Another possible neglect charge

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see how long it's taken to get to court

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So now we can all understand why its taking so long for the Amersham case to go to court !!!
 
Why is it excellent? Have you seen what the defence vet said?

From http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/latest/display.var.2097359.0.court_told_how_horses_suffered.php

The court also heard from an expert witness, vet Madeleine Forsyth, who studied data gathered after the deaths.

She said: "The horses were killed by an extremely infectious bacteria. There was no disease associated with the wetness and muddiness of the environment. It seems the defendants rang the vet as soon as it was apparent he was needed."

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So what else could they do? Yes their place was muddy. Whose isn't when it rains? They got a vet and the horses still died. Not from anything connected to the mud but as a result of an 'extremely infectious bacteria'.

Quick. Better prosecute every parent whose child is off school sick - after all, if anything bad happens we must have someone to blame!
 
Now its up to the courts !! I find it very hard to beleive that the ponies were fine 1 day and all dead the next day ..as a responsible horse owner, if my horses showed ANY signs/symptoms of illness,i dont think that you need to be a scientist to notice that, i would get the vet out,they got the vet out after they found the dead ponies,,,,,,
I find it VERY hard to beleive that if some ponies dies and some ponies collapses why dont you blood test/investigate the others in the same field ?? get the vet out etc etc Bacterial infections can be treated if caught on time
What i meant by excellent is that its been 2 cases in as many days,guilty or not guilty but hopefully people will now start to sharpen up
And i AM a parent and my daughter was home from school today with a sore throat...why should i be blamed ?? Dont really see your point on that comment
 
Would a vet really support them if they didn't have a reason?
How many horses at this time of year are not in mud?
 
Some viruses are very virulent. Shame we don't know what condition the horses were in aside from the virus. We all know that the RSPCA can be neglectful in some cases and over-zealous in others. I also doubt if a qualified Vet would put their reputation on the line by offering evidence for the defence without really believing what they were stating!
 
Anthrax, salmonella, aspergillosis, botulism...Im sure there are thousands of other bacterial/viral diseases which are lethal or can be lethal. I find it sad that we are now out on a witch hunt and that the RSPCA has gone hyperactive after being lethargic for many years. Beware, you could be next...ha ha ha!!!
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Not aimed at you Stella, I just tagged on to your post
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Absolutely! It was only a matter of weeks ago when I read in horse and hound about an elderly couple who had just won a case to have ther horse returned to them. It had been removed by the RSPCA and kept for several months because it was thin and it was alleged that it was neglected. This couple had owned their horse since it was a foal. It was elderly and had a good quality of life, but they found it hard to keep weight on it. Due to this, the couple's vet had been regularly reviewing its condition and they were feeding the horse inline with their vet's and an equine neutritionist's advice. The horse was returned when both gave expert testimony in court Of course by then stress and trauma had been caused to the horse, the couple and their bank account
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LATEST NEWS :
"A mother and daughter from Holbury in Hampshire have been found guilty of four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to ponies.

Twenty-nine ponies belonging Debra (41) and Michelle (19) Green died after being left to live in appalling conditions, New Forest magistrates were told.


The pair from Holbury, a village near Southampton, denied the charges but were found guilty. They will be sentenced on March 20.


Jeremy Cave, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said 12 ponies were already dead when found in December 2006 and another 17 had to be shot.


They were lying or standing in mud and their own excrement and were suffering severe respiratory infections."
 
As I see it there was a failure to provide Duty of Care under the Animal Health and Welfare Act
Failure to provide Freedom from discomfort--no shelter or comfortable resting area.
Failure to provide rapid diagnosis and treatment of disease.

If hay was being eaten after paddling into mud then I imagine botulism is a possibility and maybe strangles if more ponies had been brought into the herd.
I dont accept that fields look like that in winter, if they do they are overstocked mine dont look like that and I live near the river and some of it does flood up to 3ft deep at times.
 
I think you might all find that the bacterial infection is known as Botulism. Once a horse has ingested the bacteria it can die within days and there is NO cure and very few survive this awful illness. They loose co-ordination and cannot eat or drink. It can be found in hay/haylage and you wouldnt know its in it. Also wet and boggy ground can hold it and the horse can drink from a puddle and ingest it.

Why are you all so keen to see people suffer punishment for something they may not have done. We all know humans and animals can catch bugs and become very ill and die. Humans can say whats wrong, unfortunaltey horses cannot so it can be hard to diagnose.
 
Yes, seen the pictures. Muddy wet field, as expected in winter. Some people are not lucky enough to have lots of stables. There is a field shelter in the field, a large pile of hay and im guessing water somewhere.

I would be convinceed these horses died of Botulism.
 
you like a good argument dont you! I dont agree that 24 horses on 3 acres is correct, however i have said what i feel about botulism.
Also, it is difficult to find grazing to rent, if your not lucky enough to have your own land. Wet winters make boggy ground come quickly especially if horses are turned out 24 7.
 
If you cannot provide adequate land for 24 horses, or provide adequate shelter, so that the animals are not lying in slurry, then you should ask yourself if you should have that number of animals. The point of this forum is discussion, therefore people will reply to posts, that is after all the idea.
 
Do we know how soon after the first horse became sick they called the vet?

Theoretically speaking if it was Botulism horses normally show prolonged periods of muscle disfunction with difficulty in rising and the tongue hanging out. Eventually the horse cant get up and may die of breathing failure.... surely they would have seen the symptoms if they were being monitored properly?


I do not agree that this amount of horses in this space is correct however looking at the pictures the horses do not look in poor condition, albeit if the mud was the cause then it was a huge problem

Edited to say_ just read vets statement again- it says the animals were suffering from a respiratory disorder, isnt Botulism a poison ??
 
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