29/02/2024
This image is literally dazzling! Sorry couldn’t resist - a group of zebras is called a dazzle!
Why am I posting about tabby horses and not tabby cats?
Because it’s today. An entire 24 hours dedicated to raising awareness of people with rare conditions, such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which also affects cats.
It’s a cause very close to my heart, that always makes me think of the saying “When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras”.
For anyone unfamiliar with it, it’s an old medical idiom that reminds doctors & vets to look for common things (horses) first when trying to diagnose a patient, rather than jumping to the more unusual, rare possibilities (zebras). It means that 9 times out of 10, the straightforward explanation is the right one.
I respect this to a degree, but at the same time, I loathe it. Because if like me, you are that 1 in 10 patient, it’s easy to get overlooked or lost in the system that is geared for “horses”.
Cats and most humans don’t tend to read medical textbooks, as anyone who has watched an episode of House will completely understand.
My personal experiences have really affected how I approach my feline patients. They’ve made me a more empathetic vet and always remind me that sometimes when you hear hoofbeats, it really is a zebra!
