Comparison of owner-reported health problems with veterinary assessment of geriatric horses in the United Kingdom.
Abstract: Previous studies suggest that owners underestimate or incorrectly recognise or report health problems in geriatric horses. However, few studies have directly compared owner-reported and veterinary assessed disease. Objective: To compare the findings of veterinary clinical examination of geriatric horses with owner-reported clinical signs and disease. Methods: A total of 200 horses aged ≥ 15 years were randomly selected to receive a veterinary examination, from responses to a cross-sectional postal questionnaire survey. Veterinary examinations were performed within 2 months of questionnaire return, and agreement between owner-reported data and veterinary clinical findings was assessed. Results: Owners under-reported many clinical signs and disease conditions detected on veterinary clinical examination. For example, dental abnormalities (detected in 95.4% of horses, reported by 24.5% of owners); cardiac murmurs (detected in 20% of horses, reported by 0.5% of owners); lameness (present in 50% of horses, reported by 23% of owners) and hoof abnormalities (detected in 80% of horses, reported by 27% of owners). Agreement between owner-reported and veterinary assessed respiratory disease (Kappa 0.02-0.2), body condition score (Kappa 0.24) and coat abnormalities (Kappa 0.42) was poor, fair and moderate, respectively. Range of motion (ROM) of the tarsal and metacarpophalangeal joints was lower in horses with owner-reported osteoarthritis (P = 0.005 and <0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The low prevalence and relatively poor agreement of owner-reported disease compared to that detected on veterinary examination suggests inaccurate or under-recognition, or inaccurate reporting of health problems by owners of geriatric horses, which could lead to a delay in presentation for veterinary treatment. Increased veterinary involvement and improved owner education in the care of geriatric horses should facilitate earlier identification of disease, particularly that which is not readily detectable by owners, and aid management of health and welfare problems.
© 2011 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2011-06-23 PubMed ID: 21696434DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00394.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Clinical Examination
- Clinical Findings
- Clinical Signs
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Management
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Science
- Geriatric Horses
- Horse Owners
- Observational Study
- Senior Horses
- Veterinarians
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Practice
- Veterinary Research
- Veterinary Science
Summary
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The research article shows that horse owners often underestimate or misreport the health issues of their geriatric horses, and this discrepancy was revealed by comparing owner-reported conditions with the diagnoses made by veterinarians.
Methodology
- The study involved 200 horses above the age of 15, randomly chosen based on responses received from a cross-sectional postal survey.
- These horses then underwent clinical examinations by veterinarians within two months of the survey responses being received.
- The researchers examined the extent to which the health problems reported by owners matched the actual health conditions diagnosed by the veterinarians during the clinical examinations.
Findings
- The study found significant discrepancies between owner-reported diseases and the actual health conditions of the geriatric horses. In many cases, health problems were present but had gone unreported by the owners.
- For instance, dental abnormalities were prevalent in almost 95.4% of the horses but only reported by 24.5% of the owners.
- Similarly, 20% of the horses had cardiac murmurs, but only 0.5% of the owners had reported this issue. Lameness was seen in 50% of the horses but reported by only 23% of the owners, and hoof abnormalities, which were detected in 80% of the horses, were reported by only 27% of the owners.
Overall Agreement Between Owners and Veterinarians
- The agreement between owner-reported diseases and the actual clinical findings was quite low in the case of respiratory diseases, body condition score and coat abnormalities, with Kappa values of 0.02-0.2, 0.24, and 0.42 respectively.
- In the case of osteoarthritis, reporting was slightly more accurate, with the owner-reported condition matching the reductions in the range of motion (ROM) in the horse’s tarsal and metacarpophalangeal joints.
Conclusion and Recommendations
- The research concluded that the low prevalence and relatively poor agreement of owner-reported conditions suggests an under-recognition, or inaccurate reporting of health problems by the owners of geriatric horses.
- This could potentially result in a delay in the horses receiving necessary veterinary treatment.
- The researchers recommend increased involvement of veterinarians and improved education of horse owners to facilitate earlier identification of diseases, particularly those that are not readily detectable by owners, ensuring better management of health and welfare issues in geriatric horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Ireland JL, Clegg PD, McGowan CM, McKane SA, Chandler KJ, Pinchbeck GL.
(2011).
Comparison of owner-reported health problems with veterinary assessment of geriatric horses in the United Kingdom.
Equine Vet J, 44(1), 94-100.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00394.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, UK. jo.ireland@aht.org.uk
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animals
- Data Collection
- Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- United Kingdom / epidemiology
- Veterinarians
Citations
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