Vet Being Investigated In Horse Shooting
 

I saw that... just awful.

Not sure of the state laws in Pennsylvania, but in most other places (as the article says) this is an acceptable form of euthanasia.

It appears as though the veterinarian is being investigated for having a firearm on the grounds (it would be interesting to find out if the weapon was one specifically designed for euthanasia), which is not necessarily what the ingenious "turf" writers want you to assume when you read the headline.

He probably wanted to save money.

Dead is dead. If he did it right it was probably better for her than cardiac arrest. I would rather have a bullet in the head than a needle in the arm.

Shooting (doing it correctly) is indeed considered a "humane" form of euthanasia. There is a committee on euthanasia, part of the American Veterinary Medical Association, that publishes a report every so often, reviewing positives and negatives of methods of euthanasia for large animals, small animals, lab animals, shelters, etc. You might be able to find it online, or at the AVMA website.

Some feel shooting is far more humane than injecting a sedative, then stopping the heart in the horse.

I don't think using a firearm at a racetrack as a first choice is very smart. Most people who care about horses don't want to see that. Although euthanasia of any standing horse can be traumatic to viewers.

I've euthanized ponies with a humane killer (captive bolt gun). It provides instant insensibility.

Many veterinarians cannot believe how a few death penalty lethal injections can get so screwed up. It's not difficult to be extraordinarily humane and pain-free.

Ugh. This is not the kind of picture I want to think about at night. But---I am of the belief that waiting for a sedative to take affect and then administer the toxins causes a horse (or a person) unnecessary suffering. Then again, I think fish feel a hook in them.

Needs more sumitas

Don't you still have to bleed them out afterwards? I don't think people who care about horses would be into that scene, either.

No.

A firearm has NO place at a track. Regardless of whether or not it is humane or not, it was illegal. What on earth was that vet thinking?!

:eek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMsLg4jqlJw&eurl

..I love The Onion..but...wow

I kind of thought it was an effective mockery of our sport.

The only thing funnier was the comments:tro:

I completely agree. It was totally aimed at the racing industry.