Wouldn't you know it.. sodium pentobarbital is an FDA controlled substance requiring a permit to buy or administer. That explains why he's never sold me a bottle of it. I should also mention it is very important to inject it intravenously which requires training and experience. Worthwhile to have your vet instruct you in intravenous methods for other applications anyway, anti-venoms are particularly time critical injections which I like to keep stocked and ready. Probably unlawful also? Sorry to corrupt the board with my felonious ways, LazyJ Kevorkian
The new medicine that is used, and considered the most humane, is $300 per dose. Add that to the vet call, dx., maybe some care to find out what is wrong with the horse and make the call to put him down and you are talking a minimum of $600.
OK WHOA Rich. We're not talking about your family pet. You guys totally miss the point. The majority of the horses that go to slaughter are absolutely not your cream of the crop. I can also guarantee you that no show trained horse is going to go to the meat market. That's just not a true statement. Just as there are packer buyers at every sale there are also horse traders at every sale. This is where so much of this gets convoluted. It's not the backyard pet that's healthy and a good rider, it's not a show horse that didn't make it on the show circuit, etc. That is just not the case. The majority of these horse are cripples, are ones that have a terminal illness, or some other factor making them unfit.
Also who are you or I to say that if a horse doesn't work out for a person they aren't supposed to sell them? If your goal is to win a world championship and the horse you have doesn't work out then why keep him? What's wrong with taking him to the sale barn and selling him? While we may have opinions about what people do with their horses what the heck are we doing trying to legislate what they do with them? So what's next. Ok now we can't butcher them and you can't ever sell a horse that you have so now to really be fair to the horse why should we even ride them? You can talk to people and get someone all the time who will say this or that with showing, rodeo, cutting, reining, etc. is abuse to the horses.
You start down this slippery slope of increasing regulation and telling people what they can and can't do with their animals and where does it stop?
Edt,
They are stunned and then given air into the brain where they feel nothing and immediately go unconscious. This is done before any part of the buthchering process starts.
Let me clarify my positions:
1) I do view horses differently than other livestock, higher than dogs, for those reasons I mentioned.
2) I have no problem with people selling their horses. We have sold 2 of our horses in the past. I do believe that there are many irresponsible horse owners out there that are to quick to sell a horse if there is any problem with it. You and I both know that all horses have problems, it's just a question of how severe and how many. The people I was refering to generally buy and sell low cost horses (that are low cost for a reason) and are unwilling to accept what they get for their money, so they just get another. Around here there is only one auction and a majority of the horses that go there end up going to slaughter. They may go back and forth a few times, but generally that's where they end up.
3) I don't know a better solution than slaughter for these horses. I only mentioned that there are irresponsible people who own horses and this may be the source of some of these unwanted horses (although racing is probably a bigger source).
4) I would never send a horse of mine to slaughter.
5) I believe that if a horse has served you well over the years and you end up with it when it gets older, you should do your best to give that horse pasture retirement as long as he is happy and not in pain.
6) I would hate to see the consumption of horsemeat by humans become acceptable in our culture. I believe the horse deserves a better place than in our food chain. This is why we have beef. The irony is not lost on me that is is acceptable in French culture to consume horse meat. If we are slaughtering horses we have to do something with the meat. I'd rather see it used for dog meat that for it to become acceptable for humans to eat it.
Lets face it, if a animal is going to be killed there is no good method of doing it. So rather than fork out $600 for the vet to do it, put a little lead in its ear and get it over with. No matter how faithful of an animal its been, put it out of its misery if it is suffering.
THanks doc for the info i do agree with you it is like a deer hunt you have too do it too keep the herd down but the wife hates any part of any of it so i do the dirty work
EDT
Streve i also agree with you some people should not have horses but some people should not have kids either. We own 3 t/b the last is a babby from my mare a race horse we were
offered good money to sell and we refused becouse we don't agree with all the training to be done. but their is no way too change that but this is my horse a family pet too die hopfully a long time from now at home with us but the slaughter houses do what has too be done just my 2 cents
EDT
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