http://ridingpals.com/peggysue.html

whats your view on this?

really l think that this owners holding onto this foal without thinking about the pain its going to have to go through, and the new prosthetic legs that are going to be needed every time she grows bigger.

the worst part of it is that she is asking for $4000 from the public...

if you payed it for yourself l probably would not care too much but this is ridiculous. the $4000 is just for 1 leg but she is going to need more throughout her lifetime. and shes never going to be able to do things like a normal horse like running, rolling, laying down and getting back up again.

owner '' As you might know l am a riding instructor and l have
birthday parties and camps all the time....She will be the
mascot''


...
as Mulereiner has said there are 1000 is of unwanted horses that need help. this foal is just going to grow up miserable. horses are not humans we are waaayy ahead with human medical science, horses are different. atleast when humans with prothetic legs are tired and sore from the pressure they can remove the legs and sit down but this horse is going to be on it 24/7

If it was mine, l would have her pts. Horses have no fear of death, or concept of tomorrow, they only understand the here & now. She will not have a normal life, & she will have pain. She will never be more than a pasture ornament.

However, l respect the right of every horse owner to decide what is right for their horse. If she wants to try & save it, fine. Good luck to her. l am not sending her any money though, & l hope she is able to provide a safe home for this horse forever.

Heres the callous side of me.

First off, l can not stand ppl that do this sort of thing & then beg for money off bleeding heart type ppl. The foal is HER responsibility, not 1000 is of ppl. Ok, so my poor guy needs a 4K colic surgery, can l call her for a donation? This is just ppl taking advantage of others good hearts. l see rescues do this alot too, where they buy something that probably should of been humanely put down years ago, & then try to rehab it & u know it can not be rehabbed. Then want donations so it can remain a permanent client of theirs. Things like this just irk the snot out me seriously. l am refraining from emailing her my true thoughts.

Second- as if we did not have enough unwanted horses in this country. So she saves a horse that injured herself on her place, drives all the way to friggin wyoming for the surgery & then wants to feel better about herself & have everyone else pay for the leg? So this horse will do what when it grows up.. nothing. It can not ride, it can not breed, it can maybe be a pasture playmate.

Thirdly- this is what happens when u have more money than brains honestly. Theres a situation in an online chat room that l am a regular in. The gal wants to adopt a dog, its a horrible family situation, neither parent is a parent to 3 kids because they r both on the internet at the same time in the same room. But they do not have the $350 to pay for the dog which was attacked by coyotes & repaired. So shes begging for donations for it. What happens when the dog needs something, she can not afford it? Same as this situation, if u have to beg for 4K, what happens when the next leg is needed, more begging, if she does not get the money then what?

Ok, l am done ranting
EDIT- to the poster below me.. if my child was born without arms, yes l would get prostethsis's. The difference is.. not only is that my child & a human but that child does not walk on those arms & is not at risk for blowing out the good arm from laminitis due to added weight strain. Even if my child was born without legs.. u bet, kids can use crutches to take the added weight strain off the healing appendage. Horses just do not have that luxury.. ie- Barbaro.

Honestly, l think it is a great idea. It is very worth it because she saved this Peggy Sue is life! If u found out that ur child (in womb l mean) did not have arms, would u abort it just because u did not have the funds to get her prosthetic arms? But it is not so wise because she does not have the correct amount of funds. Still, l am very proud that this person had the heart to save the horse is life & even made a fundraiser from selling candles. Remember, at least she can walk, & l am pretty sure she can still lay down & get up, though rolling & running would probably be a problem. Are u saying it would be better if she was dead than alive with only a chance of getting a new prosthetic leg every time she grows?
P.S. l do think it is stupid that she is asking money from the public.

My vote lies with the ''If the owners could afford it, go for it'' camp. This is going to be an ongoing expense, for a horse that will serve no purpose other than (possibly, with a lot of luck & money) be an inspiration to others. l do not know what her quality of life is now, but l can imagine what it is going to be. l can not see how they will keep her comfortable & safe when she is 1000 pounds & wants to buck & play. l am all for encouraging public awareness of rescues & humane treatment of animals, but when u r begging donations u r not in a position to do this. Donate the mare to a University & let her be cared for & used as a teaching tool. Then at least some good will come from this, & not just kudos from the bunny-huggers of the world that want to save all animals no matter what the cost.

Absolutely awful. l grew up on a farm, and if anything was in even half that amount of pain and discomfort it would be shot on the spot.

l do not think it will work & l would not do it myself.

HOWEVER. Efforts like this do serve a purpose in advancing medical science. Vets learned so much from Barbaro is case; they will learn more from fillies like this one. She is an unusual case, in that she is young enough to learn to handle a prosthetic & light enough, now, for healing to occur before the weight is too much. This is the scientific process at its best - they did not induce the injury, as so often is the case in animal research, but it is an opportunity to both benefit the animal & learn in order to benefit other animals.

She is young enough that she may be able to learn to do those horse things like rolling & playing; & the vets & biomed engineers may have time to develop better prosthetics as she grows.

Reading the linked article, l see that they have addressed the pain issue & r keeping it under control.

l have no problem with them giving the filly & science a chance, & if the bleeding hearts want to donate to this kind of research at least that is more productive than rehabbing adult pitbulls who have been fought.

Good Luck to them!


Edit: The woman in the article did not own the filly when the injury occured.

l definitely would have had the colt put down when the accident happened. l wonder what sort of veterinarian would not have suggested that putting the animal out of a lifetime of misery is best. That is foolish to ask people for money for this cause when there are hungry people walking our streets!

l know people who regularly donate to specific rescue groups. It is great if u have the money to spare, but what u have to ask is the reason folk donate.

Locally, we have our own rescue & most of us when we see the manure from the stalls spilling out onto the road, wonder WTF is this woman doing?

Or when they went to bury a horse & cut phone service to most of us for several days during the heat of the summer.

http://nadialanehorses.com/3.html

Take a look & remember it is been cleaned up for pictures!

geez this is difficult to answer. . if the owner could not take care of the foal properly when she had 4 good legs, what makes her think she will be able to care for an animal with a prosthesis. does she have any idea the time this is going to take everyday when she gets the filly home?? from past experience,everything is wonderful in the hospital. then u take the horse home & u have to keep the sterile conditions (so u dont contaminate the site & maybe get an infection)that were at the hospital. they have a TEAM to work on the horse (all day long-around the clock )of vets & 4th year students. stall rest,hand walking,injections,wrapping.etc.plus this is a FOAL.( so very easy to keep quiet) her other hind leg will probably founder, & perhaps the 2 front legs. she will get ulcers from oral meds all the time, & she will have to be treated for that also. . actually its not fair to the foal. but we r not the owners & she has to make the decesion.

Sorry folks, but l am a hard hearted b*tch.

What sort of useful life is this horse going to have? Absolutely none. It is not going to be able to be ridden, a show career is well out as a prosthesis has no conformation, & as for breeding? Come off it. There is no purpose for the horse other than as a mascot - an idea which is sick in itself.

Yeah $4000 is a fair whack of money, but it is not unachievable as savings - it is not a crazy distant sum, it is not millions. If someone can not afford to scrape, scrimp, & give up their holidays to raise a few grand for vets fees they're not fit to own horses. l am not saying that u must be well-off to have a horse, but u must be realistic. It is not going to be $4000 & that is it, the horse is fixed & able to carry on a normal life. It is never going to have a normal life, & it is never going to get away from the vets fees.

What happens if something happens to the owners? Nobody is going to take on a useless horse, no matter how many birthday parties it goes to. When u have animals u have to think out every possible outcome. If one of my horses got stuck & tore their leg in the fence right down to the ligament, I'd throw emotion out the window in favour of common sense - no doubt about it, I'd have the horse put to sleep.

Cute filly no doubt but if it was in my barn and this accident happened from WIRE no doubt, which l do not have, she would have been put down in a instant. l cannot say much more cause MR said it all. This is the problem with rescues, they never know when to stop. Too many animals out there need homes that are 100% capable and those are the ones being done wrong by saving thoses that are uncapable.

she will be in pain, & sad just knowing she is not normal because it hurts so much when she tries to move.. really. they should put her down. That is using a horse past humane point. mascots involve always walking & meeting people. thats not right for a horse that will be in so much pain just doing that. Not right.. l would write to them, sending them the link to this question page, telling them to read the different opinions. this should give them different views & hopefully make them change their minds.

Fugly hit on this one today. l agree totally...if the Jacksons wanted to spend a gazillion of their OWN DOLLARS on the attempt to save Barbaro..that was THEIR business, & it was fine. But, when a person can not afford it, & it is going to be an ongoing problem with a very poor prognosis for good quality of life..online begging for other people to pay for THEIR problem..it is WRONG. Sorry, it is wrong. When my gelding twisted his colon & we were given an estimate of $5K for surgery if he made it through, it was our problem & our decision..(he took the decision out of our hands & died before we arrived at the surgical facility). On the way up there we discussed how we were going to come up with the $$$, but ''cyberbegging'' was not part of the discussion. It is terribly hard to look an animal in the eyes that is still eating, drinking, & active, & say '' l am sorry, l can not fix this.'' & do the right thing & let them go. But sometimes it is the right answer. As mule said..there r thousands of unwanted horses that have nothing wrong with them other than needing a home. This poor little thing would be much better off out of her pain.

l would have put it down before it even got out of the fence. something like this is cruel. she wont be able to do anything. Mulereiner is 100% correct. l have seen horses put down for alot less.

If this were a perfect world fine try & save the filly. There r thousands of perfectly healthy trained horses out there that r going for slaughter. Why spend $4000.00 of donors money to try & save a low grade filly. She will never have a normal life & who will see that she is looked after for the rest of her life. That amount of money could be better spent retraining qualty horses bound for slaughter & having them rehomed. Euthanasia administered by a vet is not painful. Even a well placed bullet would be kinder in the long run.