Skip to main content

Due to decreasing use over the years, I have decided to disable the forum functionality of the site.

Forums will still be available to view but new posts are no longer allowed.

Color Recognition in Vet Med

I am in the process of outlining my senior paper for my fourth year. I want to base the project around current knowledge of color genetics in the veterinary field and the need for horse vets to be further educated. Part of the project will include a survey of equine vets in the US using a photographic electronic survey. Once I determine the level of knowledge amongst vets, I will put together the reasoning behind further education. I have broken the reasoning for knowing accurately horse colors down into two main categories, medical and legal. So far I have for medical Frame (LWO), Lp/Appaloosa (night blindness) and Grey (melanoma). For legal I have registrations, transport/coggins documents and medical records. Can you all think of any other medical or legal reasons why a vet needs to have at least a moderate color genetics understanding? On a similar note, once I finish the survey, I am going to use you all as guinea pigs to test its accuracy. I should have a first draft done soon, but I am still short certain pictures. The first part of the survey will have photos of different colors with a box to fill in the correct color. This part is to determine if the average vet can distinguish the obvious phenotypes of normal colors (so no almost black sooty palominos, fjord dunskins or other aberrant-type shades). For that, I am still in need photos that very clearly show the typical expression of palomino, champagne (close up enough to show eye/skin color), red dun, grey with distinct dapples, grullo and any of the double cream dilutes. If you have those or know someone who might have them, please let me know. All appropriate credits will be given in the survey and presentation. The second part of the survey will have photos of ten or twelve horses of various white patterns with a breed listed and will have the option to check which of the horses is carrying the frame gene. For this part, I want photos of obvious frames as well as non-expressing frames and non-frames that have frame-like white patterns. Basically, this is to show that it is not possible to tell by visual cues only whether a horse is Oo or not. So if you have any photos of (or can direct me to someone that does): a) very obvious frame patterns b) Frame (Oo) horses that do not show frame (like mostly tobiano expression, only face markings or solid/non-white) c) Non-frame (oo) horses that have patterns that are often confused with frame (splash, sabino, etc).