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Copyright © 1998-2002 The Arabian Network Newsletter
From Equineprotectionnetwork.com In Pennsylvania -- We Banned Double Deckers in PA!!
June 26, 2001
Governor Ridge signed PA HB 1139, the Horse Transport Bill into law on June 25, 2001!! The Horse Transport
Bill is now known as Act 64
The EPN thanks all of the individuals and organizations who supported our efforts and who took the time to call
and write their legislators. The EPN thanks Governor Ridge for signing this legislation, Representative Lynch for
introducing this legislation, and the PA Legislature for passing this historic legislation in 90 days!
Editor’s Note: There are two organizations discussed below; The Pegasus Foundation and The United Pegasus Foundation, Inc. They are two completely separate entities and have no connection to each other.
Serenity Ranch in Need of Donations
We spoke to Kath Roth of The Pegasus Foundation. She wanted to let us know that their Valley Center facility, Serenity Ranch is open and dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of slaughter-bound and abused horses of all breeds. They urgently need donations to help these horses get a second chance. Their phone is 650-751-9310 or visit their wonderful website at www.wanet.net\~pegasus\ The following article can be found on their site.
Can Ex-Racers Cause Cancer in Humans?
At that time an article came out in Blood Horse magazine depicting all the performance enhancing drugs that were used and abused at the tracks across America. The list included, among others, Benzoylecgonine (cocaine), Mephentermine (adreneraic), Lidocaine (local anesthetic), Promazine (phenothiazine tranquilizer), Glycopyrrolate (anticholinergic), Albuterol (bronchodilator), Phenylpropanolamine (decongestant), Clenbuteral (bronchodilator) and Phenylbutazone (bute).
We began thinking about all the chemicals, which were ingested by not just racehorses, but all horses. Chemicals that are administered daily by all of us horse owners. Chemicals that are in their daily wormers and the bute, which we give them freely, for pain. Labels for all of these products contain the phrase "not to be used on horses intended for human consumption." When we asked why - the answer was because these chemicals can be carcinogenic when ingested by humans.
We then started thinking about all the chemicals in the over 250,000 American horses going to slaughter (for human consumption) and the over 80,000 mares at the PMU farms (where their urine is being extracted to make Premarin, the hormone-replacement drug). In the United States, humans do not eat horsemeat but we have heard recently about incidents at the local zoos where animals have died after eating "tainted" horsemeat.
Millions of Americans do, however, take the drug, Premarin, derived from pregnant mare's urine. We have been reading in the paper recently about the increasing numbers of cases of breast cancer in patients taking Premarin and we wonder if there could be a connection?
PMU Foal Adoptions
Many of you are already aware of the process of producing
the menopausal drug, Premarin from the urine of pregnant mares. A
by-product of this is unwanted foals. Many horse rescue organizations;
among them, the United Pegasus Foundation and The Montana Large Animal
Sanctuary and Rescue, Inc. work with the owners of these farms to find
homes for foals so they do not have to be sent to slaughter. Although
most of the horses are not Arabians, The Arabian Network Newsletter believes
that all horses deserve a chance.
Kathryn Warrington of the
Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue told us that she has
spoken to many of the owners of these Premarin farms and they would be
more than happy if they could find homes for all of the foals. And
contrary to popular belief, many of these foals are very nicely bred, and
would make a great addition to any family. If you would like Kathryn
to help you adopt a foal, please contact her at 888-883-1875 or visit the
website at www.mtanimalsanctuary.com
The United Pegasus Foundation travels
to Canada purchasing foals in September. You can adopt a foal through their organization
by filling out an application. Or you can donate to the FOAL RESCUE
FUND. For more information, please contact them by phone, 626-279-1306,
fax, 626-452-8620 or visit their website at http://unitedpegasus.com
A Wonderful and Caring Horse Rescuer is Gone
Cindy Henry lived in Texarkana, TX; we met on the internet and she became one of the most involved workers, and ultimately board member, of the AHRN. She was a committed advocate of the Arabian horse, and when she had the chance--she helped any horse in need.
Several months ago she was at an auction and purchased for $50 a very old, arthritic shetland pony who was being shipped to slaughter. He would have suffered greatly on the trip with the other horses---but Cindy bought him and a few weeks later had him humanely euthanized. This is typical Cindy.
On September 27, 2000 Cindy Henry died suddenly at the age of 35. An autopsy was performed by the cause is not yet known; we suspect an aneurysm or hemmorhage. She leaves behind a 10 year old daughter, a 16 year old son, a husband...and many friends who will miss her smile, her humor and the warmth of her friendship.
God speed Cindy Henry....my life was enriched by your presence...and I expect you will continue to light it with your spirit.
Roseann Nemes
Arabian Horse Rescue Network
For more information on Cindy, go to http://members.aol.com/musikasa/cindyh.htm
News from The Piedra Foundation
What is The Piedra Foundation?
The Piedra Foundation, a volunteer charitable horse health organization, was created in 1992 by a group of horsemen and veterinarians to promote continuing education for horsemen and veterinarians, fund applied equine medical research and provide animaltarian financial assistance to qualifying owners of critically ill horses by underwriting emergency medical or surgical costs incurred for horses which would not otherwise have access to urgent, lifesaving, veterinary care. The Foundation's mission is to Improve Man's Stewardship of The Horse. What does stewardship of the Horse really mean? For The Piedra Foundation it means translating applied research results and proven clinical experience into management policy and practice. It means facilitating the availability of up-to-date techniques and modern technology to those entrusted with the care of the horse. It means keeping the channels of information and education open to equine custodians and care-givers. For more information contact The Piedra Foundation.
ENTEROLITH UPDATE....recent studies on intestinal stones cite risk factors for horses in Texas and California. For details and an update on prevention and diagnosis click here for the latest health tips for your horse, courtesy of The Piedra Foundation.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners has recently published 2001 Guidelines for Vaccinations for Horses. The guidelines have been provided to member veterinarians as a point of reference or framework from which specific vaccination programs can be tailored to meet the needs of horses subject to a wide variety of infections. The guidelines are neither regulations nor directives for all situations. They are intended as a resource to be used by veterinarians and their clients to create the most appropriate equine preventative medical care. Some important points to remember regarding vaccination plans for horses are:
1. A ‘standard’ vaccination program does not exist.
2. Vaccination is an aid in prevention of infectious diseases.
3. Vaccination programs will not succeed without appropriate managerial practices.
4. Not all animals that receive a vaccine will mount an immunologic response; those that respond will not all have equal responses.
5. Vaccines should be selected on the basis of:
a. demographics of the targeted disease
b. effects of the disease, should it occur
c. risks of exposure to the disease
d. efficacy of the vaccination program to reduce problems associated with the disease
e. cost of appropriate vaccination
f. potential adverse effects of the vaccination program
6. All animals in a group should be appropriately vaccinated according to their specific needs.
7. Expectations of the owner for the vaccination program should be realistic.
8. Strict attention should be afforded the manufacturer’s recommendations for storage, handling ad route of administration of the vaccine.
9. For most inactivated vaccines, a series of multiple (generally 3) doses must be administered initially to induce the protective immunity before booster vaccination can be effective.
10. In order to maximally protect foals during the first few months of life, broodmares should receive booster vaccinations during 4-6 week before foaling, and it is essential that foals receive an adequate amount of quality colostrum and absorb colostral antibodies.
11. Foals from appropriately vaccinated mares should receive their initial vaccination against most diseases no sooner than 6 months-of-age; in endemic areas, vaccination against Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis should begin at 3-4 months-of-age until additional information indicates otherwise.
12. Adverse reactions should be reported to the manufacturer of the product involved.
13. Do not vaccinate within 2-3 weeks of shows, performance events, sales or shipment.
The Piedra Foundation advises that owners take the opportunity to discuss these (and other) issues with their veterinarian in order to arrive at the best possible preventative medical program for their horses. Additional information on this subject will be provided in a future newsletter.
November 20, 2000 -
Drs. Wendy Simmons and Barbara Page of the Colorado Equine Clinic in Littleton, CO. have been awarded a grant to study The Effect of Frog and Bar Support on Phalangeal Angulation and Positional Change of the Distal Phalanx and Distal Sesamoid Bone in Clinical Cases of Caudal Heel Pain.
Drs. Amy Franz and Rebecca Frankeny of the Comstock Large Animal Hospital in Reno Nevada have been awarded a grant to study The Association Between Competitive Events and Gastric Ulceration in Performance Horses.
Both of these projects involve very common clinical problems regularly facing horsemen and veterinarians involved with performance horses. We wish both these groups the best in these endeavors and congratulate them on the high quality of the work that they do.
For more information on this grant program to go https://www.piedra.org/research.html
Pegasus Foundation Provides a Gift of Hope
“If you could only imagine
two or more years of debilitating pain and not be able to ask for help,
the only outward signs of pain can be seen in my limp and the deep
sadness in my big brown eyes. I live through the seasons of heat, cold,
rain
and mud in a pipe enclosure, not able to seek my own shelter or the warmth
of other horses. Depending solely on humans to provide for all my
needs. The humans give me feed, clean my stall and my owner visits me on
occasion. When she does visit there is no play, but again with the pain
in my foot there probably would be very little play for me, and I see sadness
in my owner’s eyes.
I do have some memories to
hold onto which are also fading as I get older. Memories of my younger
years when I went on long trail rides and my owner's loving hands brushed
my fine coat. Those were the good days. Now I stand alone in pain.
My ears are perked up as I
hear my owner's voice. But on this visit she has someone with her.
I try to be on my best behavior trying not to show the pain when I walk
and that is very hard. The visitor has a warm and loving touch as she strokes
my neck. I knew I would be ok.. My owner and the visitor talked.
I heard my owner say she could no longer afford to care for me or pay for
my much needed medical/surgical care. As a horse I don't understand, but,
it makes me sad to see her cry. We have been friends since I was a colt.
The next day a trailer pulled
up close to my pen and a man put a halter on me and took me out of my stall.
I became very nervous. There have been stories around the barn about
my horse friends going in trailers and taken to terrible places when their
owners can no longer take care of them, never to be seen again. These stories
are told by horses that have been rescued from this terrible place. My
heart begins to pound. The man with the trailer begins to pat me on my
neck in a strong and comforting manner. He helped me in the trailer
and talked to me to calm my fears, a little.
The ride was short and when
we stopped I was greeted by the lady that visited me the week before.
She stroked my neck and told me I would be o.k. She walked me to
a warm stall with sides to keep out the cold and soft shavings for me to
sleep. I settle down and visit with my new horse friends as they welcome
me to my new home. My owner arrives. She didn't abandon me after
all! I listened as she had a long talk with me about donating me
to the Pegasus Foundation so I could have that special treatment
I need to help eliminate some of my pain.”
Through love she made this
decision, even though giving away your best friend is hard.
The preceding is a story by a 15 year old American Quarter horse translated
by a Pegasus Foundation volunteer.
The Pegasus Foundation,
a non-profit organization that provides for the care, treatment and rehabilitation
of horses, has taken on the responsibility for Mr. M and has enlisted the
services of Robert Bettey, DVM to do a procedure to reduce and possibly
eliminate his pain. The procedure called an Intra-articular injection,
will involve a needle being inserted in Mr. M’s navicular bursa and the
veterinarian injecting medications to reduce inflammation and synthetically
replace the lost synovial fluid in this area due to the severe navicular
deterioration. This procedure is done with the horse awake, called
a standing sedation. By having the horse in a full standing position during
the procedure it will reduce the risks of injury in laying down and getting
up if a full anesthesia were to be given. This procedure, once used successfully
over 20 years ago had not really been used much in recent years until a
investigation by Dr. Barry Grant of the San Luis Rey Equine Center in Bonsall,
CA rediscovered its usefulness in being an alternative to neurectomy, or
removal of the nerve. "The neurectomy, a common surgical procedure, is
somewhat of a dead end procedure. It eliminates the pain but does
not eliminate the problem", says Dr. Bettey. "Our goal with this
procedure on this horse is to provide usefulness to the horse by reducing
pain and bring him back to low impact work and to be as comfortable as
possible, without taking the last step of neurectomy". Dr. Bettey
, is one of a handful of veterinarians doing this procedure in the county
and has been gratified with the positive results that this non-surgical
procedure has shown.
Dr. Bettey is the senior partner
with Equine Medical Associates providing veterinarian care with
his partners Drs. Posnikoff and Meinert to Orange County, CA . Bettey,
a graduate of UC Davis has been in practice in Orange County for 12 years.
"The Pegasus Foundation
has taken on the responsibility to make a difference in this horse’s life,
but, like all non-profits we need funds to continue our work", says Kate
Roth, Orange County representative. "The everyday expenses are overwhelming
for the care and maintenance of the horses and we could not do what we
do if we did not have veterinarians like Dr. .Bettey, his group,
Dr. Mark Secor, and Dr. Kirk Pollard assisting with the needs of our horses".
If you would like to help
Mr. M or any of the Pegasus horses, please make your tax-deductible donation
to the Pegasus Foundation, PO Box 1285, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693-1285.
Our phone is 949-493-2775