This article first appeared in the July 2022 digital edition of Equestrian Life. To see what’s in the current issue, click here. 

What constitutes an emergency?

By Dr Maxine Brain

A vet’s life is seldom boring and quite often we find ourselves running from one job to another trying to cope with the simultaneous arrival of multiple “emergency calls” into our diary.

In situations like this, we have no choice but to prioritise what is a true life and death emergency, what is urgent but can wait for an hour if necessary, and what is urgent in the eyes of an owner but isn’t going to result in the death of a horse if not seen immediately.

It can be very difficult to explain to an owner that what they perceive as life-threatening isn’t what as a vet I would perceive as life-threatening, or that another horse must take priority over their beloved horse. For this reason, it is vital that the owner learns to communicate to the veterinarian or their staff an objective assessment of what the horse is doing, or suffering with, rather than using a subjective emotional description of the problem…

Click here to read the full article FREE in the July 2022 issue of Equestrian Life magazine.