Challenges for the veterinary profession: A grounded theory study of veterinarians' experiences of caring for older horses.
Authors: Smith Rebecca, Pinchbeck Gina, McGowan Catherine, Ireland Joanne, Perkins Elizabeth
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary As horses in Britain live longer and owners maintain them into advanced age, veterinary practice patterns are shifting in ways that warrant closer examination. This qualitative research employed grounded theory methodology to explore how practising veterinarians experience and navigate the care of older equines, capturing the professional challenges and decision-making processes that emerge in this population. The study revealed that routine veterinary engagement actually declines as horses age—a counterintuitive finding given the accumulating health complexities of geriatric animals—and identified a significant gap between professional guidance and owner behaviour, with many owners consulting alternative information sources either before seeking veterinary advice or independently of it. These findings highlight a critical tension in equine practice: whilst gerontological cases demand nuanced clinical reasoning and often emotionally demanding conversations about prognosis and quality of life, the veterinary profession currently operates with limited shared frameworks for managing these consultations effectively. For all equine professionals, understanding these systemic challenges in older horse care pathways may improve interdisciplinary collaboration and help identify where owner education, clear communication about evidence-based management, and coordinated care protocols could better serve the growing population of aged animals in our care.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Veterinarians should be aware that older horse owners may have already consulted alternative information sources, requiring discussion and evidence-based communication strategies
- •Consider developing specific protocols and communication approaches for geriatric horse care to address the growing population of aged horses being retained by owners
- •Understand that declining routine veterinary service uptake in older horses may indicate unmet communication needs or differing owner priorities requiring professional engagement
Key Findings
- •Horse owners in Great Britain are keeping horses into increasingly older age, reflecting changing human-animal relationships
- •Uptake of routine veterinary services decreases as horses age
- •Horse owners seek health information from alternative sources before and/or after veterinary consultation
- •Limited existing information exists regarding veterinarians' experiences and behaviours toward older horse health care provision