Your relationship with your horse’s veterinarian is an important one that should be kept in good working order; after all, your horse’s health depends on it. To that end, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) News recently announced the release of the Effective Equine Care Guide.

A free resource created by the AVMA in partnership with the American Association of Equine Practitioners, it is designed to be used by equine veterinary teams and their clients to develop healthy lines of communication and maintain positive partnerships.

Positive experiences

“We’re very excited to launch this new resource aimed at strengthening the bond between veterinarians, their teams and horse owners,” said Dr. Rena Carlson, president of the AVMA. “The Effective Equine Care Guide is all about building respect, trust and open lines of communication, which are key to ensuring the best care for our horses and reflect the AVMA’s commitment to making every veterinary visit a positive experience for all those involved.”

The guide can be printed out for display purposes or provided to clients as a tip sheet. It outlines descriptions of the complementary behaviors and treatment veterinary teams and clients can expect from one another to foster mutual trust and respect.

For example, the guide says all clients can expect to be seen on time, or be notified of any delay, with the understanding that life-threatening illnesses or injuries will be prioritized over routine appointments. In return, clients are asked to “be ready on time with your horse appropriately restrained for your appointment or call ahead if you’re going to be late or need to reschedule or cancel.”

By clearly identifying expectations for communicating boundaries, scheduling, care options, service costs and record keeping, the guide helps create strong partnerships between the equine veterinary practice and clients for the benefit of all horses.

A supportive environment

The guide is modeled after last year’s Positive Pet Care Guide, which outlines shared expectations for veterinary professionals and pet owners. Both resources encourage an environment where each interaction is rooted in a supportive environment for all involved.

These resources are also part of the AVMA’s reputation management toolkit, made available to veterinary professionals across the industry.

Equine practitioners can also find a wealth of resources from the AAEP’s Commission on Equine Veterinary Sustainability, which is dedicated to developing strategies to retain and recruit more veterinarians to this area of practice. The commission and its subcommittees are focused on topics such as compensation, emergency coverage and practice culture.