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Veterinarians
In almost every case, when a Thoroughbred
owner hires a trainer, the trainer selects which veterinarian will
perform work on the owner's horses. However, the owner is wholly
responsible for all veterinarian bills and should
not be afraid to ask either his/her trainer and/or his/her
veterinarian questions about veterinarian procedures, dispensations
and costs. An owner may also request that his/her trainer inspect
and initial all vet bills before passing them on to the owner.
Be sure to discuss with your
trainer whether or not you require PRIOR APPROVAL of medical
expenditures as well as ways in which you can manage or lower your
vet bills.
The "average" vet bill,
per horse in training, per month in a top end racing jurisdiction
such as Southern California runs $300 on up. This
amount however, is strongly affected by:
- How heavily your trainer relies
on medications or veterinary consultations. In many barns the
trainers may direct the veterinarians as to what
procedures to perform or medications to give (because it
worked on another horse they had). Read the very relevant
comments on this subject by leading veterinarian Rick Arthur
by clicking here.
- If your horse is ailing or has
suffered a serious injury that will require surgery or illness
that requires hospitalization. Your
vet bill can soar to well over $1,000 in a month.
To help mitigate the
"pain" of monthly vet bills:
- Understand as much as possible
the purpose of each treatment.
- Have some realistic sense of the
cost of each.
- Keep in contact with your
trainer so you are prepared for any abnormal medical outlays.
The individual charges for every
veterinarian procedure can and will vary by locale and vet,
apparently according to what the market will bear.
Broodmares:
- Broodmares usually have very
little veterinary expenses, other than de-worming and vaccinations,
except during the breeding season. Foaling fees are $200-$300. Getting the mares
pregnant again there will be
numerous palpations ($20-30 ea), and ultrasounds ($50-75) to
check for pregnancy and or twins. If your mare does not easily
become pregnant, there could also be expenses for drugs to get
her to cycle, or treat infections. Additionally if there are any
complications post foaling, your mare could require
surgery.
Foals :
- Foals, if they are born healthy,
and stay that way, and have correct legs, should only have
de-worming and vaccination expenses, however, that is rarely the
case. An early foal that requires neo-natal hospitalization can
rack up enormous expenses. Foals in the first 8 months of their
lives are very susceptible to infectious diseases. Pneumonia and
other respiratory diseases are common. Antibiotic treatments can
run in the hundreds of dollars and hospitalization is not
uncommon.
- If your foal is born incorrect, surgery,
casting and other measures may be necessary to force its legs to
correctly align. This expense can be small or run into hundreds
of dollars depending on the degree of the angular deformity. If
your foal's legs remain incorrect despite your efforts to correct
them, its future as a racehorse/sale prospect can be severely
compromised.
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