

The Veterinary Connection

The telephone calls (and now e-mail) are incoming at least five or six times every week–"My horse has mange and the stuff that my veterinarian gave me isn’t working. What should I use?" "A yearling of mine has chronic diarrhea and I’ve tried everything, but nothing has worked. What do you suggest I try next?" And even international calls: "My horse has white muscle disease, what should I give him … there have only been three cases in my country."

Veterinarians (or physicians, dentists, etc.) cannot diagnose a condition or prescribe treatment over the telephone without direct knowledge of the animal. Think of it this way…can you imagine calling up a cardiologist and saying (if you could even directly speak to him/her) "Gee, I really don’t agree with my physician about what is wrong with my fluttering heart. This is what it feels like, and this is the medication I am on–what other drugs could I try?" No upstanding physician would attempt to answer that question without directly examining you and perhaps conferring with your original physician with your permission

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Written by:

Roberta Dwyer, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVPM, is an equine extension veterinarian and professor at the University of Kentucky, in Lexington, where she also serves as director of the preveterinary advising program. She specializes in veterinary preventative medicine.

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