| It would be next to impossible to find a Northern | | | | on thorough examination by a skilled specialist. Basic |
| Kentucky veterinarian who did not have a number of | | | | preventive care can pick up many problems before |
| horses under his or her care. While many pet doctors | | | | they can escalate into something bigger and harmful to |
| rely on small animals to make up the majority of their | | | | the horse. Therefore, it is desirable that routine exams |
| clientele, this is not the case in this great state. It has | | | | be scheduled and carried out just as with any other |
| been reported that a Union veterinarian specializes | | | | animal; the only difference is the doctor must come to |
| entirely in horse care due to the great demand in that | | | | the animal not the other way around. |
| area. While the skill sets are the same for any pet | | | | Equine specialists must be willing to make "house calls" |
| doctor, it does take some special handling for the | | | | since it is very difficult to bring a large animal such as a |
| much larger animals and a great deal of confidence to | | | | horse to them. In practical terms, this means that this |
| approach these magnificent creatures with assurance. | | | | type of pet doctor will spend travel time going back |
| There are a few additional things that an equine | | | | and forth visiting his patients and will have to be on the |
| specialist must take into consideration before choosing | | | | road quite a bit. Even a small task such as a |
| to focus on these large animals: | | | | vaccination will require a home visit due to the hard |
| Equine specialists must be physically able to maneuver | | | | task of transporting the animal. A large task such as |
| around these huge specimens while providing | | | | the birth of a colt also takes place on the farm in a |
| treatment to them. It can be a dangerous undertaking | | | | barn or a stable. |
| to be around an animal in pain which is capable of | | | | Equine specialists must be willing to be available on an |
| striking out and inflicting injury without intending to harm | | | | as needed basis for animal emergencies. This is where |
| anyone. When called upon to set a broken bone, for | | | | a larger practice has an advantage as there are more |
| instance, the horse can react to the touch in a | | | | pet doctors to share the on call hours. One of the sad |
| menacing way simply in self protection and in so doing | | | | facts about horses is that when they have broken a |
| put a person in harm's way. A good pet doctor can | | | | leg they rarely recover from it and must very often be |
| anticipate this reaction and be prepared for it. | | | | euthanized. Even the famous race horse, Barbaro, |
| Equine specialists must be able to interpret sounds and | | | | who underwent six separate surgeries in all for a |
| signs of pain that the horse is unable to express | | | | broken rear leg, finally succumbed to his injuries and |
| through words. They simply cannot tell you what is | | | | had to be euthanized in January of 2007. He lived a |
| wrong with them. It goes without saying that many | | | | painful nine months with the very best of care but to |
| diseases can come on silently and must be discovered | | | | no avail. Such is the nature of horses and leg fractures. |