This podcast reviews a vet school’s economic impact statement and a special Equus magazine about the health of our horses. When I read these, my first reaction was a concern for my colleagues and, worse, all horse owners.

To appease the workforce demand for quality time and a work-life balance, veterinary schools are increasing the number of veterinarians graduating yearly. An assumption is that this would lead to more equine veterinarians and, thus, more choices. An equal assumption is that they will all go into small animal practice. With either belief, the cost of veterinary care for our horses will rise outside of inflation due to the cost of employing any extra veterinarians to achieve the coveted time off or due to the compensation for the lone equine veterinarian to offset the lack of free time.

I follow the report with a page-by-page analysis of the articles in Equus, first showing the heavy influence of the advertisers in their content. I then bring to light the absence of information and some misleading advice but also deliver the thrust that everything written is about fixing problems, not preventing them. Topics covered in this podcast review of articles include nutrition, colic, laminitis, asthma, skin diseases, joint soundness, gut health, and ulcers.

The conclusion I discovered to the problem of increasing health issues in our horses and the future ability of veterinarians available to rural areas came to one point. We must do our best to prevent health issues in our horses. It’s time to look inward, focusing on improving the ability of our horses to fight against toxins, bacteria, viruses, and environmental factors by getting their house in order from within so they may have the best chance for Thriving In A Human World.

00:01:00 – LSU Vet School economic impact report and what it means for all animal owners.

00:09:07 – Overview of a horse magazine – who controls the content? Following are the article titles.

00:12:20 – The How’s And Why’s of Vaccinations

00:19:15 – Seven Myths Of Equine Nutrition

00:40:00 – The Right Approach To Parasite Control

00:47:30 – Do’s And Don’ts Of Managing For Healthy Joints

00:58:10 – Manage Your Horse For Digestive Health

01:10:10 – First Response:

• Laminitis
• PPID
• Colic
• Asthma
• Large Lacerations
• Choke
• Scratches And Rain Rot
• Tying Up
• Loose Shoe
• Heat Exhaustion
• Runny Nose

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