Facebook groups and other online platforms have become common places to seek advice on all types of topics, including veterinary advice for horses.  You have probably seen horse owners post pictures along some basic information about a horse’s health problem and then ask the Facebook world, “What’s wrong with my horse?” or “What should I do?”

People are quick to offer medical advice and, often, it can be difficult to discern the good from the bad.  Of course, commenters have good intentions and are just trying to help fellow horse people, but, unfortunately, misinformation is freely given.

In reality, most horse owners know a lot about horses and know how to properly care for them despite not being a licensed veterinarian.  Unfortunately, giving and receiving equine advice of a medical nature can be harmful to your horse and may also be illegal.

Every state has a law known as the Veterinary Practice Act (“VPA”).  The specifics of the law vary from state to state.  In a general sense, the VPA prohibits individuals from diagnosing diseases, recommending specific treatments, performing medical procedures, and prescribing medications unless they are a licensed veterinarian in that state.  The primary goal of a VPA is to protect both animals, including horses, and the public by regulating the practice of veterinary medicine. The VPA also identifies what activities are considered within the scope of practice for veterinarians.

When a non-veterinarian gives a horse owner specific medical advice such as diagnosing a problem or what medication to administer, whether in person or via social media, it could be viewed as practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

This can be very problematic from a legal standpoint.  You can face civil or criminal penalties for the unauthorized and unlicensed practice of veterinary medicine.  In some states, practicing veterinary medicine without a license is considered a felony.  Getting caught can result in significant fines and even prison time depending on the circumstances.

To avoid any legal problems down the road, the best course of action would be to refrain from leaving comments identifying a horse’s medical problem or recommending a specific course of treatment altogether.

However, if you do decide to post, then you should make it very clear that you are not a licensed veterinarian and are simply sharing comments based on your own experience.  Readers may incorrectly assume that you are a veterinarian when you are not, which may expose you to legal problems.  It is important to remember that not all social media users are adults.  For example, I came across a story where a teenage girl gave her horse an entire tube of phenylbutazone or “bute” all at once because her horse came up lame.

As many know, “bute” is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug sometimes kept on-hand for emergencies.  The dosage the teenage girl administered far exceeded recommended daily intake and the horse went into acute renal failure.  Unfortunately, the teenage girl had relied upon bad advice on a Facebook group as opposed to calling a veterinarian.

While horse owners do have a breadth of knowledge about the care and treatment of horses, it is important to acknowledge that they are not experts.

Horses, like people, are all different and what works for one horse may not work for the next.  It is best to rely upon licensed veterinarians with the education, training, and experience to properly diagnose and recommend the appropriate course of treatment for each horse’s particular injury or condition.

Non-veterinarians giving medical advice online are also problematic from a health perspective.  Many medical conditions look similar, but have very different underlying causes.  Veterinarians are trained in evaluating and diagnosing a full range of diseases or disorders.

Often, individual horse owners have limited experience in the number of horses they have seen and the types of medical conditions or disorders they have encountered.

Additionally, a proper veterinary evaluation goes beyond just looking at a picture of a horse on Facebook.  In order to arrive at a diagnosis and recommend the best course of action, veterinarians often need to physically see and examine the horse as well as perform diagnostic testing, such as X-rays or bloodwork. Non-veterinarians often focus on one symptom that they are most familiar with and will provide advice based upon prior experience.  Of course, this may or may not be relevant to the actual problem in that specific horse.  Giving or receiving inaccurate information online can delay the appropriate treatment, which may allow the condition to worsen or cause a new problem altogether.

In sum, if your horse is in need of veterinary help, then you should skip the Facebook post and just call the professionals.  Seeking free advice online can be tempting; however, it may lead to even bigger problems down the road.

Katherine Jarve is a partner at the Marlton, New Jersey law firm of Jarve Kaplan Granato Starr, LLC. She is licensed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and maintains a practice in personal injury and civil litigation, including equine related issues. Katherine spent her childhood competing on the national AQHA show circuit. This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. If you have a specific legal question or problem, consult with an experienced equine law attorney. Questions, comments or suggestions can be e-mailed to kjarve@nj-triallawyers.com.