August 2002

Start Simple And Work Up

These case histories demonstrate how easy it is to overlook something obvious, especially when it comes to your horse’s pain.

No diagnosis is complete without a thorough ûexamination and consideration of all possible ûcauses, including the possibility that the pre- ûsenting symptom is actually secondary to the ûreal cause.

It’s a medicine basic: Look for the simple problems first. For instance, if your horse starts to limp, check first for a rock in his hoof. However, when your horse is in pain, it’s easy to forget simple ideas.

Horses can compensate for pain in different ways, often making the trouble appear to be a lameness when it’s not. A complete physical exam is a critical first step. Without this, you can find yourself looking at expensive unnecessary treatments.

We found two cases to be particularly good examples of how it’s easy to overlook basic problems in our horses. …