Ethicists' commentary on dilemma of treating a horse that has already been treated
Ethical question of the month, June 2025
You are the only practitioner on the backstretch of a racecourse. One of your long-time patients has just been claimed (change of ownership and trainer) and the new trainer, on behalf of the new owner, requests that you treat the front fetlocks with intra-articular (IA) steroids. You know this horse received IA steroids in those joints several weeks ago and ran once the withdrawal period had passed. Repeating the injections now would be contraindicated and risks the horse’s long-term racing soundness and welfare. You cannot release medical records for the horse without the previous owner’s consent, but you know that consent is never provided under these circumstances.
What is the course of action in such a situation?
Clare Palmer, Peter Sandøe, & Dan Weary comment on this dilemma and you can read it here: Ethicists’ commentary - the dilemma of treating a horse that has already been treated