Pre-purchase exam on a companion animal worth it?

[greyproblems]

Buying a mini as a companion animal for my older mare on stall rest. I’ve always done pre-purchase exams for horses I’ve gotten in the past, but this is my first time purchasing a horse I don’t intend to put in work.

My question is: is it worth it to do a pre-purchase on a mini if it’s only going to be used as a companion animal? The mini in question is up to date on vaccines with the records to document it. Not a big budget purchase, and not too concerned about minor health/soundness issues unless they have the capacity to affect others at the barn. Is it overkill to bring a vet out to do an exam before committing, or do you still think of it as a must-have?

All new to me, so would appreciate thoughts/opinions!

[Guilherme]

Yes. It can prevent you from buying a big vet bill. Those can come even with small horses.

G.

[WildGooseChase]

I’d want to know more about the situation first:

1. Is the pony coming from a private farm or a boarding barn?
2. What shots exactly is the pony up to date on? Does that include a coggins and strangles vaccine?
3. Is the pony in general good health?
4. Has the pony foundered before?
5. Is it kept with other horses?

if the pony is coming from a private farm that doesn’t have a lot of traffic in and out, has been vaccinated for strangles, is in general good health with no founder history, and the other horses on the property look healthy, happy and sound, I wouldn’t worry about a PPE as long as you have a place to do a full 14-30 day QT before letting anyone come into contact with the pony.

[JustTheTicket]

I would probably do a “PPE lite” just to get a baseline for everything. Probably just front feet x-rays and maybe bloodwork if it wasn’t up to date on vaccines or from a questionable home.

[betsyk]

Our vet will do a “buyers remorse exam” to check vision, teeth, overt lameness, etc.

[sherian]

for an apparently healthy mini with vaccine records I would be more likely to pay a farrier to check the feet for signs of low grade laminitis than worry about anything else

[4LeafCloverFarm]

I did not do PPEs on either of the two companions I got for my horse. They each had a coggins pulled the day I picked them up and I arranged for my vet to come where I was pasture boarding them, the day after they arrived. He did a thorough exam and pulled blood, etc. on each. I did quarantine them for about three weeks before adding my horse to the mix just to be safe. All three came home to my farm about two months later, once the fencing was finished.

If I were to buy more companion ponies/horses, I’d probably do it the same way.

[Foxglove]

I would --as other said, at least a professional look-see. Neighbor who is a former friend (stopped being friends because she made such poor decisions one after another), asked me to go pick up her “new pony” that she was getting for free!! I did so (she has no trailer). Pony CLEARLY had been foundered in the past, but owner said pony was “over it” and would continue to improve with proper trimming. Within a year, neighbor had put $2500 in to that pony --special shoeing, IVs for kidney problems, Cushings, one problem after another. Turned out the pony was way older than the seller stated --seller said 15 or 16 --most likely the pony was (according to the vet) nearly 30 years old. It was hard on my neighbor --she is a kind person if a little (ok, a lot naive) --and her little girl. Had they had a PPE at least they would have known that the pony’s days were limited.

[cayuse]

I would do a basic PPE if I did not know the mini’s history. With my first, we did a PPE because I was purchasing from someone I did not know and I had some questions regarding his soundness. The second mini came from the SIL of a trusted friend so we didn’t do one. It was a spur of the moment “we went to a show with one and came home with two” situation. But I was comfortable with who I was dealing with and it all worked out well.
So, If I didn’t know the mini, yes I would do a PPE.

[Mango20]

In that situation, I probably would not do the PPE.

[OverandOnward]

You need a health assessment for the pricey kinds of issues that any vet may see in their practice every year. If that makes sense - the things that aren’t that uncommon, even though they aren’t frequent. But are expensive.

Talk to your vet about what you have in mind. Such as, don’t care about minor unsoundness that won’t pain a companion horse. Do care about companion-horse maintenance-type issues, want a cost assessment of any found. “Lameness” matters, because a limpy horse is an ouchy horse. But there are some kinds of unsoundness that won’t be painful to a horse that is under no physical stress. Your vet will understand just what you need.

I assume there is some pre-existing infirmity for the horse to be a companion horse, even if it is age. You can fill in any gaps in the PPE with some thought about your personal policies/guidelines for decisions on this horse’s future health issues. What I really mean is, decide what level of issue and spending are you willing to take on for this horse, should something come up. And when a sufficient loss of quality of life, with a treatment need that is beyond reasonable spending, means that it is time to let this horse gently pass on. It may be the greatest favor you could do for a horse whose only comfortable destiny is as a companion horse for some owner. With you, the horse will not be parked in pain in the pasture of an owner who is ignoring the inconvenience.

A friend recently took on a horse without knowing very much about it. Within the first couple of weeks the horse was diagnosed with uveitis, and it is proving to be a severe case. By now the friend has spent thousands on vet care and the prognosis is uncertain.

It’s unlikely something this bad will happen to your horse. But it’s wise to think things out when one isn’t in the pressure and emotion of major medical situation.

Congrats to you and your new companion horse on finding each other!

[S1969]

Not sure I’d pay for one if I knew something about the background. (And disclaimer, I did not do a PPE for my mini or tiny pony, nor do I think it would have changed my intentions).

That said, you can sort of expect to have some maintenance issues with a mini - they often come with dental problems and metabolic tendencies (which often lead to laminitis/founder). If you think either of those would change your decision to buy this particular mini - yes, you should have the vet take a look.

In my situation, I took both of mine as freebies off Craigslist because they each badly needed an upgrade. A PPE wouldn’t have changed my decision, only reinforced it.

[Palm_Beach]

^^This. Some of the conditions require medication, which can get expensive.

My only concern with getting a mini for a companion animal is that many times they have food restrictions that the animal they are a companion to do not. Since the companion horse of topic is a mare on stall rest, it’s not a concern. But will she then go out to pasture, meaning the mini will also? Have access to a round bale, or otherwise free choice hay that the mini may not thrive on? If it’s just for the time period that the mare is on stall rest, what about a goat? I’m sure she’d appreciate chatting with tom brady this time of year.

[AMackechnie]

I haven’t had PPEs done on the companion ponies that our farm has taken in, but as S1969 indicated, minis and ponies can rack up the veterinary bills fairly quickly. I’ve had a number of metabolic issues crop up in the ponies over the years and they have had more than their share of health issues due to that.

[HungarianHippo]

I would not do a PPE for a companion animal, assuming it’s currently sound, up to date on shots and trimming. If a major injury or health issue materialized, I’d euthanize.

[Cynical25]

I don’t bother with PPE on a horse under ~$5,000.

If I’m buying a show or breeding animal with a bigger price tag where it would be more difficult to replace if he up and died tomorrow, then I’ll PPE.

[Marshfield]

I think I’d go for a basic exam with a good look at the teeth. I’ve known of a few of these guys needing major dental work. The exam wouldn’t be a deal breaker type PPE, but just a baseline so you know if you need to plan for any major dental care

[jonem004]

It’s never a bad idea. What if it has a heart defect and you end up having to put it down in 6 months. I’d want to save my self the hurt feelings.

[S1969]

@Cynical25

I don’t bother with PPE on a horse under ~$5,000.

If I’m buying a show or breeding animal with a bigger price tag where it would be more difficult to replace if he up and died tomorrow, then I’ll PPE.

I’ll never buy a riding horse without a PPE no matter what the price. I paid <5k on a 7 year old horse and had a PPE but did not x-ray…eventually we were able to understand that a previous injury pretty much made her unrideable by 9-10 and she’s been a pasture puff ever since. Too young and not totally lame so euthanizing feels unfair. She’s 15 now and getting to the point where standing for the farrier is difficult so it is inevitable…but had we xrayed her stifles we probably would have passed.

For an animal that will never be ridden…im more willing to skip the PPE and manage quality of life only. But for a riding horse…a good PPE regardless of price.

[ladybugsbw]

I have two companion minis. (because the retired mare needed a companion, then the companion needed a companion when dry lotted…)

I did not get a vet check on either. Both were from rough situations and I knew they needed some TLC and was prepared for that. One needed her eye removed upon arrival due to an injury that was years old and ignored. The other went through two months of ulcer treatment before she would finish a meal or gain weight.

The ONLY problem with minis for companions, like mentioned above, is that they often have VERY different diet needs from the horse they are keeping company. This works well for us, as we created a dry lot within the pasture of the horse they are companions for. The only time they get to be truly together is in the winter, once all things green have died.

Minis are fabulous, but are not much of a cost saver compared to regular horses. The vet is the same, farrier is the same, and they tend to tear up stuff (fencing and things) much faster than horses. The only place I make up any money on the minis is in feed…they each get a cup of ration balancer daily and very little forage to meet their dietary needs.

OHHH I forgot to add…Their teeth.
Oh their teeth. So so so many minis have mouth and teeth issues. One of mine gets her teeth done every 4 months (forgot to mention the day we brought her home we found that her teeth had gone through her cheek and she had a gaping hole in her cheek)
So at the very least, get the teeth checked! Tiny mouths and big teeth!