Reply
Wed 14 May, 2008 03:04 pm
I always wondered about this. People and most animals that break a limb simply end up getting them put in a cast or repaired in some way. Why do you kill a horse that breaks its leg? Why not try to repair it?
Here is a pony that was given a fake leg.
There's a reason. I don't really know it. Something along the lines that horses stand 24/7, they don't lei down. It's hard to have a leg heal when you're always standing on it.
littlek wrote:There's a reason. I don't really know it. Something along the lines that horses stand 24/7, they don't lei down. It's hard to have a leg heal when you're always standing on it.
I would imagine it is more difficult, but people go to crazy lengths for their animals - it just seems that they would do the same for a horse.
Some would consider the process cruel.
http://www.slate.com/id/2142159/
One way is to put the horse in a sling and lift its weight off the ground. This is very stressful; the horse's general health often deteriorates severely if this is tried.
Basically, it comes to a choice between long, expensive treatment that may not work, and stressing the horse to its limits.
Yes, people go to crazy limits for their animals, but sometimes euthanasia is the best of a bunch of horrible choices.
The cruelest part of this, given the options for a broken horse leg, is that people still race them.
A broken leg is much more serious for a horse than a human. Horses need to walk/stand for proper blood circulation. The act of walking helps pump blood back through their leg and into their body. A horse that cannot do this will die anyway and suffer tremendously.
Broken legs can be fixed, but it is astronomically expensive. Most horses, except those worth millions and fit for breeding, sadly aren't valuable enough to save. It requires putting the horse in a sling, lots of injections for antibiotics and tranquilizers to avoid thrashing, physical therapy and almost around-the-clock care. Remember Barbaro? They tried this with him and the procedure failed and he still had to be destroyed.
Even valuable breeding horses sometimes can't be saved. The mended leg will still be weaker. Since Thoroughbreds by regulation require live-cover breeding instead of artificial insemination, if a horse's rear leg is broken (will carry the most weight during breeding) it probably won't be able to breed and will be euthanized anyway.
I've never heard of a horse with a prosthetic leg- that's new to me. Assuming it isn't photoshopped, the poor thing probably still requires extensive vet care and its life expectancy is probably shortened.
A reason a lot of racehorses get broken legs: the triple crown is for 3-year old horses since they are fastest at that age. Most horses are born in the Spring but could be born anytime of the year. Yet their official birthdate is always January 1st. A horse's skeleton and muscle structure aren't completely developed until about the age of 5. Some would say it is cruel to race horses before age 5.
Nodding along with Equus.
The saddest thing about injured horses is that they are not allowed in Heaven.
Let the French eat them. C'est bon!
I had the exact same question as linkat about just casting the broken leg, and letting the race horse go to stud.
Then, I watched a documentary a while back about Barbaro. There was a lot of footage of all the procedures and processes being done trying to repair the leg, and I realized how much more complicated is was than I thought.
I don't remember many specifics about it, but I do remember it was obviously very costly, and the horse didn't seem, in the end, to be gaining any quality of life.
Talking about going to heaven....when they were going to take Barbaro out to do the deed, he got really excited and happy. He associated the trailer they were going to put him in with going to visit the lady horses.
Actually, that made me feel really bad. You think you're going off to get laid, and instead.....
Well, I suppose he didn't know what was coming, but I can't help but think he felt the vibes being put out.
I know that is what made me think of it. The poor baby just trying her best to win. I just love animals and to think you kill a horse because of a broken a leg - I am sure it is more out of kindness, but there have been some successes.
Equus wrote:A broken leg is much more serious for a horse than a human. Horses need to walk/stand for proper blood circulation. The act of walking helps pump blood back through their leg and into their body. A horse that cannot do this will die anyway and suffer tremendously.
Broken legs can be fixed, but it is astronomically expensive. Most horses, except those worth millions and fit for breeding, sadly aren't valuable enough to save. It requires putting the horse in a sling, lots of injections for antibiotics and tranquilizers to avoid thrashing, physical therapy and almost around-the-clock care. Remember Barbaro? They tried this with him and the procedure failed and he still had to be destroyed.
Even valuable breeding horses sometimes can't be saved. The mended leg will still be weaker. Since Thoroughbreds by regulation require live-cover breeding instead of artificial insemination, if a horse's rear leg is broken (will carry the most weight during breeding) it probably won't be able to breed and will be euthanized anyway.
I've never heard of a horse with a prosthetic leg- that's new to me. Assuming it isn't photoshopped, the poor thing probably still requires extensive vet care and its life expectancy is probably shortened.
Yes not that you mention it, I do remember Barbaro. I didn't know the specifics of why it didn't work, but I do remember them trying to save him and he died.
I will get the link on Molly - I read the info and I remember it wasn't that expensive and there was no mention of further medical needs.
I don't know why my picture came out with a "blah" when I previewed it, it showed a pony with a prosthetic leg.
It's where the term "no good leg to stand on" comes from.
Horses have to stand or they die.
That's an interesting article!
Quote:But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.
Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there.
"This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists. "Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble." The other important factor, according to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse.
This seems to be indicating that she was unusual, and most horses/ ponies wouldn't be able to handle this in the way she did.
I am going to have to get the book about her - my daughter is into ponies and horses and would probably love it.
OMG is that Mr. Yuck?!
How I've missed you.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace