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Why kill a lame horse2007-11-24 21:23:06

In my family we were discussing the reasoning behind putting a lame horse "to sleep", I say is because a horse legs support all the animal weight and if its broken, it will never heal properly, my fiance says its because the animal its useless if it cannot ride or pull, and my daughter thinks is just plain for meanes. Can any of you tell us why most of the time if a horse has a broken leg, the advise is to kill him? its for humane reasons, practicality, economics? a lame horse it cannot be ride but still can move aroud, isn't? I will not kill my dog or my cat if it broke a leg or even two, unless the poor thing is in such misery that putting it to sleep is the most compasionate way.

Answers:

Most of the time, the reason for euthanizing a horse with a broken leg is they are in too much pain or the healing process would be too difficult. What you to realize is that when a horse breaks a leg, they normally can't just slap a cast on the leg and let the horse hobble around for a while. It doesn't work that way. Usually the horse has to be suspended in the air to keep all its weight off its feet. This is an extremely frustrating position for horses to be in since in a horse's natural condition they are moving almost constantly. It could also be a potentially dangerous situation should the horse become frightened and panic. So really, in the case of a very high strung horse, it would be more humane to put it too sleep.

There are other reasons as well, though. Keeping a horse is far, far more expensive than a dog or cat, and sometime it's just not financially possible for someone to keep a horse that that can't be ridden. If someone runs some sort of business with their horses, such as trail rides or lessons, they may not be able to afford to support a horse that isn't bringing them income. A horse with a broken leg is going to be even more expensive than a normal one as well, since it's going to require more visits from the vet and special care.