horse for cat food

[beejoyfulmk]

Hi all, I have a question , what do you think of sending a horse to that big cat farm for food?

[michellep]

Wow, quite a question, had to think for a minute.....But I guess for me personally, it would depend on my personal circumstances as far as if I was working or not, my finances in general, my opinion on euthanizing/desposal(if affordable) vs. having them shot for cat food, and the horse itself. Had it been put up for sale & no takers, the horses health/age, etc. and last but not least if the person shooting the horse knew what he was doing & did it right the first time & with kindness & compassion for both me & my horse. For me I dont think I would have a problem sending a horse to the big cat farm as long as I was sure that the horse was killed humanely with one gun shot.

[lorsadoon]

Well, if you have to have a horse put down, I figure once it is dead it should be used and not go to waste if possible.

The big cats in zoos and sanctuaries need meat. Here the sheriff will notify someone if a deer is killed on the road and I think it goes to the zoo for meat.

Of course if the horse is full of chemicals that would not be good for the cats. And I wish they would kill the horses before they get them to the place where the cats are so they are not frightened by the sounds of the cats.

Now with that said, I do not like the idea of people sending their horses to the cat farm because they are too lazy to call a vet when a horse gets injured. But there are going to irresponsibe horse owners who do this.

I believe in recycling and would much rather my horse be used to feed a captive lion or tiger, than rot in a land fill or in the ground.

[beejoyfulmk]

I may know a (trainer) that did this to save a buck. This horse was for sale and seemed to be in good health. Do you know where this cat farm is? The owner says the horse was in pain and needed to be put down. Im sick about this.....

[piopico]

With the qualifiers listed by michellep, I agree. AND, that a sick horse doesn't suffer a long trailer ride. Better that the carcass goes to use than be buried or rendered.

[cutiepiepmu]

For anyone that is NOT aware - if the horse has even had dewormer in the last 60-90 days (there area variety of other things, bute, banimane, ect.)they will hold the horse for a 30 day detox. This means that the horse stays on site rather than being shot right away - which IMO is rather cruel. Plus, if you have a horse who is requiring pain meds to have any quality fo life, this detox can be extremely painful. Different cat farms handle it in different ways. I know that there is a place in oregon that keeps a kind of stock pile(5-10 horses at a time) and will shoot as needed to feed the animals. In theory the horses are treated well(big pasture and plenty of hay) but the way they all stay hunkered together on the far side of the pasture it is obvious to me, they are still nervous because of the cats.

I have also witnessed several horses being taken to this situation - ALL of them were horrified once they got out of the trailer. they could smell the cats(although 1 place put vicks in the nose as soon as the horse was off the trailer) and the people doing the shooting were rather brazen(not rude - just sort of non-effected) which is understandable - but was extremely hard for the owners to handle. In 2 seperate cases the horse had to be shot more than once because the first shot was done in-correctly.

SO - would I EVER do this. The answer is no. While I agree they don't suffer the horrors of feedlots and slaughter - they do suffer another kind of terror - which was obvious to me with ALL of the horses. If it was a situation where the horse could be euthenized at home, THEN taken to the farm I would be fine with that - but because no chemicals can be used, and not many people are set up to transport the animal ASAP before it rots - it obviously won't work.

I agree, the cats need to eat - but for my own horses this will never be an option. Worst case, I would shoot them on my own property and bury them here.

Sara

[TashGaia]

This is my preferred method of euthanasia, I have used it several times, and my family has been doing this since before I was born. The horses are taken to a paddock on the far side of the facility where they cannot see or smell the animals. They are shot within an hour of arrival and it is well done. The trick is to make an appointment and keep your horse with YOU until they are ready for him/her and only then take the horse to them. I am talking from personal experience with several different facilities and probably 40-50 equines over my lifetime. There has never once been a single bad experience. Never once a horse that was overly afraid, never once a bad shot or requiring more then one shot, never once anymore stress for the horse then being trailered off property for a trail ride.

PS, also, alot of the time the places ARE willing to come and shoot the horse on your property if you are within a set amount of distance. If this is what you are looking for, ask.

[beejoyfulmk]

This would not for me or my horses, and I think this horse had been for sale and they wanted a cheap out. Would there be a tax ben ? are they a 501?

[TashGaia]

Possibly Olympic Game Farm in Sequim.

[Tate]

I would never consider this as an option, after having seen horses euthanized by chemicals and my own experience they were gone within seconds -vs- the risk of bad shot.

[TashGaia]

Everyone has to go with what they are comfortable with. Myself, I have seen what happens when chemical euthanasia goes wrong... and so consequently I am personally more comfortable with gun shot.

[lorsadoon]

I have seen both also. And Tash is right, you have to go with what works for you.
When I had to have my beloved gelding put down after a long battle with a liver ailment, even though he had been ill for about 4 months, he did not want to die by chemical euthanasia. The vet said he finally had to give him enough stuff to kill an elephant. So he did not go easy.

Burial is not an option in a lot of places. Oregon offers tips on how to compost a horse carcus on the state agricultural website. Also not an option if you do not have the space.

The important thing to remember is to give quality of life until the end of it. After that, it does not matter what happens to the corpse. If my horse had a clean system that would not harm another animal, I would not have a problem having it go to feed wild cats. If they could come and shot the horse then transport it, that would be the best. That way the horse would not be afraid. These people should be professionals and be able to kill an animal with one shot.

I do know how toxic the chemicals used to euth a horse are also. I have a dipstick neighbor who would not have his horse put down, even though she was in constant pain. The sheriff had stopped by a couple of times to warn him about her condition. One day while he was at work, his wife had the vet out to put Sugar to sleep. He was upset when he got home and would not call the rendering truck. In the mean time his two small mutt dogs ate on the horse, they both died. He still would not call the renderer, and decided to burn his horse in the field. Like I said, he was a dipstick.

[piopico]

lorsadoon..........you were most genteel to call him a 'dipstick'...THAT behaviour warrants a much more descriptive title! What an awful thing to do......sorry about the dogs, but he doesn't deserve to have dogs either.

[mickeyfan3]

I was just going to say I think his wife ought to not call the funeral home when he dies...throw him in the pasture and burn him.

When it's Reno's time...I have to be with him when he goes if it's not something sudden and on God's time. I've been there with all of my dogs, and the only difficulty we had was finding a vein on one that had lymphoma. We put him down before his suffering got too bad but the veins were already gone.

So I have to be there for Reno too......My vet has a great track record putting horses down.....I've not heard of one bad experience, so we'll use the chemicals for him. Less violent for me I guess and not sure of any local zoo's that take the meat. If I can afford it, I'll have him cremated. If not....I hate what happens.

If I can find someone that is well know putting them down by gun shot.....I don't know...I know for them it's the most humane, just not sure I could handle it.....

[shelberttk2]

I think both are humane, both gun and juice. I have seen both ways many times (I work for a large animal vet) and do have to say that a gunshot is quicker. If a horse is put down via chemicals, it is sedated heavily so the horse goes down. A sedated horse going down is never a pretty sight. When chemicals are used, the heart goes first, then the brain and quite often there is thrashing. There are always quivers after one is put to sleep, from nerves so this is sometimes hard for the owner to deal with. We have shot several horses, they never know what hit them and are dead before they hit the ground. If done correctly, and by an experienced person, my vets actually do agree that gunshot is more humane. As far as hauling an animal somewhere to have it shot, I don't look down on somebody that does that, but I could not personally haul my beloved friends down to be fed to the cats. I want their last moments right here on our beautiful ranch.

[mickeyfan3]

Isn't there a lot of trauma to the head though when shot??? I know it's quicker....and if it was an emergency and they were suffering I'd take that over waiting for a vet...

And not sure you can shoot them at a public board facility???

[mickeyfan3]

Jun 28, 2009 16:07:28 GMT -5 mickeyfan3 said:

I was just going to say I think his wife ought to not call the funeral home when he dies...throw him in the pasture and burn him.

.

Just to clarify, although I was tongue in cheek here I don't think this guy deserves much respect when his time comes.

[TashGaia]

Regarding trauma... it depends on the caliber and the positioning of the shot.

Public Boarding Stables... Cali laws regarding guns are always interesting and I have no idea what it would be for you. Up here in WA it doesn't make one ounce of difference to the law if it is at a boarding stable or not... although the owners of the boarding stable obviously do have a say.