Rocky the 3 legged foal has finally been euthanised!

[AintNobodyHereButUsChickens]

Only a year too late. Not sure if anyone in here follows the page but about a year ago at a Rocking R Ranch and Rescue in America, a 3 legged foal was born and they kept him alive until yesterday. He caused a lot of controversy online, people saying he should’ve been put down at birth and people on the other side saying he was a ‘miracle from god’ and was clearly happy, loving life and you couldn’t prove he was in pain 🙄 which, true, but horses are NOT meant to have 3 legs, because they carry the majority of their weight on their front legs and to have only one leg at the front puts a huge amount of strain on his bones and muscles!

But you acknowledge that you don't actually know? I think the vast majority of people who have horse knowledge understand that a horse with one front leg will be suffering. Sadly the right decision isn’t always made by owners.

I think vets have horse knowledge and if, like Seven, this horse had vet care, then i think they are best placed to decide when their quality of life is too poor to go on. Not people on the Internet.

Seven’s owner talks a good talk about horse welfare and treating her horses like kings and queens, but a lot of her day-to-day practice is questionable. She weans her foals as soon as they hit six months (often a batch all at once on the same day) rather than making assessments of when individuals are ready. She has them broken and being ridden at 2. She makes her money from social media. There are enough red flags to make it seem very obvious she’d keep Seven alive to get extra clicks and views. He was unable to live a normal life and run and jump like foals should and he should have been euthanised much earlier than he was. Just because vets can do something experimental, doesn’t mean they should.

Again you are basing your opinion on completely different situations. Seven should not have been kept alive as long as he was either: vets being present doesn’t mean euthanasia will take place at the right times. For the vast majority of animals it’s a decision for the owners and they don’t always make the right choice.

People have different methods of doing things. It doesn't necessarily make them wrong.

I think the vets are better situated to make the call than any of us on social media

If an animal is suffering for the benefit of a human it’s absolutely wrong!

If they are, yes. If the experts closely monitoring the animal feel it isn't unduly suffering, then your point is moot.

Do you actually know anything about keeping or breeding horses?

Horses can be broken and ridden at 2. Racehorses typically are. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, and doing it is nothing to do with what’s best for the horse (which hasn’t even finished growing at that point) and everything to do with maximising profit.

When my mare was euthanised due to colic, it wasn't the vet who made that decision, it was me. Plus, I had to bring it up as an option.

This is something that has changed from when I was younger, when vets were more forward about bringing euthanasia up as a good option for the horse. In recent years, even with smaller pets, I have had to mention it first and then the vet looks relieved that I have put that on the table as something to seriously discuss.

The idea that the vet makes that call (even if they think it would be right) is frankly naive or wrong, depending on who is saying it

I know that lots of people think their strong opinions on animals are factual. For instance, many Americans and some other people think letting a cat roam is the epitome of poor cat ownership. Cruel and neglectful in their eyes.

I read a Facebook post today where some sort of Doggy person is saying it's cruel to keep dogs on a leash all the time and no dog can thrive without regular freedom.

I've dealt with vets plenty. They've always mentioned euthanasia as an option. Even when cost of treatment was the only factor. The owner of Seven spoke extensively about the conversations had with the vet and the plan they made. Was very similar to the plan made for my dog who had hip dysplasia and initial surgery wasn't very successful. When they can't enjoy enough of the things they still wanted to do on their current bad days (like exercise, eating, interacting, general good mood), it would be time.

They have completely different wildlife in the US! Letting cats out there puts them in danger of being eaten by coyotes, etc. No cat in the UK is going to be killed by a bunch of hedgehogs! Even badgers don't go around killing cats left all over the country. Different countries and different circumstances, therefore different factors to take into account.

Frankly, some posters are just really ignorant about horses. They don't want to admit that they have added to the poor horse suffering by giving the owner clicks and views.

I'm glad that your vet brought up that option.

You need to remember that Seven never got a single day of his life doing what a normal foal does. Not one. All the days were bad ones. Every single one. The same goes for Rocky.

I don't care about supporting them at all. If i cared about the ethics of content crestors that much, I'd never watch any reels at all.

It isn't the whole of the US that has that type of wildlife and they also think we are cruel for letting them out when they could be run over and kill wildlife.

I understand your opinion, but it really just is your armchair opinion. I'll always err towards what the vets think when it comes to these situations.

He got to do many things that he wanted to and seemed to enjoy. And then he stopped enjoying those things. I see it different when it is an issue from birth vs an injury.

So, how many horses do you own, TheHateUGive? Because out of the two of us, I think my opinion being based on having owned horses for decades, including youngstock, therefore carries more weight than yours.

The whole point is a foal with 3 fucking legs is definitely suffering.

Yes vets will mention it as an option but they don’t force anyone to do it ordinarily. It’s an owner decision. They often get it wrong.

I'd err towards what the vets said about that particular fucking horse.

No they can't force you. They can advise or recommend it.

So stop saying vets are around these animals as if that’s a deciding factor.

”He got to do many things he wanted to and seemed to enjoy?”

Name them. I saw a foal who lived his short life in a stable, not able to run, jump or play in a field with other horses. He had horses for company but they were physically apart from him. He couldn’t even be with his mother as a newborn and was alone. So these “many things”, what were they? Eating? Being fussed by humans? Yes, he could do that. What he couldn’t do - a single day of his life - was live like a horse. That is not quality of life. The fact that the animal has an instinct to try to live and therefore carries on eating does not indicate a life well lived.

Why? You have just said they can’t force you to euthanise so you acknowledge it was not the vets decision to keep the foal alive, but the owners.

I said that if the horse had the vet input that Seven had, then i believe it was likely done at the right time.