Post by qhflicka on Jul 28, 2010 14:29:40 GMT -5
One of my neghbors had to euthanise her 18 year old Appaloosa due to chronic laminitis, due to being morbidly obese.
Some horses in perfect weight can develop laminitis too.
But, obesity definitely increases the risk.
Everytime we drove past the pasture, my husband, a retired farrier ie. very aware of hoof issues/founder, commented on how much fatter the horse had gotten, and said the owner was slowly killing it.
A hip high grassy 4 acre pasture all to itself, a thick crest on its neck and a huge crease down its back. It was rediculously obese.
She could have bought it a grazing muzzle!! Or put it on a dry lot and fed it hay properly, until it slimmed down. Or even mowed the pasture down regularly, thereby, keeping the grass real short.
I do not know if it was sheer ignorance or plain laziness.
Why are people, in some states, allowed to kill their horses by allowing them to become obese and suffer from obesity related problems, including death?
She was as irresponsible/neglectful as a person who starved their horse to death.
She should have been punished.
I am not sure if WA is one of the states, where owners can be proscecuted for allowing their horses to be obese.
I was really happy to find this article -
From www.thehorse.com
U.K. Couple Sentenced in Pony Obesity Cruelty Case
by: Pat Raia
November 05 2009, Article # 15222
A couple in the United Kingdom have become the first horse owners convicted of obesity-related animal cruelty under that country's Animal Welfare Act, said a report from Horse and Hound.
The Act stipulates that owners must provide a suitable diet for their animals.
Keith and Lynn Hall of Blackpool, England, were charged with animal cruelty in 2008 after equine welfare authorities removed an obese Shetland pony stallion from their care.
A lame Shetland pony mare was also seized in the case.
Last month, a court fined the couple and banned them from keeping horses for five years.
Equine obesity contributes to life-threatening conditions including laminitis and insulin resistance.
In some states, owners of obese equines also risk prosecution.
"In Maryland it constitutes neglect," said Sue Mitchell, director of development for Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Lisbon, Md.
In the United States, obesity-related equine cruelty statistics are low.
Ange Olt, DVM, of Greensburg, Ky., said she believes owner education is key to keeping them that way.
"People (who feed horses too much) think they're taking very good care of them," she said.
"They need to learn how to recognize an obese horse.
Some horses in perfect weight can develop laminitis too.
But, obesity definitely increases the risk.
Everytime we drove past the pasture, my husband, a retired farrier ie. very aware of hoof issues/founder, commented on how much fatter the horse had gotten, and said the owner was slowly killing it.
A hip high grassy 4 acre pasture all to itself, a thick crest on its neck and a huge crease down its back. It was rediculously obese.
She could have bought it a grazing muzzle!! Or put it on a dry lot and fed it hay properly, until it slimmed down. Or even mowed the pasture down regularly, thereby, keeping the grass real short.
I do not know if it was sheer ignorance or plain laziness.
Why are people, in some states, allowed to kill their horses by allowing them to become obese and suffer from obesity related problems, including death?
She was as irresponsible/neglectful as a person who starved their horse to death.
She should have been punished.
I am not sure if WA is one of the states, where owners can be proscecuted for allowing their horses to be obese.
I was really happy to find this article -
From www.thehorse.com
U.K. Couple Sentenced in Pony Obesity Cruelty Case
by: Pat Raia
November 05 2009, Article # 15222
A couple in the United Kingdom have become the first horse owners convicted of obesity-related animal cruelty under that country's Animal Welfare Act, said a report from Horse and Hound.
The Act stipulates that owners must provide a suitable diet for their animals.
Keith and Lynn Hall of Blackpool, England, were charged with animal cruelty in 2008 after equine welfare authorities removed an obese Shetland pony stallion from their care.
A lame Shetland pony mare was also seized in the case.
Last month, a court fined the couple and banned them from keeping horses for five years.
Equine obesity contributes to life-threatening conditions including laminitis and insulin resistance.
In some states, owners of obese equines also risk prosecution.
"In Maryland it constitutes neglect," said Sue Mitchell, director of development for Days End Farm Horse Rescue in Lisbon, Md.
In the United States, obesity-related equine cruelty statistics are low.
Ange Olt, DVM, of Greensburg, Ky., said she believes owner education is key to keeping them that way.
"People (who feed horses too much) think they're taking very good care of them," she said.
"They need to learn how to recognize an obese horse.
