Im 100% behind slaughter now!

Montyforever

Montyforever

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Always been a bit between camps when it came to this debate, but the last few days have changed my mind. A mare that was "rescued from slaughter" infoal has spent the last part of her life as skin and bone in a dangerous field giving everything she had to her foal, she had an accident and was found down and wrapped up in barbed wire, even though everyone (apart from the owners of course!) gave it a good go to get her up, given the state she was in she just didnt have the strength left. She was there for 48hrs before the humane thing was finally done :(
Rip lovely girl, a quick end in a slaughter house would have been a far better way to go!
I hope this helps other people to see how bad the situation is, no vets would come out without the owners permisson/bank details, rspca not interested (not suprised!!) so this mare was literally left to die. It wasnt a case of neglect that was ongoing this was a horse dying in front of our eyes and i am disgusted with them all.
I dont want to open up a can of worms here, just raise awareness of whats happening behind closed doors.
 
Montyforever said:
no vets would come out without the owners permisson/bank details, rspca not interested (not suprised!!) so this mare was literally left to die. It wasnt a case of neglect that was ongoing this was a horse dying in front of our eyes and i am disgusted with them all.
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sounds like a very sad situation, if an owner does not give permission then the vets hands are tied unless someone like rspca gets involved. i would be a little miffed if i arrived at the yard to find my horse had been treated by a vet without my permission, i do however understand this is a difficult more involved situation
 
You know what I think I would have done in that situation , i would have tried calling the police a crime is being committed I would have got an incident number and tried to push them there that would have brought the RSPCA out of the wood work .
I am sure you did but WHW and BHS might have helped as well .
People make me sick poor old mare
Or I would have called the vet ( and been prepared to pay the bill ) and let the vet speak to the police .
We are in the disgusting situation in this country where a charity with the right to decide if it attends or not is the main route for 'justice ' for domestic animals it's wrong nothing stops the police attending except customn it shames this country.
 
I don't know Twiggy - if one of mine really needed emergency veterinary treatment and I was uncontactable, I'd be so pleased that someone had called the Vet and got the horse sorted.

A couple of times we've taken RTA cats to the vet (not run over by us BTW) and they have been treated with no owner permission.
 
In future, remember that, generally speaking, when a horse is under the care of a vet at the vets practise, the vet can make the decision without the consent of the owner but they must be fastidious with their documentation and recording of the facts.

When the horse is not confined in a vets (so any other situation) and the issue is one of welfare where the horse is suffering, the very best thing you can do is call the police if the RSPCA won't respond. an RSPCA officer OR Police officer are able to authorise the destruction of a horse without the owners consent. They may want a vets certificate, but they don't actually need one and anyone can carry out the destruction provided it is done humanely.

It's also worth remembering that it is an offence NOT to safeguard the welfare of an animal, so you can remember THAT when you call the RSPCA or police and they are reluctant. Don't be afraid, a lot of officers are not familiar with all aspects of the law in these areas so YOU may need to tell them.

Many years back, my sisters friend and her YO were hacking out alongside the A48 between Chepstow and Newport in South Wales. Long story short, two army Chinooks appeared from behind a bank of trees, just a couple of hundred feet above sea level. Young horse, being correctly ridden with the nanny horse between it and the traffic (which was over 20ft) away due to a very wide verge) was spooked by the Chinooks. The horse ran onto the road where it was hit by an overtaking car that was doing 80mph. Rider was killed instantly, the horse was not. My sister heard the impact from 800yards away. She also heard the screaming and she called me for help with the horse. I won't describe the scene, but I will say the moment I got out of the car, I shouted to my BIL to go and pick up the farmer from down the road to bring his shotgun. My sister had already told me that the vet was at least 30 minutes away, three other surgeries refused as they were small animal vets. The police arrived same time as my BIL with the farmer. The farmer took one look and drew his gun. The policewoman stopped him, made a quick call in to her supervisor and then said to go ahead and destroy immediately. She later explained that she thought she would have to wait for the vet, so checked with her supervisor who said that there should be no delay in the humane destruction of an animal deemed to be in extreme suffering.

It's obviously not all black and white and the above incident was an horrific one that left nobody in any doubt that the horse was in exceptional suffering.

If in doubt and the RSPCA or other welfare agencies won't help or will take too long to help, call your local police force and get them acting on behalf of the welfare of the animal.

Horrible thing to have happened OP and I have to be honest, as much as it is heartbreaking to read of things like this, I must say I am glad that your mind has been changed. Many people believe that you should never put a healthy animal down...but many people just do not understand the implications of such optimism and it is not they who suffer.
 
_GG_ said:
And here's a link in case anyone wants to see the official guidelines. I know I can pull this up with a quick google search on my phone if I am ever in need of it to show police etc.

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/advice-and-...ns/supporting-guidance/euthanasia-of-animals/
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Now that is a good idea _GG_. You never know when you might be needed to intervene in a tragic situation.

OP, dreadful as the situation you describe must have been, if it has changed one person's mind, it hasn't been in vain. Poor mare.
 
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_GG_ said:
Many people believe that you should never put a healthy animal down...but many people just do not understand the implications of such optimism and it is not they who suffer.
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This is true. I've been called cruel by family members because I would rather have a horse pts than go on to an uncertain future.
 
ridefast said:
This is true. I've been called cruel by family members because I would rather have a horse pts than go on to an uncertain future.
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I also have had this and when I had dizzy put to sleep I had people drop me from their lives on the basis I was cruel.

So sorry op :( that must of been horrible to witness! We do need slaughter it's awful how many horses and ponies are suffering at the moment after their apparent rescue from the meatman.
 
ridefast said:
This is true. I've been called cruel by family members because I would rather have a horse pts than go on to an uncertain future.
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I had it on here this time last year, although most, in fact all understood in the end. I still have people mention it now and say it was totally unnecessary. When people say that to me, I ask them, "Do you know why that decision was made". Some come out with all sorts, nobody to date has actually known. I tell them, they immediately understand.

My sister and I took in a pony when we were 7 & 9 years old. We used to walk past it every day to go and see our own pony. It was never in great health, always overweight and laminitic and my dad had called the RSPCA numerous times. We'd regularly see notices on the gate. He was down one day and we couldn't get him up. My sister (older) stayed with him while I went to get my dad. He called the RSPCA and they came out straight away. We did get him up but they said he couldn't travel. His only chance was to be rested in a stable on meds (vet said same), so we walked him a couple of hundred yards to our old farriers barn where the farrier put some straw down. The pony bled out overnight. If that happened now, I would have been asking for PTS in the field, I know better now. That vision still haunts me and my sister because we thought we were doing the right thing, so did my dad. To know that pony died what would have been a long and horrible death alone is just horrible.

If you are around horses for long enough, one thing like this won't happen eventually, but you'll see it more than once. It's good to know the facts.
 
What an awful thing to happen. Poor poor horse. If there is an emergency I always call the vet first and then the owner. Regarding horse slaughter, I don't like it. But I don't think it is any worse than the slaughter of cows, sheep and pigs. I don't like that either which is why I don't eat meat. Some horses are rescued from slaughter and go on to lead a really good life. The problem in this case was that the owners were bad owners, not that rescuing horses for slaughter is a bad thing. I guess that the low price of these equines does encourage people who are on a 'shoestring' to purchase a horse they cannot afford. Having said that though, not all people who don't have the capital to buy a horse, cannot afford its upkeep.
 
The biggest problem I have are people who think they are so kind and caring because they "saved an animal from slaughter" and then leave them in a dire state in terrible conditions with no treatment because surprise surprise they cannot afford it or don't want to pay for it. That is more cruel than having an animal slaughtered. Sorry OP, that sounds absolutely terrible, poor poor horse.
 
Dunlin said:
The biggest problem I have are people who think they are so kind and caring because they "saved an animal from slaughter" and then leave them in a dire state in terrible conditions with no treatment because surprise surprise they cannot afford it or don't want to pay for it. That is more cruel than having an animal slaughtered. Sorry OP, that sounds absolutely terrible, poor poor horse.
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I agree entirely with you. I don't like the idea of horses being killed for no good reason but it's a damn sight better than leaving them to live in misery and neglect. The horse the OP mentioned would certainly have been better off going for slaughter. Is the foal ok?
 
Faracat said:
I don't know Twiggy - if one of mine really needed emergency veterinary treatment and I was uncontactable, I'd be so pleased that someone had called the Vet and got the horse sorted.

A couple of times we've taken RTA cats to the vet (not run over by us BTW) and they have been treated with no owner permission.
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yes I agree and as stated I understand it is a difficult more involved situation, without legal backup the vets leave themselves open to treating an animal without permission IF the situation is not deemed serious enough by the powers that be.

Too much of a grey area it needs to be black and white

I also agree with Goldenstar that we are in a terrible situation when it comes to animal welfare in this country, poor horse and poor people to be in such a terrible situation-when I was 15 I kept my horse at a dealers yard, it was terrible just me and my horse and his horses and ponies, I would often arrive to find dead ones and the day I arrived to find 2 highland foals down and struggling to breathe I called the vet and said they were mine and that I was 16-the vet came put them both to sleep and I never received a bill-he must have known who they belonged to, I never heard anymore about it and i don't suppose the dealer was any the wiser.
 
The neglect cases do seem to be dramatically on the increase since the horsemeat scandal. I'd prefer to be unknowingly eating horsemeat than for these poor animals to be suffering.
 
Do we know why the RSPCA wouldn’t attend – not being provocative but are there lessons to be learned for next time? Sadly there will be a next time and 48hours is just too long for them not to get involved if this was as clear cut as it reads. If the mare was skin and bone surely on going neglect could be an issue for any remaining animals.
 
Rspca didnt attend on the first day as we had given her water, put some rugs over her and given her some apples (we were hoping once she had warmed up, rehydrated and had got a bit of energy she might be able to get up) i appreciate the vets hands were tied, when he finally was allowed to attend he was very good and very frustrated over not being able to help sooner as it might have saved her. Vet and my yard owner were very upset and frustrated over the whole situation :(
Foal is 5months old roughly so should be ok, although is obviously traumatised and she was already terrified of people so god knows how she views humans now after watching that, shes in great condition thanks to her amazing mum. Totally depends what happens now, will be keeping a close eye on the ponies that are still up there while i can. The others are thin but not emaciated, weve pulled up all the barbed wire off the floor etc not much else we can do really. Just hope it doesnt get any worse and ring round rspca/sanctuaries if it does.
 
I always have been, and always will be pro slaughter.

People who rescue often do so with the best will in the world, but they are short sighted, and oft times, as has been said, a bullet is a more merciful end. I read of a local rescue centre who had a 30 year old, completely blind, tb mare for sale for $100 as a companion. Rescue a useful foal yes, but that poor old girl ... :(


I have a lot of 'rescue' horses at my yard, and although they are lovely animals, with the exception of just two who are not too bad physically, all the others (crippled by the most dreadful scars, arthritis, navicular etc) should really have been left in the kill pen.

Regarding the absentee owner, humane pts question.

In my contracts there is a section giving an attending Vet the right to decide to humanely destroy a horse, if, in his opinion, it is in the best interest of the animal and owners or a representative cannot be contacted. Owners have the choice to sign or not. No-one has ever not signed.

I once stood for three hours with a pony that had completely snapped his lower leg off, it hung there by a thread.
We had a Vet, a Kennelman, and the Owners all there but the owners refused to give the go ahead until the Insurers had everything in sodding triplicate. For a 500 pound pony. We could all quite happily have shot the flaming owners.
 
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