Clipmarks | MorganLvr's Horses collection

Debate over slaughtering horses gains new life

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:00:53 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: I always have been - and always will be - against killing horses for human consumption. It can never be humane, and we could come up with other solutions to the equine over population if we REALLY wanted to.

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The Animal Welfare Institute says these horses, including one with cut and swollen eyes, were among animals being transported to slaughter at a now-defunct Texas plant. Such cases illustrate the inhumane treatment of many horses destined for the meat market, the group says.

By Mike Stuckey

Senior news editor

MSNBC

updated 5:45 a.m. ET, Wed., Sept. 24, 2008

Mike Stuckey

Senior news editor

• Profile

The emotional debate over slaughtering horses for human consumption gained new life in Washington this week as a House committee approved a measure that would ban the practice nationwide and halt the export of U.S. horses destined for dinner tables in other countries.

Tags: slaughter, horses, washington, congress

Groups Working to Rescue Stranded Galveston Horses

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:14:32 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: Please check out the links in this clip and help these horses if you can.

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

While most residents fled the island of Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Ike approached amid National Weather Service warnings of "certain death," numerous horses and other livestock were left behind. Now rescuers are working to get the surviving animals to safety on the mainland, where a staging area for horses has been set up at Jack Brooks Park in Santa Fe, Texas.

Jerry Finch, president of Habitat for Horses, an equine protection organization based in Galveston County, is assisting in this effort. As of the evening of Sept. 15, crews were just beginning to assess the damage and see to equine needs. Finch's team covered a portion of West Galveston.

"I just went down basically to do an assessment, and there are a bunch of (horses) down there," Finch reported. "There are probably at this point 80 to 100 horses that we're going to have to pull out, in just the little section that we saw."

Tags: ike, galveston, rescue, horses, stranded

Reaction Case Underlines Need for Horse Owner and Vet Communication

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:59:39 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: Just a reminder that it's YOUR horse and you have the right to ask questions and make your own decisions.

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

The ability to have a straightforward, informative conversation with your veterinarian about his or her prescribed treatments for your horse can be just as important as asking questions about treatments or diagnostics that your own physician recommends. With the ever-increasing (read: overwhelming) breadth of information out there about equine veterinary topics, it's not surprising that similar to the laundry list of side effects presented with a pharmaceutical commercial, your horse could have adverse reactions to medications on the market. A horse owner shared with The Horse her story of a treatment gone wrong, with the hope that it can be an impetus to other owners to ask their veterinarians the hard questions and research the substances being administered to their horses.

Tags: horses, meditation, side effects, reactions

Hazards Could be Hidden in Hay

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:47:28 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: Just a reminder to ALWAYS check anything you feed your horses.

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

Just 24 hours after Betsy Bueno of Santa Rosa, Calif., began feeding her horses a new batch of hay, one colicked and began to show neurologic signs. Within days, two of her 12 horses required euthanasia and seven were showing similar clinical signs.

"I thought they had gotten some poisonous hemlock outside," Bueno said. But her veterinarian asked to look at her hay.

In the jumble of green material comprising a bale, it can be difficult for a horse owner to spot a dangerous plant, especially in its dried form.

Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ABVT, ABT, vice president and medical director of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center, recommends testing hay for toxic plants, even if hay is purchased from a familiar source.

"Don't send just one flake," she said. "Compile several small samples from several bales."

Tags: hay. poision, hemlock

In the Spotlight: Radiation Therapy for Equine Cancer Patients

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:45:05 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: How encouraging! As well as a darn good thing to know.

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

While radiation therapy might seem like an unrealistic option for managing horses with cancer, Janean Fidel, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVR, Dipl. ACVIM, from Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine suggests the opposite. She attests that radiation therapy is a viable option for numerous equine tumors, including melanomas and sarcoids.

"Even though cancer is not as common in horses as dogs or cats, it does still occur and just like in small animals, radiation therapy is a valuable tool in the treatment of our equine oncology patients," emphasizes Fidel.

At the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum, held June 4-7, Fidel reviewed the biology of radiation therapy and highlighted that the goal of this modality is to deliver the highest possible doe of radiation to the tumor while sparing the normal surrounding tissue--a challenging task at best.

Tags: horses, radiation therapy. equine, cancer

Walking Horse Exhibitors Withdraw from Show

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:14:05 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: I tried and tried to come up with an appropriate comment for this, but words fail me...

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

Hundreds of trainers withdrew their horses from competition at a major Tennessee Walking Horse show last weekend after USDA inspectors arrived on the scene to examine horses for violations of the Horse Protection Act.

According to Earl Rogers Jr., president of the Kentucky Walking Horse Association, the four-day Owingsville Lions Club Horse Show drew more than 500 Tennessee Walking Horses, many of them contenders for the breed's championship title at the upcoming National Celebration in August. But the prospect of failing USDA testing brought the competition down to just 40 horses in the show's final two days.

"If they had been found in violation, they would not be able to show at the Celebration," said Rogers, who also manages the Owingsville show.

Tags: walking horses, exhibitors, usda, soring

Euthanasia For Wild Horses?

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:50:54 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: Surely this can't be the only way!

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

Bonnie Matton, president of the Wild Horse Preservation League, wasn't happy when the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that it might consider euthanasia as a means to manage wild horse herds, but she wasn't surprised, either.

"They're between a rock and a hard place," said Matton, whose Dayton, Nev. nonprofit group advocates on behalf of wild horse issues. "These herds need management, but it's expensive and the BLM's budget can't keep up."

BLM Deputy Director Henri Bisson presented the euthanasia option during the June 30 meeting of the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board in Reno, Nev., as one solution to cope with increasing herds and a shrinking budget.

Tags: horses, wild horses, euthanasia, blm

Link Between Facial Hair Whorls and Horse 'Handedness' Reported

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:27:46 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: This is absolutely fascinating!

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

Irish researchers identified a unique link between equine motor laterality, or "handedness," and specific characteristics of facial hair whorls (trichoglyphs): right-handed horses had significantly more clockwise whorls whereas whorls were more likely to flow in a counter-clockwise direction in left-handed horses.

"It has long been speculated that most horses experience some degree of motor laterality in that they prefer one lead (or side) over the other," said co-author Jack Murphy, PhD, from the department of Life Sciences at the University of Limerick. "Riders tend to find that most horses have a 'preferred' side and gallop, jump, and work better on either the left or right rein."

Big Brown's Owners Adopt No-Drug Policy

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:37:18 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: This is wonderful if IEAH is truly serious about ending doping of race horses, and if others will follow suit.

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

International Equine Acquisitions Holdings (IEAH) Stables--the partnership that races Big Brown--has taken the first bold step in securing a no-drug policy in racing by announcing Monday that all its horses starting Oct. 1 will race without any medication, with the exception of Lasix, which trainer Rick Dutrow asked that they exclude because several of his horses are bleeders and require Lasix to race.

"We have decided to withdraw all of our horses from medication, except for Lasix," IEAH co-president Mike Iavarone told Blood-Horse. "We're beginning Oct. 1 because the horses should be clear of all substances by that time.

"In addition, we are willing to allow racetracks to do pre- and post-race testing on all our horses, and we will pay all expenses."

Tags: horses, horse racing, ieah, big brown, medication

AVMA Adds Animal Welfare Page to Web Site

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:37:32 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: I think this clarification on animal welfare is greatly needed because many people don't seem to know the difference between "animal welfare" and "animal rights."

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

AVMA Adds Animal Welfare Page to Web site

by: Edited Press Release
June 10 2008, Article # 12048

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To help veterinarians and the general public understand the complexity and passion behind animal welfare issues, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has launched its first Web section devoted entirely to animal welfare information.

The new area of the AVMA site went live June 4. It offers links to brochures, policy statements, commentary on regulatory and legislative proposals, backgrounders, the AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia, press releases and journal articles, information about the AVMA Animal Welfare Committee, a meeting calendar, and contact information for staff in the Animal Welfare Division.

Tags: animal welfare, animals, avma

Brain Dysfunction in Cribbing Horses Gives Researchers Something to Chew On

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:32:37 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

In the first study of its kind, researchers from the United Kingdom have discovered that cribbing horses learn differently than horses that don't crib.

Cribbing is a stereotypy in which a horse grasps an object between his incisor teeth and inhales air into the esophagus while emitting an audible grunting noise. It is the most common stereotypy among stabled horses.

Previous research has suggested that changes in the chemical pathways in specific regions of the brain appear to be important in environmentally-induced stereotypies such as cribbing. In particular, cribbers reportedly have fewer types of dopamine receptors in a specific region of the brain referred to as the dorsomedial striatum.

"Post-mortem studies have illustrated that crib-biting horses have differences in some brain areas," explained Matthew Parker, MSc, a doctoral candidate in the School of Psychology at the University of Southampton. "We wanted to see how this affected their learning."

Homes for Horses Coalition Launches Web Site

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:51:09 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: Another much needed resource for unwanted horses.

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

The Homes for Horses Coalition has launched a new Web site, www.homesforhorses.org.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), along with the Animal Welfare Institute and several other groups, formed the Homes for Horses Coalition last July. Keith Dane, director of equine protection for the HSUS, said the coalition was designed to support equine-focused nonprofits.

O'Connor Horse Tigger Too Dies at Jersey Event

Mon, 12 May 2008 01:16:05 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: Yet another good horse dies in competition.

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

O'Connor Horse Tigger Too Dies at Jersey Event

by: Kimberly S. Brown, Editor
May 11 2008, Article # 11850

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The U.S. Eventing Association released the following official statement regarding Lauren Kieffer and her mount Tigger Too following the death of the David O'Connor horse on May 10 during the Jersey Fresh CCI3* at the New Jersey Horse Park in Allentown, N.J.

"The organizing committee of the Jersey Fresh CCI3* regrets to announce the death of David O'Connor's horse, Tigger Too, ridden by Lauren Kieffer, at Fence 28 on the cross-country course today. Lauren was uninjured in the fall.

"The FEI investigative panel has been convened to review the facts surrounding the incident, and more information will be released once the investigation is through.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the O'Connor and the Kieffer families after the loss of this wonderful horse."

Tags: horses, catastrophic injury, eventing

Eight Belles

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:42:39 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: What can be done to prevent catastrophic breakdowns?

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

Eight Belles' Injury Raises Questions About Racing Industry

by: The Associated Press
May 05 2008, Article # 11807

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A day after Big Brown blazed across the finish line, the snapshot of Eight Belles down on the dirt set off a raging debate that extended far beyond the Kentucky Derby: Is horse racing now facing an image crisis?

With the memory of Barbaro still fresh, Eight Belles' catastrophic injury Saturday put increasing focus on a sport already trying to overcome a decline in popularity.

Her death has raised thorny issues about the whole Thoroughbred industry, including track safety, whether fillies should be allowed to run against colts, and whether horses are bred too much for speed and not for soundness.

Tags: horses, breakdown, horse racing, kentucky derby

Ponazuril Prevents EPM?

Thu, 01 May 2008 01:22:33 GMT

clipped by: MorganLvr
clipper's remarks: This would be wonderful if it turns out to be true.

Clip Source: www.thehorse.com

Ponazuril and EPM: An Ounce of Prevention

by: Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc
April 25 2008, Article # 11747

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Researchers at the University of Florida studying equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) recently found that administering ponazuril once every seven days might prevent EPM caused by Sarcocystis neurona.

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis is an important neurological disease of horses. It is typically caused by the parasite S. neurona, a protozoan parasite that penetrates the central nervous system and causes diverse neurologic signs, including ataxia and muscle atrophy.

Ponazuril, known commercially as Marquis, is one of several antiprotozoal medications available to treat EPM.

Tags: epm, ponazuril, horses, equine