Pain recognition and treatment in the horse: a survey of equine veterinarians in The Netherlands and Belgium.

This research explores how equine veterinarians in The Netherlands and Belgium perceive and manage pain in horses. It sheds light on the different techniques and medications utilized and the factors that influence these decisions.

Survey Methodology

• The research involved dispatching questionnaires to a total of 771 equine veterinarians, all members of the Dutch or Flemish equine practitioners society.
• The response rate to the survey was 16.6%, drawn from the pool of Netherlands and Flemish region of Belgium horse doctors.
• The questionnaires were designed to gain insights into the respondents’ pain management techniques and their self-appraisal of their knowledge of pain management.

Pain Management Techniques & Medications

• Veterinarians were asked about their use of pain relief medications, the factors influencing their prescription, methods of pain scoring, and analgesic treatments for specific health conditions.
• Responses revealed significant variation in the pain scores assigned to different clinical conditions, indicating a lack of standardization or agreement in the assessment of pain severity among equine veterinarians.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were the principal type of analgesic medicines prescribed. The research also found that older drugs continue to play a significant role in managing pain.
• Among the opioids, Butorphanol emerged as the frequently recommended medicine in pain management strategies.

Knowledge Assessment & Continuing Education

• The study found that a sizable proportion of the equine veterinarians surveyed considered their knowledge and skill in pain recognition and analgesic therapy as being insufficient or moderate.
• This suggests a potential gap in continuing education, signalling need for more training or resources for these veterinarians to keep up-to-date in their pain recognition and management practices.