Species-Specific and Discipline-Specific Sports Medicine (Canine, Equine, Feline)
Core concepts
Know the demands of each discipline and species. Canine: agility, flyball, herding, sled, field trial, conformation-each with characteristic injury patterns (e.g., shoulder and iliopsoas in agility, carpal and toe injuries in sled dogs). Equine: racing, eventing, dressage, show jumping, endurance-know common sites (superficial digital flexor tendon, suspensory ligament, fetlock and hock) and discipline-specific loading. Feline: understand that cats are athletes too, with unique anatomy (elastic, highly mobile spine; strong hindlimb power) and behavior that complicates assessment and rehabilitation. Consider conformation, surface, equipment, and handler/rider factors.
Traps
Items often apply canine or human assumptions to equine tendon injury or overlook that feline patients hide pain and resist handling. Watch for questions that assume a single injury pattern for a whole discipline, or that ignore the influence of surface and shoeing/equipment.
Worked example / rule of thumb
An endurance horse with a swollen flexor tendon: suspect superficial digital flexor tendon or suspensory injury, restrict exercise, and use ultrasonography for grading. Rule of thumb: match the assessment to the discipline's loading pattern-know what structure the sport stresses before interpreting findings.