Pain severity scores for common equine disorders as provided by horse owners and equine veterinarians.

Abstract

Understanding factors influencing assessment of pain in horses will facilitate communication between veterinarians and horse owners. To compare estimates of pain experienced by horses as provided by veterinarians and horse owners and to determine factors associated with individuals who perceive horses to be experiencing extreme pain or minimal pain. Cross-sectional study. Internet-based questionnaires for horse owners and veterinarians included items related to recognition of pain in horses, estimated degree of pain experienced by horses, and demographic information. Variables associated with perception of a high or low degree of pain were investigated using logistic regression analyses. Final data sets included responses from 553 horse owners and 263 veterinarians. Pain scores varied widely and differences in median scores from horse owners and veterinarians were small. Horse owners providing high pain ratings were more likely to have <10 horses (odds ratio [OR]=2.0, 95% CI=1.1-3.5) and to not have a college degree (OR=1.5, 95% CI=1.0-2.2). Those providing low pain ratings were less likely to own <10 horses (OR=0.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.4-0.9). Veterinarians providing high pain ratings were more likely to be employed in a mixed animal practice (OR=2.8, 95% CI=1.3-5.9) and to lack board-certification in a veterinary specialty (OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.1-4.2). Veterinarians providing low pain ratings were more likely to be male (OR=2.4, 95% CI=1.3-4.2). The respondent population may be biased because of the method of questionnaire distribution and associated sampling bias. Respondents were primarily from the United States. Assessments of the degree of pain horses are experiencing vary widely among horse owners and equine veterinarians.