Domino kicks up dirt in a dusty corral on Tucson’s far eastside, with all the feistiness you’d expect in a healthy young thoroughbred.
Although today, his eyes are bright, and his coat glistens in the late morning sun, Domino was in rotten shape when he arrived here at the Heart of Tucson horse sanctuary a year ago. He suffered stomach ulcers and contracted tendons, and was about to lose an eye.
The foal did not come from some hard-scrabble ranch or a sleazy, back-lot breeder. Instead, this horse, with lineage tracing back to 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral, was adopted from the UA’s vaunted Equine Center. With headquarters at the university’s farm on North Campbell Avenue, the center cares for some 50 horses, which are raised and sold to the racing industry or used for breeding.
But Domino’s once-deplorable condition raises questions about the center’s competency, and its ability to care for animals on an ever-tightening budget.
Judy Glore runs the Heart of Tucson. When she first heard about Domino from students in the equine program, it was almost too late. “They were going to euthanize him on a Monday, and students were calling me and sending me e-mails,” she says. “We went in on Saturday. … I was shocked at what I saw. I thought, ‘And these people raise baby horses for a living?'”
Domino’s mother died when he was three weeks old, and the center turned him out with the other mares and foals. After getting kicked in the shoulder, he was brought back inside and laid in a bed of shavings. One shaving got in his eye, causing an infection.
The eye was almost completely white when Glore first saw him. But that wasn’t Domino’s only problem. “They were also feeding him alfalfa,” she says, which gave him chronic diarrhea. “You can’t feed a baby that young alfalfa. He had contracted tendons on both legs, because he couldn’t get up and move around. He had fractured his shoulder, but they didn’t do an X-ray on him. He had a hernia, and they were giving him a gram of (phenylbutazone) a day.”
Phenylbutazone is an anti-inflammatory commonly used to treat horses. “But they were giving him too much,” Glore says, “and it was giving him stomach ulcers.”
Center staffers were also dosing Domino four times a day with an antiseptic called Betadine—but in astronomically high concentrations of 25 percent, says Glore. “That’s enough to scald his eye out. You’re supposed to put a 2 percent solution in the eye and immediately flush it with water and saline solution. But they weren’t even flushing it.”
Glore then talked with center manager Laura Walker about adopting Domino. “Laura told me that Domino wasn’t viable for their program anymore,” Glore recalls. “And I said, ‘Well, he’s viable for ours.'”
Walker defended the treatment provided to Domino, pointing to the center’s on-call vets and Ph.D.-level nutritionists. “We love all our horses,” she says.
But love doesn’t pay the bills. According to Estella Trevers, business manager for the UA Animal Sciences Department, the Equine Center took a huge hit in recent years, as sales of horses—its primary funding source—took a recessionary nosedive. “The money that the equine unit operates from is not a state-allocated budget,” Trevers says. “Their budget is basically whatever they make at the (horse) sales that year.”
In 2006, the Equine Center operated on $73,817, which included $44,100 in auction sales. The remaining revenue was generated through breeding, boarding and other services, says Trevers. But by 2009, the center was running on $53,665, as auction sales fell to $7,275.
Critics question whether these budget constraints play a role in the treatment of horses—and the number of horses euthanized rather than treated. Since 2001, the center has euthanized 11 horses and at least two foals, for causes ranging from cancer and colic to chronic hoof inflammation called laminitis. Four of those horses were killed in 2009.
When asked about this, UA officials offer conflicting perspectives. Walker says that resources are always a consideration in treatment. But Ron Allen, head of the Animal Sciences Department, denies that cost is a factor in euthanization. “If it’s a money issue, the horse is sold or given away so it has another home,” he says. “But we don’t euthanize horses just because we don’t want to feed them.”
Allen also defends the center as a top-notch facility. “I’ve been here 30 years,” he says, “and the care these horses get—and the expertise—is just excellent.” He then suggests that Glore is making allegations about Domino because she’s “trying to get attention for her organization.”
But Glore isn’t alone in ringing the alarm. She’s joined by an Equine Center student who voiced similar concerns. “I don’t think the center is taking measures they need to in order to save some of these horses,” says the student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, to protect her academic standing. “With colic, for instance, I think they give up far too easily and don’t ask for help. My opinion is that they’re doing that to cut costs. They make decisions to put horses down that shouldn’t be put down.”
One of those horses was named Ellie. “She was in her 20s, and she had a little trouble walking, but she was happy as can be,” says the student. “She didn’t have any medical problems other than arthritis and the typical things with aging horses. And they decided to put her down just simply because she was old.”
Those allegations are vigorously denied by Dr. Mark Arns, an equine specialist with the Animal Sciences Department who says that Ellie suffered from chronic laminitis. Still, Arns admits that money is part of the treatment decisions. “It depends on the cost,” he says. “I mean, if it’s a $10,000 surgery, and we don’t have $10,000, the surgery would not be done. You don’t spend money you don’t have.”
Back at the Heart of Tucson, Glore puts a halter on the playful Domino. After simple treatments—such as giving the horse an antibiotic to clear up his eye, and putting him on a special formula to halt the diarrhea—the yearling is a different animal.
“He’s doing great,” says Glore. “And he’s going to make somebody a great horse.”
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2010.
Perhaps some of Tucson’s concerned citizens should be helping the UofA Horse Program by directing their donations to this self-funded program or assisting with fund-raising efforts for the program. This article does not address the hours of work that are put in by students and administrators in seeing that the horses are fed each day and their stalls cleaned. This program operates 24/7/365 on a minimalist budget. The horses are loved and cared for by people dedicated to the program and the welfare of the animals in their care. Before pointing fingers and making accusations, Glore should have spent some time with the UofA program to see what it is they are doing for these animals. I bet she couldn’t care for these horses on the same budget without having to make some hard decisions.
This article is based on nothing but ignorance and untruth. The UA Equine Center takes immaculate care of its horses. Anyone who visits can see that the horses who live there are some of the luckiest and well-cared for horses around. They are well-fed, live on green pastures, have shiny coats and excellent body conditions, and do receive medical attention when they need it. Vets are on call 24/7. With a herd as big as the UA has, isn’t it reasonable to assume that a few horses are going to get sick through the years? Any experienced horse person, or anyone who cares enough to do quality research, should know that.
Tim Vanderpool, you give reporters a bad name. Shame on you for writing an article based purely on ignorance. You got all your information from some student’s opinion (Ellie had cronic laminitis and was not simply suffering from arthritis and old age.), and a rescuer who is obviously seeking publicity by slandering others.
This article is bogus. The Tucson Weekly should be ashamed of itself. I will never trust a word I read in this “newspaper” again.
The above comments are obviously coming from someone associated with the U of A program based on the nasty and defensive tone. I know of Judy Glore’s organization simply through other friends. Believe me, if she wanted to seek publicity, I believe she would do it in positive ways without accusing The UA Equine Center. She apparently was sickened by what she saw. Seeking negative attention is not what drives people who rescue animals. Unfortunately, the above comments appear driven by something other than the desire to, “caring enough to do quality research.”
I drove by the center last Sunday, a wickedly hot day. None of the horses I saw even had
fly masks on their heads. I stopped and watched as the flies all hovered around their eyes.
But, yes, the horses who live there are “the luckiest and well-cared for horses around.”
This article is plain and simple horse manure – pure hyperbole – sensational reporting. And it doesn’t report the facts.
For example:
•You don’t need an xray to tell you the Rx is stall rest.
•I (and others) feed young horses straight alfalfa and they do not have short-term or chronic diarrhea.
•Short-term use of 1gram phenylbutazone (Bute) is not likely to cause ulcers. Anyone who takes care of horses knows there are pros and cons of anti-inflammatory and pain treatment medications. Up to 4 grams/day of Bute can be given to adult horses who have suffered some type of traumatic injury. 1gram for a foal is not excessive.
•Chronic laminitis is VERY painful. Does Mr. Vanderpool or Ms. Gore know the story of Barbaro and more recently, Kip Deville? After hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent trying to save them, the results were the same – euthanasia from laminitis.
To the writer who thinks no fly masks are a negative sign that the University of Arizona Equine Center does not take care of their horses – did you notice the horses standing in pairs – head to rump – using their tails to keep the flies off themselves and the horse next to them?
I have been a thoroughbred breeder, owner and trainer for over 20 years. The University of Arizona Equine Center is top notch, run by professionals who are knowledgeable, compassionate, hardworking, and good stewards of the horses in their care. It is a shame the UA Equine Unit and the people associated with it are being falsely portrayed as anything else.
I have bred mares to the University of Arizona Equine Center stallions. I have sent my mares to foal at the UA Equine Center. I would in a heartbeat send any horse I own to the UA Equine Center because I know they would be as well or better cared for than the care I give them.
Tucson Weekly and Mr. Vanderpool – do the right thing – write a story that impartially represents the truth.
Toni Richardson
Richardson Racing Enterprises
Tucson, AZ
I am currently an Equine Science major at the University of Arizona. I volunteered at the Equine Center for a year feeding the horses and cleaning stalls under the supervision of Laura Walker and the assistant manager of the horse unit. I have also attended several classes taught by Dr. Arns.
During my time volunteering at the Equine Center, I witnessed the care and respect given to the horses by Dr. Arns, Laura and the assistant manager at the U of A Farm. The horses are on strict diets that are carefully documented so that the students feeding them know precisely what feed each horse is supposed to receive. They make sure that the students know that even a small section of mold on hay can wreak havoc on horse’s intestines and that it is to be disposed of properly. At no point during my volunteer work did I see any mishandling or abuse of the horses.
I would also like to address the comments made by the “anonymous student” about Ellie. That horse was very special to Laura. Laura took excellent care of her, including cleaning the stall herself when she had a full days work to do, very little help and students getting paid to clean it for her. Laura did it herself often because she wanted to make sure that Ellie had a clean stall and plenty of shavings to make her as comfortable as possible given the fact that she had chronic laminitis. On several occasions, I witnessed Laura caring for the horse’s hooves by placing booties on them and administering treatment to help with her foot ailments. As Mr. Richardson pointed out in his comments on the article, there is only so much that can be done with a horse that has chronic laminitis, even with extensive treatment.
This article also mentions nothing about the fact that one of the foals euthanized this season was put down because he was missing bone, which was evident when a licensed vet took x-rays of the foal. There was no chance the foal would grow the missing bone and recover, therefore he was euthanized.
Perhaps the people posting comments in regards to this article have a “defensive tone” because they believe that Equine Center is worth defending. My name is Renee Bartlett and I don’t wish to be anonymous because I stand by my remarks. The Equine Center has professional, compassionate staff caring for the horses residing there and I believe their side of the story should also be presented.
With no nasty or defensive tones, I would like to say that I did and still do associate myself with the University of Arizona Equine Unit. I was a student of the program and a volunteer since I found out it was there in 2006. After reading the above article which absolutely shocked me due to the lack of factual information in it, I am starting to wonder how and why it was published. Anyone who has spent an afternoon at the “farm” knows not only the hard work put in by the small staff and volunteers, but the care for those horses. I say this not from what i have heard or because of what someone has told me but from first hand experience.
My name is Preston Guilmet and I spent my time in college playing for the U of A baseball team and the rest was at the farm. Literally every afternoon for almost 3 years I spent side by side with the horses or helping Laura Walker and Mark Arns with everything I could. I would like to say my help made the horse unit a better place, just as every other volunteer would like to agree with. And out of the last 4 years that I was there, I can say that I never saw one thing that would be considered bad for the horses. Every horse was taken care of better than most people can take care of 2 or 3. I cant express how many times at the end of a 6am – 5pm day something happened and the staff spent more of their time taking care of the situation without rushing or cutting corners on the care. Those horses… foals, mares or stallions are all the profit making machine for the equine unit and they are taken care of, plain and simple. I wanted to keep this real short and the real issue i wanted to cover was for anyone who reads this article to know, spend a min, or an hour at the farm on Campbell and Roger and it is clear, its not a multi-million dollar facility but it is well kept and most importantly the horses are as healthy as can be. After all, they are horses, all they need is grass and water to survive but what the university gives is much much more than that! If anything, take a trip out there and thank Laura Walker and Mark Arns for what they are doing, I challenge anyone to try and do half the job that they do with, especially with this market and academic budget crunch which is an issue that should be written about.
One last thing, I knew Ellie, I groomed her and loved on her and fed her carrots and she was treated better than most people are. Laura Walker loves that horse and everyone that was out there knew it. When i arrived in 2006 she was not in the best of shape, but she was happy to be alive and to be apart of the everyday commotion. Needless to say, when i left in 2009 she was older and it was noticeable. So to the student who wants to remain nameless, its clear you don’t know horses cause she was not as happy as could be… Everything thinkable was done to help Ellie remain comfortable for her remaining years and as sad as it is to say this, if she was not euthanized when she was, that would have been the real tragedy. No money could have saved her, she was a horse and she lived a heck of a life. Anyone who spent time with Ellie could see it in her eye.
Please Mr. Vanderpool, don’t write about what you aren’t sure about. Especially about something as the importance of animal welfare. The people that are in the horse business directly related to the University love these animals and take care of these animals. The horses are the reason they show up 24-7-365. I may not be a doctor or a professional but take it from someone who was actually spending time at the farm during these tough years, the horses were treated above average, all the time, and everything that they could do for a horse is being done.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, sadly this article may not be of most importance but something like this i had to respond to. Again my name is Preston Guilmet and I support the Equine Unit and its effort in the Arizona horse industry because I know how the Farm is run.
There is one thing that everyone is failing to take into consideration when posting what you can and can’t do with a “young horse”. Domino was three weeks when all this happened to him. Does this change the fact about feeding alfalfa when he’s still trying to nurse and stick him in a field with mares, allowing him to get kicked? Does this change giving him a full gram of Bute, or maybe putting betadine in his eye?
And for those bashing the reporter, I thought the reporter did UA a favor not putting the whole story down and stating multiple times that the program does need more funding. I mean, Domino was fixed for $3000ish where UA was looking at $10,000!! But Glore can’t care for the horses like UA does with their budget? No sorry, UA just doesn’t know how to work with a budget. Where is their money being wasted? I think it’s going to vets that know this and taking advantage.
Just because you have a degree doesn’t mean you have years of experience. Rescue centers do though cause they deal with the worst of them. And a true vet in my own opinion would be working along side rescues to learn first hand and not just from a book.
Not saying UA is a bad center. Couldn’t tell you. But I do know that they didn’t handle Domino’s situation correctly. That was what the article was about. And yes it raises questions. Does it question the love for the horses? No. It really questions the staff teaching these students.
What was the purpose of the story of Domino and Ellie? To draw attention to the UA Equine Unit needing more funding? Give me a break!
To discriminating readers, it is apparent that someone wanted to give publicity to Glore at the expense of the UA Equine Unit.
I have a question for OutsideTheBoxThinker. Exactly how did the UA Equine Unit mishandle Domino’s situation? Accidents happen to all horses in all settings – in the field, in a paddock, in a stall, loading and unloading and hauling in a trailer. Horses are notorious for getting hurt when they are by themselves in a single stall. If one is unfortunate to suffer an accident, then what is one to do? Not treat the injury? Give me another break!
Knowing more than the average reader about horses and the UA Equine Center, I take the reporter to task for not accurately and impartially representing all the facts, and for not doing his homework about laminitis.
The UA Equine Unit is NOT a rescue center. It is part of a land grant institution whose purpose is to educate students. The UA Equine Unit provides quality education and does smashingly so with a cadre of professionals who collectively have many years of experience running a horse program and staying within a budget.
Hello again to OutsideTheBoxThinker – do you know about the current recession in general and particularly the impact it has had on all UA programs? What does the statement “A true vet would be working along side rescues to learn first hand and not just from a book” mean? It is such a random statement and makes no sense. Just like most of the article.
Toni
Domino’s situation was mishandled, which led to all of his problems, by releasing him out with other mare’s that weren’t nursing. Domino was going to try to suckle, hes three weeks thats what they do. Agree or not, you don’t release a foal out with many non-nursing mares. One of them is going to kick… Thats what horses do. It broke his shoulder.
I would never put betadine in a foal’s eye. My personal opinion.
And I do apologize for that “random” statement. let me put it into perspective. Domino had an eye injury that was fixed with MAYBE $60. The UA was going/debating to spend $10,000. IF I were a vet, and I learned of this, I would have called up Glore and asked “Hey what did you do to fix that?” Thats where the “A true vet would be working along side rescues” statement comes in. ANY rescue would try to find the cheaper and effective way to help any animal. Books don’t always have the answer and sometimes experience comes into play.
I think some people with degrees have that mindset “I have a degree, they don’t.” Maybe this happened in this situation, maybe it didn’t. Neither you or I have 100% of both sides of the stories, and we weren’t there.
This comment is all about opinion. Like I said, I’m not attacking UA, I just disagree about how Domino was taken care of. So people can dance around this article all they want and forget why it was written.
Well outside the box, I WAS there, I am the farrier for the university. The day Domino got hurt I trimmed him and his mother, we took them BOTH out to the front pasture with ONE other mare and baby and turned them out, he was never turned out with other horses as an orphan. When we went back out to get them Domino had been hurt somehow. This is the TRUE story of what happened to him. Amazingly Judy herself states this on her blog, look it up! She knows what happened to the colt but somehow the story got changed for her newsletter article and for Tim to basically copy all these lies over here on this “article”. Furthermore Judy was contacted as soon as she wrote the newsletter by Laura Walker the barn manager and told that her newsletter article was completely off base and wrong, that her story was NOT what happened to this colt. Wonder why Judy did not change her article knowing it was not true, when she had even printed a different story on her OWN website, and why did this reporter not do some research on any of this before he printed it?
Domino was seen by Dr Meredith a specialist eye vet and HE said to flush the eye with 2% betadine solution, this is what was done per the vet, NOT 25% like Judy states. He also felt that Domino needed eye surgery that would possibly give him about 20-30% of his vision back. Domino was also seen 3 times by Dr weaver a vet that specializes in bodywork, we did not need an xray to know Domino had a shoulder injury, we knew it was either fractured or a pinched nerve and guess what the recommendation is for both of those, rest. To make a long story short Domino per the eye vet was at best after surgery going to have 20-30% vision in one eye, needed hernia surgery, had a shoulder injury that may or may not heal, which means he could be lame the rest of his 30-40 years. So yes it was felt that it was very iffy that Domino was going to have a decent quality of life. Now Judy states Domino is sound, running around, etc but as you see above Judy is not above telling a fib whenever it suits her purpose so I am pretty skeptical that he is as great as she says he is, he certainly does not look great in that picture!
Moving on to other things in the “article” , Tim also fails to mention that the farm has a vet ON STAFF! Yet he implies the university is not giving the horses adequate vet care?
As for Ellie again Tim did no research. Ellie did not just have chronic laminitis but she had been SEVERELY foundered and was missing 40% of her coffin bones in both front feet in 2006 – which means it was probably much worse by the time we put her down last year, this is not fixable and it certainly is not in the category of “a little arthritis” that is absurd. If you had ask we could have shown you the xrays. Of course that would have ruined your ridiculously misinformed article. Too bad your student doesnt have a clue about horse lameness issues , but you COULD have done some of your own research.
Why didn’t you come down to the farm, see the facility, speak to any of these people face to face and see the horses? I know you made the comment you dont know anything about horses and would not know what you were looking at, I would say that is pretty obvious from the picture you put in this article with Domino looking horrendous and extremely underweight, lol. Two different people made the comment to me that he looks like he needs to be rescued from that rescue! You were even informed you could bring any vet or expert you wanted to help you evaluate the horses and the facility but you did not do it, why? I have to say this has been a real eye opener for me, I will never read another article in any newspaper and think it is even remotely the truth. Your entire “article” is based on your “critics” judy and one anonymous student who if she/he even exist was probably was late for class all the time, did not show up for class, failed a test or who knows what nonsense and is now upset and making ridiculous statements about the farms horse care becuase she got in trouble or got a low grade.
Another thing that occurs to me, did you and Judy ever think that maybe you would be insulting all these different vets in town who have come to the farm for emergencies, colics etc and euthanized horses for them when you imply they are putting horses down with basically very little wrong with them, you really think they would all do that? I know most of those vets and I do not, and I personally think it is very insulting to them and their profession that you imply that.
You should have done your homework on this instead of just believing anything your friend Judy told you.
The staff at the university farm have an UNREAL amount of horse experience, horse doctoring etc between them. In my opinion working in the horse industry day in/day out for over 10 years in AZ no other facility comes close to their knowledge, and I think you are going to find any people who have actually had dealings with the university farm will say the same. Yes, outside the box, these people all have degrees but way more important they have a ton of horse experience in their fields.
Dear Courtney,
Maybe you should check the facts before working yourself into a tizzy.
Domino’s medical records from the Equine Center, which I have sitting before me, read as thus:
August 3. “Dr. Meredith evaluated eye–made cytology slides–strep infection. Start: 25% Betadine solution 4X daily.”
Or this, from Dr. Meredith’s Eye Clinic for Animals, dated August 3 as well:
“betadine 25 %…4 times per day.”
Concerning Ellie’s ailments, I was told by Dr. Arns himself that laminitis was the cause of her demise.
As for the vicious attacks on Judy Glore, well, let no good deed go unpunished. Operating on a shoestring budget, Glore and her volunteers brought this horse back from the brink of death–something that a vaunted equine center at the state’s oldest university seemed unable or unwilling to do. In fact, folks with the Heart of Tucson donate a starting amount of time and resources to rescuing horribly abused and neglected animals.
Now I’d call that the very definition of selflessness. But instead of thanks, Glore and her crew have endured a shameful cascade of vitriol in these pages. Apparently, it’s what occurs when anyone dares question the Equine Center, which I might mention is a public program, operated by public employees on taxpayer-owned property.
To those who have vented their spleens so voluminously on this web site, I’d suggest your time might be better spent volunteering for groups such as Glore’s, which are actually doing some good in this town.
Tim Vanderpool
Mr. Vanderpool,
Vitriol occurs when you and Judy Glore do not present all of the facts correctly. Question all you want, but report the TRUE facts. ALL of them. You have been asked repeatedly to do so, and you still have a bias.
You still need to research laminitis, founder, and coffin bones. Then you might see how uneducated your statement “I was told by Dr. Arns himself that laminitis was the cause of her demise.”
I also have rescue horses and dogs, so please don’t lecture me about doing good things for animals. The University of Arizona Equine Unit does not abuse or neglect horses. And unfortunately, some injured or diseased horses are better off being euthanized than rescued.
All any of us spleen venters are asking is that you report the facts in an unbiased manner.
well tim, i stand corrected, if you do have paperwork stating the vet recommended that dominos eye was to b flushed with 25% betadine then hmm, seems to me that judy galores problem should not be with the university program but with dr meredith if they feel he is giving out incorrect instructions for vet care????
the university can hardly be blamed for doing what the vet instructed to care for the eye
either way i will check the paperwork myself and find out for sure
and PLEASE do some research on lamintis and founder so you know what you are talking about, you just look foolish making statements like that
amazing to me you would write an article like this with major issues with the truth and then be upset when people who know the program, know the care the horses get defend the program and feel judy made all these statements wrongly
what exactly did you expect
and dont you dare imply to me that i need to spend more time helping rescues, etc
i DO help rescues all the time, call karen at equine voices and ask her
i do a LOT of free trimming, free hauling and other things for different rescues on a regular basis
i drove over an hour and half to judys rescue and loaned her my sling so she could lift a horse there and do its feet
i also personally own and support out of my own pocket 14 head of rescue horses and 4 rescue dogs right now
you got yourself into this vitriol
we are upset because you did not print any kind of unbiased, researched article and we are justifiably upset
did it ever occur to you that maybe these people writing you have a clue what they are talking about in regards to to the equine center and you are getting such a strong reaction because your implications in this article were totally off base
most of us do not have time to deal with this, i know i am a very busy person and i felt so strongly about this i have taken the time to write you because i felt it was the right thing to do, i feel your implications are biased and wrong and have no problem standing up and saying that
Tucson Weekly reporter: “There was a horse recently put down that was named Ellie. Why was that animal euthanized?”
Dr. Mark Arns: “Because she had chronic laminitis and she couldn’t get around.”
-Tim Vanderpool
ahhhhh
laminitis is one stage of a major hoof problem, founder is the next stage, the worst stage
they are often used interchangeably
my point was that ellie was severe, drastic laminitis/founder
NOT a little arthritic like your student states
this is all way off the point
your article is based on the fact that the university is broke and scrimping on medical as a result
and yet on domino you state yourself that he was seen by a vet but judy and you disagree with how that vet treated him and recommended he be treated
so the colt did receive vet care you just disagree with the vet, a vet who is not employed by the university
seems the more we go over this the more the truth comes out
Mr. Vanderpool,
Again, you show your ignorance by cutting and pasting Dr. Arns quote. What he said is true. Horses who cannot walk (get around) cannot live.
Tons of research has been done about laminitis, there are a multitide of books written about it, and if you had bothered to ask some of the UA professionals you interviewed to expand on the topic, you might have not even written about Ellie. She had a good life and finally the disease got the best of her.
For your education, I have cut and pasted excerpts from the American Association of Equine Practioners website:
“Laminitis results from the disruption (constant, intermittent, or short-term) of blood flow to the sensitive and insensitive laminae. These laminae structures within the foot secure the coffin bone (the wedge-shaped bone within the foot) to the hoof wall. Inflammation often permanently weakens the laminae and interferes with the wall/bone bond. In severe cases, the bone and the hoof wall can separate. In these situations, the coffin bone may rotate within the foot, be displaced downward (“sink”) and eventually penetrate the sole. Laminitis can affect one or all feet, but it is most often seen in the front feet concurrently.
The terms “laminitis” and “founder” are used interchangeably. However, founder usually refers to a chronic (long-term) condition associated with rotation of the coffin bone. Whereas, acute lamini¬tis refers to symptoms associated with a sudden initial attack, including pain and inflammation of the laminae.
It’s important to note that once a horse has had laminitis, it may be likely to recur. In fact, a number of cases become chronic because the coffin bone has rotated within the foot and the laminae never regain their original strength. There may also be interference with normal blood flow to the feet as well as metabolic changes within the horse.
Many horses that develop laminitis, make uneventful recoveries and go on to lead long, useful lives. Unfortunately, others suffer such severe, irreparable damage that they are, for humane reasons, euthanized.”
Once again Mr. Vanderpool, please present the facts and do some research before you go shooting from the hip about topics you obviously are not familiar with.
Thank you.
Toni Richardson
I have volunteered at heart of Tucson and have seen first hand the care that horses receive there………I am highly offended at the allegation that Ms. Glore is trying to get attention for her organization! This woman truly cares for horses and works her ass off to care for horses that others totally disregard. U of A….get your act together! Treat these horses right. Work with horse rescues instead of discounting them.
And to you U of A apologists……………explain Domino???
I am furious about the many UNTRUTHS in this article. My name is Martha Smith, EBW. The letters after my name stand for Equine Body Worker, a title I have worked hard to earn after several years of schooling in Northern California and other venues. I have had over 40 years owning, training and showing horses and it has been my privilege to have worked with the U of A many times. I am familiar with the horse in the article and not one of the stories about him in this article are true. Mr. Vanderpool, you should be ashamed of yourself for your lack of FACTUAL RESEARCH done here. The horses at the U of A are in fact looked after in all areas. I would like to know how many horses actually were euthanized over the long life of this program. And how would the Veterinarians who made those calls feel about the fact that their decisions were indiscriminate? The horse in this picture has had more than a few procedures that are not mentioned, involving tendons, scapula, etc which will certainly curtail a future normal, useful life. Yes, it is great he can have a life as a pet if that is possible. But the TRUTH should be told r.e. the other allegations made in this BOLD FACED LYING article.
We have two horses, and have donated thousands of dollars to several horse rescues in AZ. We have also fostered horses for several rescues, including HEART of Tucson. We also have rescued numerous cast-off racing greyhounds and have spent hours trying to improve the conditions for these unfortunate dogs. There are many parallels between the greyhound and TB racing industries, most notably significant and unnecessary overbreeding and the consequent slaughter of far too many unwanted animals. Do you know that a former Kentucky Derby winner ended up on a dinner plate in Japan?
The University actively promotes and encourages racing and trains students to work in that industry. It is about making money – let no one delude themselves into thinking that this is not about making money and strengthening ties with the racing industry – both dog and horse racing. Read up about nurse mare foals and TBs and what happens to unwanted TBs and greyhounds and you’ll see why the bottom line is what motivates the industry.
Judy and her volunteers work like slaves saving and caring for horses other people abandon, mistreat or torment. Tim Vanterpool has been a stalwart investigative reporter documenting the horrific conditions at Tucson Greyhound Park when our mainstream print and electronic media looked the other way.
If the University cannot afford a first-class operation then it should not run one. I saw Domino when he first arrived at HEART, and I and my physician husband personally viewed the veterinary records (such that they were) that accompanied him. If the U of A staff knows so much about equines, why didn’t they question the vet about the obviously dangerous betadine therapy? With over 20 years prosecutorial experience, I can say that the records were scant and inadequate. Domino, after surgery, appropriate opthalmological care and affection, has vision in the injured eye. Changing his alfalfa diet stopped the diarrhea, and he began to get healthier.
Judy most emphatically did NOT seek this publicity – she was in fact reluctant to speak with Tim because of fears that the University and its apologists would retaliate, and those fears have proven correct.
Before you criticize HEART, why don’t you spend some time there seeing the miracles they make every day.
My name is Krista Wise and I am a student worker at the UA Equine Center and I have been for the last 2 years. I am very upset with all the facts being manipulated so that the UA Equine Center looks like a horrible facility. I for one will not stand by with out showing my thoughts on the issue. I have worked side by side with the manger and assistant manager for 2 years and they show nothing by love and compassion to the horses. They work day and night to make sure that these horses get the best care. And they do. We have healthy happy animals at the UA Equine Center. I say animals, because we not only have horses but 2 cats and a goat too. These two ladies have always had the animals best interest in mind when it comes to taking care of the all the animals we have here.
As for the remarks about Ellie I am appalled by the allegations made by the anonymous student. She was not “happy as can be”, anyone who worked at the Equine Center even for a short time knew that she had chronic laminitis/founder and she was in a lot of pain. I would help Ellie back to her stall at the end of the day, just so she wouldn’t have to put as much weight on her front feet. Ellie had more than adequate bedding and her stall was cleaned out at least 3 times a day if not more. Laura made sure she always had a clean stall to go into at night. Ellie was a great horse and she lived her life to the fullest.
As for Domino, all the things that Glore says happened to him after his mother passed away was not the staff’s fault. She has not right to disrespect them and to point the finger at them. They did the best they could to treat Domino’s condition. Yes it is true that the UA Equine Center is struggling with their budget but that doesn’t mean they cut corners and skimp on medications and such. I am very ashamed that a women like herself who is a leader at her own facility can have so much disrespect for fellow horse owners. And as for Domino’s picture that she has of him, he is SKIN AND BONES! Does no one see that, he does not look healthy, as Glore says. I myself would not adopt a horse that is as sickly looking as he is. If you come to the UA Equine Center you will see healthy horses, that have beautiful shiny coats and meat on their bones. I personally feed these horse and know from actual experience that they get adequate care and nutrition. The UA Equine Center is a great facility and one that I would trust with my horses if I had any of my own.
As for Glore and Vanderpool you should both be ashamed of giving people such false information.
It is not only about giving an animal “adequate care”. These animals are being bred for the sole purpose of training students and being sold to the racing community. They are being treated as commodoties. As the article states, Ms Glore was invited to the UofA facility by someone on the inside. She didnt barge in and demand a sick foal. She didnt activly look for an injured horse to spend tons of money on. She stepped in when asked to and stepped up to do what was right by this baby. I am sure that there are valualbe teachings going on at the UofA. I am certain that many people who work with the horses (and goats and cats) at the UofA farms do a wonderful and loving job. I wonder however, that if it would serve the UofA and the entire community better, if the breeding program became a book only part of the curriculum and the hands on learning could be done in veternary centers and perhaps with some of the rescue agencies that take on so many throw offs from the racing community. It could be a win win situation.
Hi Krista, I would not have ever even engaged in this but at the point you just made of Domino being skin and bones? He is growing at a fast rate of speed, he needs to stay on bermuda and supplements to keep his tendons from recontracting. He gets to play everyday out in the arena with a horse that loves him and makes sure he is moving. He can now see out of his eye and we didn’t put betadine in it once he got here. We stopped that to save his eye, and it worked. We had his hernia fixed, his tendons fixed, and it took us a long time to get rid of the projectile diarrhea. We all were so excited to see some solid poop here from him. A gram of bute a day to a 4 week old baby over time will cause major damage to them. We used ulcer guard to fix this, and gave him a good diet of milk replacer. I was told by staff there that he would not take it so he was put on alfalfa and grain at 4 weeks old. He took it great when he got here. I didn’t want this kind of back and forth banter, I didn’t ask for publicity for him. We love him, and will see him grow into a wonderful horse and find a home where he will be loved, and have a great life. He has so much to look forward to, and to say he is skinny is ok, he has to be on a diet that will let him grow slower so that he doesn’t contract his tendons agian. His over all health is better everyday, but the damage was not from us, he came with it, and we are dealing with it, and will see him grow into a wonderful beautiful animal. Tim Vanderpool has only reported the facts that he has been made aware of, same with us. We were told why he was in this condition when we picked him up. I saw the betadine being put into his eye for his last treatment with out it being flushed, I was there too Courtney. We don’t want to cause any problems with UofA, none, We just want you to know that their are people out here that are willing to help. If you think a horse is beyond help and needs to be put down ask a resuce if we have ever faced this before, and if we are willing to help, you might be supprised to see how many people are willing to go the extra mile for that animal to see it happen. We have horses that vets told us to put down because they would never make it. We have them now running all over the place having the time of their lives. Kitty is proof of that. Come see us, and don’t ever be affraid of getting that second opinion. Many rescues will show you the odds we face everyday and we still pull them through. We just can’t give up so easy. I am not saying you do, but Domino, who was named Domingo to you all, which we even changed the name to not do this some day has beaten the odds one more time. It would be a wonderful thing if you continue to do your racing program that you would include a rescue to be a back up for your problems as an answer to you all as well. Just a thought. And please take off all your bad feelings, and remarks to the reporter that just cares about us all. You are all welcome to come out here to HEART and see for your self what we do. We have no hidden agena here , only the care for the unwanted horses.
I think all you negative commenters out there are missing the point of the article. The point is – the Equine Center at the U of A is seriously underfunded, and does not get money from the state. Obviously, corners have to be cut, including the horses being seen by a qualified doctor of equine veterinary medicine. How can they possibly operate a ‘top notch’ university facility such as that on $53,665? (which was their budget last year) Why is it that this Center, which is self funded, relies only on monies from auction sales, breeding and boarding when Sean Miller, the head basketball coach is paid $2 million per year? It’s all about priorities . . . I bet the basketball coaches’ clothing allowance for designer suits cost a lot more than the Equine Center’s entire yearly budget . . .
I thought the U of A farm had two goats. What happened, did they put one of them down? That must have been fairly recently. Are goats expensive?
Dear Judy,
I am compelled to comment on this part of your statement: “We don’t want to cause any problems with UofA, none, We just want you to know that their are people out here that are willing to help. If you think a horse is beyond help and needs to be put down ask a rescue…”
Isn’t that exactly what the UA did with Domino? They put him into your care and now you’ve turned it around on them and contributed to a horribly inaccurate article. Doesn’t sound to me like you support them at all.
“UA Student,” HEART was not contacted by the U of A. The U of A was going to euthanize Domino until concerned students contacted HEART and she rescued him. She runs a “rescue.” That is what she does. She isn’t trying to be malicious towards the U of A. She just wants them to keep her and other rescues in mind when situations like this arise. She saved an animal, and was happy to be of service. She didn’t slam the U of A. People are reading this article and thinking that it is trying to say that the U of A is some awful institution. In my opinion, this is a somewhat immature interpretation of the article. Has the budget of the equine center affected the way things are run? If you say no, you are incredibly naive. Budgets affect any business. Yes, the equine center is a business. They have to make business decisions, and nobody can criticize them for that. They aren’t trying to hurt the horses, but they are viewing their decisions from a business angle and not from a pet store angle. You can’t fault the U of A for that, but you can’t fault HEART for caring for the horses either. People here have slammed the author for having a bias and yet they let their own biases shine through. Everyone needs to stop acting like babies and take the article for what it is, constructive criticism.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM:
U of A-
1. Realize that a shrinking budget affects the care of the animals that you keep.
2. If you can’t make ends meet, consider alternative sources of income. Try fund raising?
3. Work with rescues that can give your animals a better home. They would no longer be a problem in your budget and the animal gets to live (at least for a little while).
General Public-
1. Get involved! Volunteer, learn something, and connect with an animal. It might do you some good.
2. Help out. If operations like this are struggling due to a budget and you really feel that they are doing something good, donate to help them keep going.
HEART and Other Rescues-
1. Go visit places like the U of A and market your services.
2. Volunteer. Yes, I said it. I know you have very little time to spare with your duties at the rescue, but working with an institution like the U of A and giving a seminar could raise awareness and help rescue animals. That is why you do it right? Spread the word.
My experience over several years working with the U of A showed me the exceptional care these horses receive. I remember the horse Ellie and how much special treatment she received. Laminitis and Founder can be very crippling conditions and the U of A staff kept Ellie comfortable (and then some) for many years before they finally lost the battle. Isn’t that what Judy Glore is trying to do with her rescue horses who have similar problems? No horse can live forever and the U of A knew when it was time to let Ellie go on to greener pastures. As for the other horses euthanized since 2001, I’m sure there was a medical reason for each one.
As for Domino, I am not familiar with him other then what I’ve read and heard from both sides. Many veterinarians will prescribe a 5% betadine solution for irrigation of the eye. And if you search the internet, you can find human eye treatments that contain 5% betadine. Is the reporter and informer sure the records state 25% — or could that be 2.5%? Regardless, if the vet in question prescribed a 25% solution to be used in the eye, and the U of A used it, they were only doing what the veterinarian (who is a professional) instructed them to do. Poor Domino looks terrible in the picture chosen for the article. He looks like the horses that are going to auction for the meat buyers. He truly looks like he needs rescuing! You say he’s on a special diet for his condition? Fast growing or not, I think he needs more food. You can fatten up a horse on Bermuda if you give enough. I know because I’ve done it with horses that I have rescued in the past.
I think the main point here is that the reporter did not check the facts before publishing an article, and therefore published many untruths. He must not have even read Judy’s blog on her website for her rescue. The blog reflects a completely different story then what was told here. It seems kind of like the “telephone” game we played as kids, where the more the story travels, the more untrue the story gets. I’m not going to quote those differences; you can go read it for yourself on her website. This particular article belongs in the National Enquirer or Star Magazine. And Tim – I hear they are hiring!
First of all I have to say I am appalled by the number of factual errors and lack of research done for this article. I am very familiar with both the U of A equine center and Judy Glore and her rescue. I am also familiar with Domino’s case. Domino’s treatments were not simple or cheap. I know the horse had to have surgery to fix his tendons and hernia. And the cause of the problems was not lack of exercise or neglect, both can happen to the best cared for horses. As for the shoulder injury of course they didn’t do an x-ray, there are no vets in Tucson with an x-ray machine powerful enough to get through that much mass. Not to mention whether or not they had radiographic proof of a fracture or other injury the treatment would have been the same.
As for the eye infection, again not an easy fix. U of A had one of the best ophthalmologists in the country overseeing the case, whatever treatment he prescribed was what should have been done. Why Mr. Vanderpool do you take Judy’s word that it was ‘dangerous’ over someone who has actually made eye care their life, did you even talk to the doctor to let him explain/defend his decision?
As for the ulcers did an actual vet scope him to diagnose stomach ulcers or was it just assumed? You know what they say when you assume.
I have had several classes at ‘the farm’ and classes taught by people mentioned in the article and I have always learned a lot in the classes and felt the horses were well cared for. They are all in good weight, are up to date on routine care and are generally happy. I knew Ellie and can be witness to the fact that she did have severe laminitis and I am glad U of A chose to euthanize her when it was no longer possible to keep her comfortable. It is the responsible and humane thing to do, even if it is not an easy choice.
As for Domino he does look horrible in that picture, and in the pictures on the HEART website. It seems a lot of the rescue horses are under cared for. Not all your horses are even up to date on basics like hoofcare/vaccinations/dental care/exams etc. Domino is not the only horse that looks bad inside that rescue.
I say the U of A was well within in its rights to choose to euthanize Domino, his condition was severe and out of their means to fix. They chose to offer him a humane way out of this world. Should every horse owner who chooses not to put a horse through an expensive procedure/treatment be criticized? If that is the case Mr. Vanderpool you have many many more people to write articles on. Yet when someone said they could help Domino they gave him his chance, and they are paying dearly for it.
Tim Vanderpool and Judy Glore you should both be ashamed of this article and for hardships this will bring on the U of A.
all of the statements below are my own, my own opinion
seems some of these comments are getting off the track of the point of the article and the comments it received
the article was not about breeding animals of any type for racing, or racing industries in general
it was implying the farms budget was tight and because of that or according to susan because these animals are just commodities they euthanize anything that is considered worthless or not worth money, etc, etc
i have been the farrier at the farm for several years and i can state without a doubt that this is not the truth, and anyone that personally knows me KNOWS i would not have anything to do with any barn where that was the case
i am not a huge fan of any of the racing industries myself but i will tell you that without a doubt the small number of babies put on the ground each year at the university farm are very well cared for, in my opinion this is about as good as it gets for any racing/breeding stable , and this is not the kind of barn that gives horse racing a bad name
it makes me mad that the racing thing is being drug into this when this barn is about as good as you can get in that industry, there are tons of things wrong with the racing industry, the university farm is so small, puts such a small amount of babies on the ground and cares well for those horses – it does not even register
these animals are also used to teach students, this is not strictly a breeding facility, they do NOT have 50 head of breeding animals, there are 16 horsemanship horses included in that group that are used to teach riding classes and show team
we have way bigger breeding facilities in tucson breeding arabs, warmbloods, quarters, paints
putting way more animals on the ground each year
the horses at the university farm live as natural a life as they can possibly be given while they are there, they have way more room to run around and exercise and be normal horses than the ones judy has standing in stalls
the staff treats those horses like they are there friends, they know all their personalities, they are NOT treated like commodities there
yes there is a budget and it has to be taken into consideration with what is done or not done just like in any household that owns horses
it insults me and everyone else i know who take good care of their animals but don’t have or would choose not to pay $3000.00 to $10,000.00 to do colic surgery or whatever on 1 of their horses to imply we are all lousy horse owners because of this
finances, age of horse, degree of injury/sickness all has to be taken into account
i told judy standing in front of the barn at the farm the day she picked him up that i thought domino should be put to sleep and i STILL think he should have been
and this is why
domino had numerous things wrong with him and all of them were going to be expensive
AND it was not definite, nor is it definite now that he is going to lead a long and sound life, or even comfortable life
it is a BIG deal to cut the flexor tendon on a baby that young, it is a big deal anytime you cut a flexor tendon, it is controversial and i bet if you ask 10 vets about doing that you would get a lot of different answers and i know some would be totally against it
the horse people in these comments know what this means, people like tim have no clue
this is not a normal fix, this horse did not need to be stitched up or maybe have a bone chip removed or something like that where the outcome was more certain, this is a big deal
obviously az equine felt he would be ok or they would not have done it
but i attended a hoof clinic here in tucson by a vet/farrier from rood and riddle the huge vet clinic in kentucky and i ask him specifically about cutting the flexor tendon on a horse that young- i was referring to domino
i had no idea if this was done regularly in big vet clinics and i wanted to know
for people like tim who have no idea who rood and riddle is, it is probably one of the top 3 equine vet clinics in the country, according to their website they have 50 vets on staff and more than 200 employees
i ask this vet if they would ever cut the flexor tendon on a 1 to 2 month old baby, he looked at me like i was crazy and said no, it is a SALVAGE procedure and on top of that you would not want to do it so young because the animal was still growing
so this is not a FIX, i am sure different horses respond differently like in anything else, and i truly hope he will be fantastic but this was a big deal and an iffy, expensive deal
on top of that according to judy his shoulder is fractured
that is a lot of different places to have problems down the road not to mention it sounds like to some degree he is vision impaired on 1 side
so yes judy saved his life but here is another point
i would guess at this point judy has a minimum of $3500.00 in him, by the time you pay $3000.00 for surgery and haul him to phoenix and back, bandages, meds etc, etc
so look at it this way, domino was going to be humanely euthanized by a vet with pain killers etc at the farm
how many sound horses (with no eye or leg problems) at the chandler sale that saturday got on a killer buyers truck for $200-$400 each, then got hauled to mexico crammed in a trailer and probably had their throats cut when they got across the border?
how many of those horses could judy have saved with that $3500.00? 6? 8 ? 10?
do i like the fact that this is the big picture and that we have to look at the numbers like this? no i don’t
but it is a fact
we are in a recession and it is hard to find homes for sound riding horses, people are dumping horses in the desert, etc
how can any rescue justify putting $3500.00 into one horse that may be a pasture ornament (or even if he could be sound) when they could have saved 6-10 others?
i wish all the rescues had a million dollars in their bank accounts and that we could do any and everything for any animal we want, i would be right there cheering them on
but i am 99% sure that all the rescues are running on really tight budgets and turning horses away
i personally do not agree with putting these big amounts of money into 1 animal when it directly kills 6 or more others
i know it is easy to tug on everyone heart strings and get money for babies, they are big money draws
but i don’t think it was a responsible thing to do in this case, that much money could have done a lot more good in another way
another thing
tim do you know how much it cost to euthanize and animal and dispose of its body? a lot
the last time i had a horse put down in the middle of the day during the week it cost me over $400.00 and that was just the vet call, not disposing of the body
it is WAY cheaper for the university to give a horse away than it is to euthanize
even if their own vet does it, the drugs to put animals down are expensive
and taking the body away is more money
giving the horse away is free
so from a money/commodity standpoint it is better for the budget to give these horses away, nobody wants to euthanize any horse it is not the way to go from any standpoint
judy you make the comment you don’t want to cause any problems for the university, but the message tim left when he called there the first time was that he calling about a horse named domingo that judy galore contacted him about, this was all you
and i hate to break it you but i bet any breeding facility in town who knows about this article will stay far away from you, i bet you will be the last rescue they would even think about contacting to give a horse, if any rescue at all now, it was a good lesson to all of them
that is the main thing about this article is that it does nothing for any horses in any way
maybe you will get some donations from getting your name out there, but i bet you lost more from the many people who know the university program and how it is run and are going to bad mouth you everywhere, i think the people turned against you is going to far outweigh the little bit you get
no one ever doubted that you save some horses and do some good, but in my opinion what was printed in this article was wrong from a lot of different angles and you were the catalyst for this, that was the only thing anyone took issue with
you stated that you were told domino would not eat the milk replacer but he eats it at your place
you were told that he would not eat the liquid milk replacer but he was eating the foal lac pellets at the university not just alfalfa
goat lover, yes there were 2 goats, fireman came to the university when he was 14 or 15 years old, this is very old for a goat already, and he died at an extremely old 17 from a heart attack or stroke , he was well taken care of and lived a good long life, your comments were ridiculous and show you are clueless
the point of this article about unhealthy horses at the university farm was based on ellies story and dominos story
i think it is pretty obvious at this point tim got some misinformation about ellie
if you want to base the article on domino there are several different sides to that story also
judy disagrees with the vet care he got and the decision to euthanize him, i don’t at all
in closing i will say i have the utmost respect for the staff at the university farm, i have worked there for several years and i feel they have more horse experience than anyone i know in the horse business
i also count them among some the most honest, good, caring people i know in life in general
this article and these comments have all been a huge waste of time for everyone involved, myself and others felt we had to take that time to stand up for untruths we saw in this article and the implications that it made
but overall this did nothing for any horse in need and i hope we all learn from it
I’m glad the goats at the U of A farm are at least treated a little better than the horses seem to be.
Before I post any comment, I always try and think about the fact that many people may read it.
After reading the numerous comments by Katie Parker, anonymous 1234, and Courtney for the umpteenth time, I am disheartened to see the editor isn’t checking to make sure the comments policy is followed. These folks are making numerous slanderous and personal attacks on Judy Glore, and the writer, Tim Vanderpool. Disagreeing with an article is one thing;threatening and making personal and perhaps libelous slurs is another. I read the article with an open mind, and actually, yes, I was thinking I would go visit the U of A center and meet some of the people. However, after reading these comments, I am bowled over with the viciousness of the writers. And you people are the ones who take care of these animals? Shame on you for attacking Judy Glore, and you Courtney, whomever you are, you should be very careful about threatening someone in print. Making statements about the support Judy will lose is dead wrong on your part. Your comments are frankly poorly written and the anger behind them is scary. I have donated to many rescues all over the world, and I also am a writer. Have any of you thought about how you are making the U of A Equine Center look to the tax-paying public?
Well add me as one of the numerous posters! Nothing written by Courtney or others who have supported the UA by pointing out the inaccuracies as written by Vanderpool and/or represented by Glore before the article was written is slanderous or libelous. What Courtney has written in her latest comments is totally on the mark.
So what was the story about? Was it really an article about “Unhealthy horses – critics say the UA may be skimping on care due to cash flow problems” as it was titled? I think not.
Volunteers, students, student employees, vendors, and community members like myself, people who have first hand knowledge of the UA Equine Center and are knowledgeable horse people, have commented in support of the UA Equine Center. That hasn’t been good enough for the naysayers, who have tried to turn it into a referendum on breeding, racing, and euthanasia. Those who oppose the UA and support Glore have used this article to try and convert the realists into pro-lifers.
Not all horses should be saved from euthanasia. Domino’s story is still unfolding. I agree with those who have commented that he looks skinny and unhealthy in the picture. I hope his poster child status for HEART doesn’t interfere in ultimately doing what is right for the horse.
The UA Equine Center is not a pet store or a rescue organization. It is a responsible unit that teaches students how to care for horses in the REAL WORLD.
As a side note to Mr. Vanderpool — since the article came out at least two very prominent thoroughbred horses have been euthanized due to complications of laminitis – Singspiel, an 18 year old who was an Eclipse winner in 1996, and Black Tie Affair, a 24 year old who was named Horse of the Year in 1991.
Toni Richardson
Regina, I absolutely encourage you to witness firsthand how U of A cares for their horses before making judgments on them (driving by doesn’t count, most horses in pasture situations don’t wear fly masks because they remove them from each other). I don’t know what the visiting policies are but you can always call and find out. On that same note I think you should look into the rescue as well. You should go to the HEART website and read the past posts/blogs about Domino and how different the story is there (especially her first post). Also, look at all the adoptable equines, better yet ask to see the horses on the adoptable list (all of them!) in person too. Then, I encourage you to form your own opinions of both organizations not based on the article and comments. I have seen both, which is why I have the opinions that I do.
Courtney I wholeheartedly agree with your post! Thanks for putting into words here what I couldn’t seem to in my mind.
Can one even buy 25% Betadine? My recollection is its available in 10% or less and I couldn’t find anything higher than that through google. There is an interesting study here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1771501/
on using it preoperatively in human cataract surgery patients. The article also mentions its use in dogs eyes.