NBC News has finally covered Eight Bells' tragedy

[malaise]

and discussed other horses that suffered serious injuries in recent times.
About time.

[gristy]

1. I think the race was run after yesterday's network news (or maybe just before)

Today is probably the first chance they got.

[Berry Cool]

15. I don't think they had network news at all yesterday unless it was very late. n/t

In any case, they certainly mentioned what was going on after the race.

[N4457S]

2. I'm Curious...

...do they still shoot horses to euthanize them or is lethal injection the preferred method?

[greenbriar]

3. lethal Injection

and it really was the most humane thing to do

[trumad]

4. Shotgun to the head

[jmowreader]

40. Don't laugh at trumad....

The AVMA recommends three methods of euthanasia for equines, and shooting them is on the "recommended" list.

[Ilsa]

5. I've heard a reference to "The big blue needle", I think.

My guess is that it is a cocktail to first sedate and anesthetize, then stop the heart.

[N4457S]

6. I Don't...

...understand why they can't just fix the ankles.

We do everything else but we can't fix a horse's broken ankles? That's stupid.

(Picture Mister Ed in a gigantic hospital bed with both front hooves up in the air, wrapped up Three Stooges style....)

Oooooohh, Wilbur!

[Ilsa]

8. It isn't that easy, and there tends to be alot of suffering

that goes on after healing, with a high probability of failure.

I'm not a vet or horse expert, but some of the Eight Belles threads have better explanations buried in them. I think they were having difficulty even trying to figure out how to move her with two broken ankles.

[N4457S]

10. Yeah...

...I don't mean to be insensitive but it doesn't make sense to me.

There must be an awful lot of weight there.

[Justpat]

34. Horses can survive an broken ankle or knee

but you cannot support a thousand pounds on two broken legs.
They would most likely founder in both front feet and that
would be impossilbe to deal with. The founder was what
eventually ended Barbaro's life.

[flvegan]

9. Even if they could, why would they?

This horse won't make them any more money. Sure, maybe they could force her to have a few foals that folks will buy. Her racing career is over, her use to them is done.

Remember, this is about money, not caring for an animal.

[N4457S]

11. Neanderthal...

...son of a bitch that I am, I can't see the logic for killing an animal who simply can't run anymore.

[flvegan]

12. Logic doesn't come into play.

These folks don't care about this horse. She became a liability, and quickly stopped being one. She was probably well insured, and Lloyds of London has probably already sent a check.

The horse racing industry is like any other industry that relies on animals for profit. Cruel, ghastly and high on my shit list.

[N4457S]

17. God...

...and I thought flying Cessnas was evil and wasteful.

At least we don't kill anything most of the time. JFK Jr. died because he was stupid. If he had brought an instructor with him that night, he and his wife and sister-in-law will still be with us. He might even have run for President this year.

[trumad]

22. Oh you are so full of shit

and have no idea what you are talking about.

[flvegan]

23. Educate me.

[flvegan]

27. *crickets*

Big fucking shock.

I love it when morons prove themselves to be just that.

[Occulus]

41. Here's the thing, as I understand it from a breeder who posted here on DU a day or two ago:

Horses aren't like cows. They don't lie down for long periods of time, and can't be made to do so. Further, doing that so they could take the weight off would result in serious and potentially life-threatening digestive complications for the horse. Taking into account their breeding as well- these specific breeds are literally bred just to run, and they do love it- and a broken ankle is a devastating and seriously life-threatening injury. If the fracture is a compound fracture, there's a real risk of infection, and as I understand it antibiotics don't work well on horses. As if all this weren't enough, if a horse constantly puts a disproportionate amount of weight on a leg, the hoof can separate from the (leg? toe?), leaving the horse with literally nothing to stand on.

It would be a bit like you getting a compound fracture in your femur, along with a lacerated femoral artery. Very serious and very life-threatening- but you can tell a human to lie down and stay there. You just can't tell that to a horse.

I don't recall which poster gave all that information, but it's on one of these threads about this horse.

edit: see this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3242536#3242545

[N4457S]

43. If This Is True...

...then yeah, they had to put her down on the track. That's why they did what they did.

[malaise]

25. Ditto n/t

[Dorian Gray]

37. I agree that the horse racing industry is a selfish

one and that the owners often don't care about the horses and their health, BUT, with two broken legs, there was little that they could do to save this horse without her suffering immensely.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

42. I think you are misinformed about horse owners not caring for their

animals. Yes they are insured but the horses that make it to the Kentucky Derby aren't your regular run of the mill horses. These horses live lives we can only dream about. The barns and fields these guys live in are extraordinary. (Don't believe me, take a drive through horse country around Lexington, KY and take a gander at the rolling fields with white washed fencing, air conditioned barns, and the best food and trainers money can buy. These horses are multi-million dollars entities and everything is done to try and save their lives - if possible. The legs of a thoroughbred are extremely delicate and prone to such injuries. Some can be fixed most most cannot. They don't euthanize the horse on the racetrack for giggles and kicks but to be humane in putting this beautiful animal out of its misery as quickly as possible.

Last year millions of dollars was spent trying to treat Barbaro with ONE broken leg and even with the best care available they were unable to save the horse.

I'm not a huge fan of any sport that uses animals for entertainment but please don't assume that animal wasn't loved and won't be missed by her owners, trainer, walkers, etc. Just my 2¢.

[Berry Cool]

13. Horses with broken legs aren't destroyed "because they can't run anymore."

They are destroyed because the likelihood of their recovery from such an injury is so poor and the possibility of life-ending complications from such damage is so great. It's not just a matter of killing them because they are no longer money makers.

The breeding that's happening nowadays, however, does seem to be resulting in racehorses with ever more fragile bones, and it's heartbreaking to see how many times horses are breaking down in races.

[N4457S]

16. Then...

...something has to be done.

[Ilsa]

19. Yes, and now is the time to strike while the iron is hot.

Like I said before I don't know that much about horse racing, but this seems to be the big season for it. There is much more news coverage. Unfortunately, it seems more likely that this could happen again over the next few weeks. The horse that broke an ankle on Friday is given only a 50% chance of surviving, but no one knew about it until Eight Belles' accident.

We need to raise some hell over the way these animals are bred and trained and raced. Something isn't right, and something should be done. Any voice you can raise with your newspaper or Congresscritter is a good thing.

I know it isn't the war in Iraq or outlawing torture, but this is part of who we are as a people.

[newmajority]

14. Horses are normally standing up 24/7 even when they sleep

If a horse has one broken leg, like Barbaro did, they can splint it or cast it or whatever, and hope for the best. But with both front legs broken, there's no way the horse is going to be able to stand. That being the case, she didn't have a chance. Sucks, but it's a fact of horse biology. :(

[Retrograde]

18. there's a discussion of this

here.

[CANDO]

28. Did you not follow Barbaro's injury to ONE leg?

Eight Belles had no chance of survival. Barbaro had nearly no chance and ultimately proved not to. Horses absolutely have to have evenly distributed weight on all four legs. If they don't, they develop laminitis. The leg bone penetrates through the hoof and proves fatal in the end.

[Wiley50]

20. No, they only do that for humans

My vet calls euthanasia solution "the pink juice"

It's an OD dosage of sodium pentobarbital and alcohol

They give them a dose of barbiturates and alcohol

It was good enough for Marilyn Monroe

and those CA kooks that went to catch the Hale-Bop Comet

[Ilsa]

21. Thanks Wiley! Someone always has bad info to spread, and I helped, unfortunately. nt

[jmowreader]

39. Basically, yes

It is an ultra-potent dose of sodium pentobarbital, or a mixture (one I saw described was phenobarbital, pentobarbitol and phenytoin), according to the American Veterinary Medicine Association's website at http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/unwanted_horses_faq.asp.

They dye it blue for obvious reasons--you don't want to use this shit on an animal unless the desired result is death.

Big problem: environmentally, chemical euthanasia is a fucking disaster. It takes a lot of drugs to kill a horse, and they do it so quickly there's no chance for them to metabolize out. If said horse is then buried, the drugs will leach into the environment and kill anything that comes into contact with them. There aren't enough crematoria large enough to handle a whole horse to deal with all the horses that are killed every year, and if you thought there was a big uproar against horse slaughterhouses, wait until people have to start cutting up dead horses with chainsaws (yes, I AM thinking about the scene in Animal House where they had to use a chainsaw to get the dead horse out of Dean Wormer's office) so they'll fit in human-sized crematoria.

[bklyncowgirl]

36. There's a debate on that matter in the equine community.

Some horsemen and vets prefer a bullet or humane killer since death--if your aim is good is instantaneous--if your aim is bad the result is horrific. The carcass can be buried, used for pet food or for those who like it, human consumption.

Other prefer an overdose of barbituates. The problem is that if the vet gets the amount of the drug wrong the horse will not go quickly and will struggle as it feels itself sinking down. The carcass in many jurisdictions cannot be buried but must be disposed of by rendering or incineration.

This sounds harsh but disposing of a thousand pound animal, even a beloved pet, is not easy or cheap.

[Ilsa]

7. It is time to strike while the iron is hot, IMO.

I think since there is still the Preakness and Belmont to run, racing fans will be paying attention to this. This is the time to ask for investigations as to whether the breeding practices and/or early training constitutes cruelty.

[Postman]

24. Yeah. Who cares about ignored Pentagon Propaganda lying us into war. let's beat the dead horse.

literally.

[malaise]

26. I care about all lies and spin n/t

[Kitty Herder]

29. It's highly unlikely that Eight Bells could have survived even with heroic

efforts. In the end, heroic efforts would have only prolonged her misery. Horses aren't like humans; they can't lie down while their broken bones heal.

[Eurobabe]

30. Yeah look what happened to Barbaro

and he only had ONE fractured leg. No way can a horse survive two fractures and still live. I think it is humane that they euthanized her so quickly.

Having said that, I think this sport is really going over the top. The breeding, the running on tracks that lead to injuries. Wonder what will happen? Probably nothing. The public likes their day at the colosseum.

[Kitty Herder]

31. Unfortunately, you're probably right.

It breaks my heart. I love horses and I hate to see them used so carelessly for public entertainment.

[JVS]

32. You know, I heard some people speculate that the horse died from it's heart exploding after being...

juiced up for performance. I'm wondering if there is any investigative body for these cases.

[Eurobabe]

33. Horses on performance enhancing drugs!! OH NOES!!

If this is true, then the "industry: should be fucking shut down now. It is inhumane and disgusting.

[Dorian Gray]

38. Lasix...

Many (if not most) horses in these races are treated with Lasix. It's a drug that keeps them from bleeding in their respiratory system? Why would they bleed there? Because of the unnatural work that they are doing when running a race.

I have many problems with horse racing, and the fact that they need a drug to keep the horses lungs from bleeding is truly disturbing to me! I grew up riding horses. I love horses. My mother grew up with horses, as well. The love for them is in our family. And the cruelty in horse racing is just awful.

[Democrat 4 Ever]

45. All horses are tested for illegal drugs - had a Kentucky Derby

winner disqualified many years ago over a substance found in the blood tested after the race. Was a big to do around here for a couple of years before the purse was finally awarded. Sorry, don't remember the horse's name or the year.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

35. They will be interviewing her trainer on The Today Show this morning.

[bdamomma]

44. so sad, but they did the most humane thing, to stop this animal

from suffering. Her performance was outstanding.