Veterinary Education and Information on Equine Ticks and TBDs
While 73.7% (42/57) of veterinarians responded that clients have asked them for information regarding ticks, only 28.6% (16/56) said they had any coursework on ticks in vet school (Table 2). Furthermore, 68.4% (39/57) of veterinarians were concerned about ticks on horses in their care, but 59.3% (35/59) of veterinarians did not feel that enough information was provided to vets on TBDs and tick bite prevention (and an additional 15.3% (9/59) of respondents did not know if enough information was provided). Similarly, over 53% (31/58) of responding veterinarians thought there was not enough information available for horse owners and caretakers on tick bite prevention and TBDs in horses. These responses were not different by U.S. region.
When asked about the frequency of education that veterinarians receive on TBDs for horses, the average from all respondents was between every year and every 2-3 years, with 34% (20/59) of veterinarians receiving continuing education yearly, 42% (25/59) receiving continuing education every 2-3 years, and almost 24% (14/59) receiving continuing education infrequently (more than every 3 years) or never receiving continuing education on this topic. Regionally, the education frequency was higher in other regions of the United States compared to the Northeast (P=0.025). In contrast, over 52% (31/59) of veterinarians indicated that they would prefer to receive yearly education. The desired education frequency did not differ between the Northeast and the other regions of the United States. There was a significant difference between the current frequency at which continuing education is offered and the desired frequency of education, with more veterinarians preferring a higher frequency of education (P=0.009).
When searching for information regarding ticks, tick prevention, and tick control, over 39% (30/76) of all respondents received information from veterinary organizations and groups, followed by information from continuing education offerings (29.0%, 22/76; Table 3). There were similar responses when veterinarians were asked about references for TBDs, specifically. Veterinarians most often found information on TBDs from veterinary organizations or groups (30.3%, 23/76). Alternatively, 27.6% (21/76) of veterinarians referred to colleagues and the same percentage received information about TBDs from continuing education offerings. University Extension-led education on ticks, tick prevention, and tick control and TBDs were used by 19.7% and 18.4% of veterinarians, respectively.