I am so bummed by this. I cannot tell you how many e-mails I get through the rescue groups and networks I am part of, from people wanting to rehome an old, lame horse. I understand that it is difficult to make the decision to end an animal's life. But if that animal has served you well, it is just plain cruel to pass it off on someone else once its usefulness to you is done. Especially these days, when most likely it will end up starving or on the truck to Mexico or Canada... I faced the possibility of having to make this decision again last year with my Paint Mare, who was inexplicably lame at only 22. Luckily after a few months of stall rest her problem, which several hundred dollars in vet bills isolated but could not diagnose, resolved and she is back to normal! We have had to do it with our first horse, who in his late 20s could not keep on weight no matter how much or what we fed him, and who hurt so bad he chose to stand in one spot all day long rather than walk around... with my mom's horse who fractured the inside of her knee (and per vet could not be fixed)... with our first official rescue, Wilbur, whose lack of hoof care as a youngster caused his legs to grow crooked, which in turn (also per vet) meant constant pain... even when it's the right thing to do, it's not easy, but it IS our responsibility to provide our animals with the care they need, even if it means causing loss to ourselves. I get so frustrated when people say they feel guilty "killing" their pets... providing a release from suffering is NOT the same as killing...
OK on that note I will get off my soapbox. Give your critters a big kiss and hug from me tonight!!
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4 comments:
An animal should not be suffering.
I am an animal lover. Do not get me wrong. But I think it is a sad thing to watch people jumping through hoops to save a baby duck, get it to a rescue facility on a holiday weekend, a rescue facility funded by many, many grants, when there are children who have no health insurance. It's nature people. Sometimes baby ducks die.
Okay. I'm stepping off MY soapbox. I gave my arthritic dog a hug. And his drugs.
Amen.
One of my good friends runs a rescue about 4 hours north of us, and she also gets those calls and emails for old/ sick/ lame horses. It is heartbreaking how people want to dump off their "problems" on a rescue thinking that the rescue is fully funded, and has rainbows and magic there that can Make Things All Better..... *sigh*
Bless you guys for all you do to help...
Couldn't have said it better. If you want to really feel bad, check out Craigslist. Last year there wasn't any equines on there for less than $1000. Now there are ad after ad, for cheap or free horses. And it's only going to get worse, I'm afraid.
Gosh..so true. One must make the tough decision if it is the right one for the sake of the animal I think.
I wish I had the means to get a rescue place going because of hearing of so many that just stall their horse and do not take care of them or don't feed them. Perhaps one day I will.
For now, I take care of my precious animals and I am a foster parent.
Keep up the good work!
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