‘A welfare document first’: new equine euthanasia guidance for vets will help owners of insured horses

The publication of revised British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) guidance for euthanasia of insured horses has been welcomed as an “important and much-needed step forward”.

The guidance was initially written in 1996, and updated in 2009, to set out the circumstances in which putting horses down would meet the requirements of all-risk mortality cover policies. Ian Beamish, who led the BEVA group working on the revision, said the aim was to clarify and ensure consistency, but also to take into account changes to attitudes on equine welfare and suffering in the last 17 years.

“The veterinary surgeon’s primary responsibility is undoubtedly to ensure the welfare of the horse, regardless of whether the horse is insured,” Mr Beamish said, echoing the statement in the introduction to the document. “This is a modernised version of the outdated 2009 guidelines, with a carefully revised list of conditions and their prognoses, updated language, and revised protocols on grounds for euthanasia.

“It is important to note that although vets may advise euthanasia, we may not advise on the insurance policy conditions; this is a matter for the insured and insurer to discuss.”

The guidelines cover protocols for definite, suspected or absent grounds for emergency euthanasia and also for chronic disease or pain in which there is negligible prospect of recovery.

BEVA euthanasia guidance: three scenarios

“Realistically, there are only three scenarios you can have,” Mr Beamish said.

“There’s the horse that justifies emergency euthanasia there and then to minimise its suffering. There are horses that do not require euthanasia; the owner is probably saying they want to euthanise the horse on financial grounds, normally. Then there are horses where you may think it justifies emergency euthanasia, but you’re not sure, or you may want to seek more evidence – a second opinion, or further investigation.

“We’ve really tried to make it, not quite black and white, because there is a section of grey, but at least a fairly uniform grey section that people can work through. So they can come to their conclusion and in hindsight, be able to look at how their decision-making pathway came about. And that’d be very clear for anyone that wants to scrutinise the decisions made.”

Mr Beamish covered the difficulty of chronic cases such as laminitis, adding that the nature of these conditions at least gives time to seek a second opinion or more information, and for conversations with insurers.

“What we all want to try to avoid is making an irreversible decision and then in hindsight, having that muddied water of, ‘Did my vet make the right decision? Should my horse not have been euthanised?’” he said. “And was or is there a payout from the insurers? Based on that, we’re all trying to make it as simple a process as possible, and to be able to be reassured that we’ve made the right decision.”

Decisions under pressure

The guidance had input from equine insurers, and Mr Beamish stressed that it is a “welfare document, first and foremost”.

“It’s there to enable [BEVA] members to make decisions under pressure in what are invariably stressful times,” he said.

“Insurance considerations shouldn’t influence our decision-making. You’re trying to assess an animal based on the clinical evidence in front of you, based on that horse’s welfare and what should happen next. The fact that’s an insured or not insured animal shouldn’t affect how you go about making that decision.”

The guidance has been written as a resource for vets but BEVA expects it will be a “valuable reference document” for owners, insurers, trainers and event organisers “seeking to better understand potentially complex scenarios”.

SEIB Insurance Brokers equine claims adjuster Leanne Palmer told H&H: “The recently revised BEVA guidelines are an important and much-needed step forward.

“SEIB supports progress that promotes the welfare of the horse and the new guidelines provide a clear framework for the insurer, the veterinary surgeon and the owner to work together to make timely and well-informed decisions in high-stress situations.”

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