Acquisition and use of analgesic drugs by horse owners in the United States.
Authors: Sellon Debra C, Sanz Macarena, Kopper Jamie J
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Analgesic Drug Acquisition and Use Among US Horse Owners Nearly all horse owners in the United States have access to equine analgesic medications, with 96% of the 389 surveyed possessing at least one type, yet a concerning proportion obtain drugs outside established veterinarian-client-patient relationships. Through logistic regression analysis of an online questionnaire, researchers identified that owners managing large numbers of horses (>20 lifetime), those with veterinary or medical training, and those with insured horses were significantly more likely to possess five or more analgesic types (odds ratios ranging from 2.2 to 4.2), whilst owners with accessible primary care veterinarians (requiring <30 minutes travel) were less likely to accumulate large analgesic stockpiles. Most problematically, younger, male horse owners residing in the South and West regions demonstrated substantially elevated odds of sourcing analgesics through non-compliant channels (odds ratios of 2.0–5.6), suggesting geographic and demographic disparities in veterinary oversight that may compromise both horse welfare and public health. The findings underscore an urgent need for veterinarians to engage in explicit discussions with horse owners regarding analgesic options, administration competency, and the clinical rationale for maintaining professional oversight—particularly amongst demographic groups showing heightened risk for unsupervised medication acquisition.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Veterinarians should proactively discuss available analgesic options and owner competency in drug administration, particularly with younger male owners and those in remote areas where VCPR compliance may be at risk
- •Geographic region and distance to primary veterinarian are significant factors in analgesic acquisition patterns—rural practitioners should be especially aware of off-label or non-compliant sourcing in their regions
- •Owners with multiple horses and medical training represent a distinct cohort with higher analgesic possession; targeted education on indications and proper use could improve pain management outcomes
Key Findings
- •96% of US horse owners surveyed have access to at least one type of equine analgesic medication
- •Horse owners with ≥5 types of analgesic drugs were more likely to have managed >20 horses (OR=3.1) and have medical insurance for horses (OR=4.2)
- •Horse owners obtaining drugs from VCPR non-compliant sources were more likely to be male (OR=5.6), ≤40 years old (OR=2.0), and reside in South or West US regions (OR=2.4)
- •Most horse owners are confident in their analgesic drug administration skills despite wide variation in training and veterinary access