ILPH advice needed

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Fantasy_World

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Hiya everyone I need some advice please. Has anyone had much dealings with the ILPH and are they generally good at checking on horses that are reported to them on welfare or cruelty grounds? I have little faith in the RSPCA to be honest and I have read on here that the ILPH are good at dealing with such matters. Do they operate in the Staffs area though or is there only a few regions they cover?
I want to contact them today regarding a horse I have been observing for the last few months. Basically I don't want to waste my time or cause the horse any more suffering if they are not the appropriate people to contact. As an animal and horse lover I cannot stand back and do nothing.
Even if the horse just turns out to be ill it may give the owners a bloody wake up call!
The horse is kept at grass with another horse near to me. The other horse is looking well ( if just a little stiff some mornings on its backend). The horse I am concerned about though is deterioating. I have pics of this horse taken just 8 days ago and it has lost yet more weight. The horse was rugged up until recently and when the rugs were taken off I noticed it was on the thin side. I would say this horse is very poor if my own judgement of body scoring is correct.
It has a ewe neck due to wastage. It has little or no fat on shoulders or chest. It has no fat on main body ie you can see and count every rib. It has a dipped back appearance due to muscle and weight loss and today I could even count its vertebrae. It has virtually no condition on rear. It has defined lines running down hind quarters and is very angular with hips/pelvis clearly visible.
I am very, very concerned about its welfare.
I see these horses virtually every day.
I know who owns one of them ( the horse that is ok) not sure about this one though? I don't know where they live now just that they used to run a business close to where the horses are.
Will the ILPH be the best people to contact?
I could do with some advice please.
Cazx
here are some pics of the horse taken today ( not brilliant quality as taken with phone) The horse does appear worse than the pics though. The horse also looks lame behind as it is stiff in its hindquarters.
P06-28-06_13.jpg

P06-28-06_13-4.jpg

P06-28-06_13-2.jpg

P06-28-06closeup.jpg
 
ILPH are the people to contact they are very through and have reps all over the country.

Those pictures seem weird plenty of grass and coat looks good although horse is v skinny. I'm thinking some sort of illness which the owners may well be treating. But since you have noticed a deterioration and are concerend I think you have every right to ring the ILPH just to be on the safe side.

Might be worth offering to email them the photo's to as they might already know about the horse. (eg have had a complaint and checked it out and all is in fact OK)
 
have you considered speaking to the person that you do know, as this horse may just be aged? I agree it doesnt look brilliant but some TB types just dont look thick and healthy ever especially if they are on rest and not doing anything.

ILPH will assess it for you but I doubt it would currently come to much if the horse has access to grass and water, and is appearing happy in itself other than like a rack...they wont do that much. Are its feet in good condition? This is often a good teller as to whether it is being looked after or not..

YOu also say it had a rug on until recently, whcih doesnt strike me as an owner who doesnt care....

Agree it doesnt look great but not all animals have a nice covering on them...
 
how wierd, as i looks like the grass is decent for the horse - yet its really skinny.........Id definately phone the ILPH, and get an email address to send those pictures too aswell.

Let us know how you get on.
 
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Agree it doesnt look great but not all animals have a nice covering on them...

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It looks thin and poor.
crazy.gif
 
Hiya thanks for that I will ring them now. There is grass but a lot seems short at the moment and there is a fair bit of weeds in there too, like docks etc.
The other horse is bordering on obese and looks in good condition but this one just seems to be getting thinner and thinner. Trouble is I have not seen the owner of the other horse ( they may own this one too, not sure) for ages now and neither have a few people I have asked that are adjacent to the field.
I am worried they are being neglected and that this one has a problem. It may even by teeth I'm not sure as I was told they were old horses. Even so age is no excuse as my friends horses on the yard where I am are 26 and they look nothing like that.
I have been told this horse/pony suffers from sweet itch too as it was rugged up for ages. But with all the rain recently and the fact they are out 24 7 in it I am worried it cannot keep any condition due to the recent weather and the fact it is thin anyway.
Cazx
 
There's thin and then there's bloody wasting away! Sorry but that isn't just a poor aged horse, there has to be something.
 
I agree Welshies as this horse( could be pony as don't know exact height) is worse than the pics show. Even people who don't know much about horses who saw the horse today after I pointed it out to them said it was very thin.
I would contact the other people but don't know where they live and this horse/pony is not a thoroughbred type. It may have be thin for a while under the rug as rugs can hide a multitude of sins to be honest. Have just rung them (ILPH) but no one answered so had to leave a message. Will let you know how I get on. I just hope someone investigates this because I am really, really concerned about this animal if we get any more rain
frown.gif

Cazx
 
could be very old, arthritic and in need of a dental etc or could be someting more sinister. either way as the situation is still ongoing after months I'd call the RSPCA today and then monitor the situation. Sorry I don't know whether the ILPH could help, I've never tried them
 
ILPH will help I am sure, they are far better than RSPCA. If its old it could be its teeth that are a problem. IMO old age is no excuse for a horse being thin. A field officer would visit and advise the owners. They cover all over the UK so will definitely be one for Staffs, in fact probably the same chap who used to visit me. (Should add I had an iLPH pony on loan who had regular checks, was not visited cos of neglect!) Hope you manage to contact someone soon, and well done for being prepared to do something about this horse.
 
If i have any welfare problems concerning equines then I contact the ILPH because they have proved to provide an excellent response. Many of their inspectors are ex-policeman so they are very good at handling difficult situations with tact and efficiency.

I would suggest that you contact the welfare line of the ILPH. They have trained inspectors whom cover the whole of the country and in addition now have the backing of the new animal welfare bill.

There web site is www.ilph.org
 
Yeah if i was you I would call the ILPH. They should be able to advise you. They should also be able to tell you if anyone else has been in contact re the horse and it is a medical problem rather than neglect. Doesn't look that great though...
 
I'd call the ILPH too. They are very good at liaising with owners and also very diplomatic which is important if there is a known reason for the condition. I'd not even bother with the RSPCA any more.
 
Thanks everyone like I said I couldn't just ignore its plight as it does not look a happy horse. I have been watching both these horses now virtually daily for nearly 4 months and as a horse owner myself I am even more vigilant about horse welfare now than I was before.
It was difficult to know its bodyscore under the rug but even when I look at pic ( not that clear) of the same horse/pony I took 8 days ago it appears to have lost more weight.
I never see the owners of the other horse.
They used to live right next to the field and now they don't after selling the business. Since then I have not seen them as often tending to the horse as they once did. Sorry that does not sound right what I mean is I have not seen them for at least a month, maybe longer?
The horse I know they own for def looks fine, a heavyweight cob who I believe is aged as well. He looks great though and is hardly skinny, more obese.
This other one though looks awful and does appear to have something clinically wrong. I did consider teeth to be honest as well as possibly worms. Even so there is no excuse for the horse to be looking like this and if it were my horse I would be seeing to it every day to give it supplements/extra feed etc as my friends do with their elderly horses.
I hope they do come out to check on the horse to be honest as something needs to be done.
I don't believe it is simply old age.
I'm am awaiting a call back from the ILPH, in fact I'm going to try to ring them again to see if I can speak to someone this time.
Cazx
 
Have just spoken to someone at ILPH and emailed the pictures too. Will let you all know what happens once the horse/pony has been visited etc. Keeping fingers crossed that this poor animal gets some relief in one way or another.
Cazx
 
dont bother with the RSPCA they are a waste of time. we contacted the RSPCA about a horse on my old yard after askin the owner what was wrong with her horse and was given the usual excuses, old, broodmare and breed! her mare was TB just like mine and others on the yard and none of them looked like her horse. anyway after watchin this horse get worse and worse even though she was worming and feedin we called them they should have been down on the sunday, monday mornin i get a call sayin that the horse was dead in my field (the old yard had sections fenced with electric fencing) and that my 13 month old had somethin wrong with her leg. i got down there as fast as i could sprinted into field even though had had knee op 3 months before and was still havin physio, to find that as horse had collapsed had dragged the electric fencing which then got caught round my foal's leg which stripped it to the bone. there was nothing that could be done for my baby and she was PTS. i do think if RSPCA had off come down when they where meant to then maybe i would have had a lovely 3yr old now and bracken wouldnt have had to see her foal in such pain then PTS.(they where weaned just shared a field). Hope the outcome is a lot better for this horse. lookin at the pictures it looks on parr with the horse at my old yard she was a 16.2 TB. some people dont deserve horses.
 
its interesting you mention sweet itch, its not the cause obviously but sweet itch can cause as you prob know a lot of distress and I know my 26 year old (who I hasten to add looks nothing more than 10!) really stresses at this time of year if left out past 4pm.....

Kidneys?
 
I cannot say much at the moment until this matter is sorted but just to let everyone know that an ILPH officer visited the horse today and will keep me updated on proceedings. Also the RSPCA are involved as I discovered today that apparently the horse had been reported to them and they visited earlier this week.
As soon as I know more I will let you know.
Just glad that the wheels are in motion now and even if there is an innocent explanation for the horse/pony's condition ( as there may well be) then at the very least the owner should get a huge kick up the backside and lecture on keeping horses as there are also concerns of obesity with the other horse ( same ownership).
Cazx
 
Glad to hear things are happening. Well done for getting involved, even though RSPCA had already been contacted I think things will happen now ILPH are involved. Do you know who came out for ILPH , was it Paul Teasdale? Please keep us updated when you hear anything more.
 
Here is an update on the thin horse.
I was contacted today by the ILPH after they had inspected the horses once more with the RSPCA inspector and a vet as well.
Both owners turned up as well as field owner.
The horse I was concerned about is very elderly and much older than I thought, apparently the mare is in her thirties.
Her teeth are up to date I was told and they have regular checks with the farrier.
Both horses were inspected by a vet today and the old mare is going to have vet supervision and may possibly need worming which is to be done.
The owners were very co operative and are horse lovers I was told.
I think the general consensus is that the mare will have this summer but they may not put her through another winter. If that is the case then I think in the welfare of the horse that is the best decision. She still has quality of life now though ( deemed by the vet) but obviously due to her age this may change at any time and I personally think that due to the fact she is struggling to keep condition then even if rugged up a harsh winter would be devasting for her.
I am pleased with the outcome as all I ever wanted in this was the horse to be inspected and to receive any care she may have needed.
I think sometimes ( and I think we are all guilty of this to some degree) we don't have the ability to cry enough and make that final decision to pts. I believe that sometimes it takes an outsider to say well actually this may be in the best interest or have you thought about that etc. I'm not suggesting that any of the welfare groups that were involved in this case suggested that but their mere presence may have made the owners consider a decision that perhaps had been put at the back of their mind.
I know I was not alone in my concerns though as someone had reported the horse to the RSPCA so obviously they had similar concerns as me.
At least the matter is sorted now though and I am happy that there is a good outcome as I did not want to see harsh action taken if there was no need.
In this case there was an explanation of her condition ie she was very elderly and may have worms. Also there is ragwort on the field which may or may not be related depending on how well it had been cleared up in the past as the horses have been there for some time.
Just wanted to update people on the issue.
I will always remain vigilant though when it comes to horses and I would not hesitate to inform the relevant organisations again if I was worried about any equines.
I must also congratulate the IPLH on their professionalism and sensitivity in handling this case. They rightly held an open mind on the case until all sides could be heard and seen. Advice was given in a considerate way. They were prompt in attending the venue and on the follow up and kept me informed of proceedings. I would not hesitate to contact them again and they have well and truly earned my respect. The officer had a friendly disposition and was very professional as well as showing an obvious compassion for animals, particularly horses.
I am pleased with the outcome of it all because the horse will now be monitored a bit more closely by its owners in particular. Like I said before sometimes we need a wake up call to tell us what we probably already know that a loved pet is perhaps past their best and we need to step in before quality of life is lost.
Caroline
 
Thanks for the pm,which I have replied to. Glad it looks like the right thing is going to be done for this mare. I can only echo what you say about ILPH. I had an ILPH loan mare for 16 years. She was a companion as had mild arthritis. As she aged the arthritis deteriorated but was manageable. In her last year or so of life she became lamer and had bute daily. Although she never lost weight she did lose muscle tone, and in her last summer she started having trouble getting up. The ILPH field officer , who visited every 3 months (unannounced)helped me make the right decision, which was not to put her through another winter. He even offered to come and hold her for me if need be. She was put to sleep at the age of 34 and is buried in the field (ssh!). The field officer whilst being very professional was also full of compassion for me and my pony, and phoned me up a few weeks after she was pts to see how I was. I will always be a big supporter of ILPH.
 
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