I personally do not work or have much experience in a large animal practice or dealing with horses, so I am not have any experience dealing with clients wanting to purchase supplements for their horse. However I do think that sometimes there are instances when using supplements can cause more harm than good. In addition, I think that there are sometimes that using supplements wouldn’t really make that much of a difference in the horse and would be a waste of money for the owner.
If a horse is lacking in a certain nutrient, I think the use of supplements could be beneficial. Before an owner starts there horse on any type of supplement, I think it would be beneficial for them to have a full physical exam from the veterinarian so they can ensure that the supplement they want to give to their horse is needed and isn’t going to cause harm.
In the power points it said that 89% of horse supplements are sold through a non veterinary service and that the supplements are poorly regulated. This alone makes me think that horse owners should be better informed about what type of supplements they are giving to their
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This is only in cases when the animal needs it for a health issue. For instance, the vets I work with will recommend skin supplements to animals that have chronic skin and coat problems. Another instance when they recommend supplements is if the animal is suffering from certain health conditions, they will recommend different supplements that are designed to help the animal with their condition. I have never encountered an owner wanting a certain supplement for their animal that wasn’t veterinary recommended, so I am not sure what I would do if I found myself in this situation. I would hope I would be able to educate the owner on what was best for their animal, and allow them to see why sometimes providing an animal with something they do not need can cause more harm than