pre-purchase vet checks
Phil Woods (prw@okway.okstate.edu)
Mon, 14 Oct 1996 08:59:29 -0700
A few basic points to get started:
1) You should have good knowledge of the horse, ie have ridden it for
several days, seen it perform at athletic events, know how it has been
managed, appreciate the horse's behavior,etc.(I realize that this is
somewhat idealizing the situation!!).
2) You should employ the veterinarian of your choice, ie do not rely
upon the seller.
3) The veterinarian that you choose should not have the seller of the
horse as a client, ie should not be doing vet work for seller, nor
should there be any other "relationship" between them, unless you know
about it and feel that the vet will perform a fair evaluation for you
despite the relationship, (be it business or personal). Conflict of
interest is a potential minefield.
4) The veterinarian should perform a complete physical examination,
which should include a lameness examination. As to whether radiographs
are taken is a matter of preference, findings during the examination,
intended use of the horse, and money.
5) I would also recommend that a blood sample be taken the day of the
examination and stored. If subsequently, say within 1 month, the horse
becomes unsound or has abnormal behavior, the blood sample can be
submitted for drug evaluation to evaluate whether the horse was
drugged to enable it to pass the pre-purchase examination.
6) Back to the choice of veterinarian,long distance vet checks can be
performed successfully, and some vets are probably better than others.
The vet should be regularly involved in equine practice, and
comfortable with performing pre-purchase examinations. The vet should
also understand what you want in the way of the horse and the
examination. You can probably get some good recommendations through
the internet. The American Association of Equine Practitioners has a
list of veterinarians that perform equine vet work.
7) As for videos etc, surely cannot hurt, but don't forget the seller
made the video, and wants to sell the horse!!!!!!!
These are a few initial thoughts on monday morning, a good topic for
discussion.
Phil Woods.