Semi-OT: Tragedy at the Kentucky Derby
Unidyne
second, but broke down at the finish line (two broken ankles in her
front legs). She was euthanized on the track.
http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slug=ap-kentuckyderby&prov=ap&type=lgns
---
Steven F. Scharff
Joe Strike
impossible to put a cast on a horse's leg?
Dale Farmer
> No one's ever explained to me why they can't fix these animals. Is it
> impossible to put a cast on a horse's leg?
be put into this sling arrangement to support it's weight for the
several weeks while the bone is healing. Some horses cannot tolerate
the sling psychologically, fighting to escape and injuring themselves
further. Those that can survive that test then have problems from the
sling itself. I've forgotten the details, but various internal
processes of the horse are compromised by the sling, which leads to
further medical problems, many of which are fatal. Horses cannot lay on
their side for very long either, for about the same reason.
--Dale
Slime Lowlife
<da...@cybercom.net> wrote:
One famous attempt at trying to heal an injured horse was with the
filly Ruffian back in 1975
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruffian_%28horse%29) which ended quite
badly.
James Rau
wrote:
The internal process that's most affected by immobility in equines is
that of digestion. The movement of the hind legs actually facilitates
the travel of nutrients through the small and large intestines. Given
the "high-fiber" diet of the horse, it's important that things move
smoothly through the gut. Placing the horse in a sling or otherwise
immobilizing it can lead to colic (which, in horses, can lead to a
fatal twisting of the intestines). This is why horses need to be
exercised on a regular basis: It keeps them "regular".
Horses do lay down to sleep, and can sleep on their sides for 8-10
hours at a time without any adverse affects, but as Dale points out, a
horse that goes "down" due to illness or injury is pretty much a dead
horse.
James Rau
ron.b...@gmail.com
Here are a couple of political cartoons:
http://www.comics.com/editoons/ariail/archive/images/ariail2008029341509.gif
http://www.comics.com/editoons/benson/archive/images/benson2008029341509.gif
Neither of which IMHO is in good taste, especially the latter -
I think there was more mourning in the stands than nonchalance...
Ron
Joe Strike
wrote:
> Unidyne wrote:
> > While the favorite "Big Brown" won, the filly "Eight Belles" came in
> > second, but broke down at the finish line (two broken ankles in her
> > front legs). She was euthanized on the track.
>
> >http://sports.yahoo.com/rah/news?slug=ap-kentuckyderby&prov=ap&type=lgns
>
> Here are a couple of political cartoons:
>
>
> Neither of which IMHO is in good taste, especially the latter -
> I think there was more mourning in the stands than nonchalance...
>
> Ron
I dunno, I think there's something kinky about that first cartoon;
maybe they should've drawn the donkey with Bill's face...