title: Look before you leap.
abstract: Learning to critically evaluate therapeutic claims is vital to the success of the practicing veterinarian and the veterinary profession as a whole. Until such time as good scientific data in support of therapies are obtained, veterinarians should be careful in their advocacy and employment of new and unproved practices. They should also be aware of the many reasons why therapeutic "success" may be the result of a variety of factors unrelated to the treatment modality itself. Only by relying on rigorous standards of evidence can equine veterinarians prevent a return to the sincere but misguided ways of yesteryear.
authors.affiliation: Ramey Equine, Glendale, California, USA. ponydoc@pacbell.net
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Ramey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D006736:Horses; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000592:standards*