Was it necessary to euthanize Eight Belles? Do you really have to put a horse down when they have broken legs

Question

I'm sure broken legs would take away a horse's future chances at racing, but perhaps they could still be mended and make a great horse for someone. It seems very sad to put them down when we have such great technology to repair breaks, torn ligaments, etc.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, long bone fractures in horses are almost impossible to heal.  Their bones have difficulty remodeling and poor circulation.  The healing process can be very painful and traumatic to the horse.  More often than not, healing is complicated by a condition called Laminitis which has been mentioned on this post previously.

Answer 2

A horse is an animal. It wants to walk and feed. You cant put two casts on a horse and ask him to lay still for 2 months. It's worse to try and save the horse then put it to sleep.

Answer 3

Read up on laminitis.

The bones aren't the problem.  The blood circulation while the horse is recovering is the problem.  The complications that arise while a horse is keeping weight off of its healing legs because of compromised blood circulation is the problem.  The complications of laminitis that are associated wtih compromised blood circulation - which can include such fun things as the toe bone of the horse sinking through the sole of the foot and out into the open air underneath - are the problem.

So which is better?  To force a horse to undergo months of painful treatment and recovery, when there's a good chance that in eight months he's going to have to be euthanized anyway because he developed laminitis in his remaining good legs?  Or to humanely euthanize her while she's on the track?

You decide.

Answer 4

Unfortunately horses spend all their time on their feet, which they can't do with broken legs.  If by some miracle you could get the breaks to heal, they would be at risk forever for more breaks.  Their leg bones aren't that much bigger than ours but their weight is alot more.

Answer 5

Eight Belles would have made a lot of money for her owners as a broodmare.  The money and the love for the horse weren't the reason that they put her down.  When you have a horse with 1 broken leg, it's possible to fix it... it's still risky, but depending on how serious the fracture, it's possible to fix it.  They tried with Barbaro and they managed to mend his leg, but he died of a complication known as laminitis which was caused by his unequal distribution of weight to his legs.  Since a horse weighs so much, they can't lie down for a long time like people can.  When a person breaks their leg, they can stay in bed.  However, if you make a horse lie down even for a few hours, it cuts off their circulation and stops their organs from functioning.  It's because they weigh 1000 pounds.  Think about how you feel if you sit on your leg for 10 minutes and your leg falls asleep... or if you lie down on the floor for a half hour on your stomach... then your stomach starts to hurt.  Think about that times 100 and that's what happens to a horse.

Eight Belles' case was even more serious because she broke both of her front legs.  horses put 70% of their weight on their front legs.  When Barbaro got hurt, he fractured a back leg.  He developed laminitis in his other back leg from putting too much weight on that leg.  Then when they took the cast off, he developed an abcess in his back leg, so both of his back legs hurt him so he was standing with too much weight on his front legs and that caused him to develop laminitis in both of his front legs.  He was left without a good leg to stand on.  Eight Belles would have been in enormous pain on both front legs and It's almost certain that she'd end up with laminitis in both back legs.  1 leg is fixable, but 2 broken legs are not fixable.  Our technology is getting much more sophisticated, but the current problem is that we cannot find a cure or a way to prevent laminitis.  We can mend bones... Barbaro walked without his cast on... we had fixed his leg.  but laminitis is the real killer.  Please donate to the Barbaro memorial fund to help find a cure for laminitis!

Answer 6

Unfortunately if the breaks are bad yes you have to put them down.

Answer 7

You should read this article and see why horses are put down..

This article referred to the barbaro story but so you get the idea

http://www.slate.com/id/2142159/

Answer 8

It's generally best for the horse & the pocketbook.  Not to mention peace of mind.  Horses are very intuitive & sensitive creatures.  If one among them is in extreme pain, the others feel it & it tends to make the barn a not so great place to live and work in.  It's something that a person just can't understand or comprehend unless they are a part of the racing industry.

Answer 9

I just got off the web looking at how horses can very well be saved after a tramatic injury like the one Eight Belles suffered today. I am NOT a knowlegable horse person but I truely love animals and I was watching the race with my 8 and 10 yr. olds. I had to try and explain to them why they killed her,I have a history with western riding and barrel racing so there is something there. Honestly i will NEVER watch the Kentcky Derby again b/c of this. These people in racing have more money than god and the mere fact they are not willing to give this horse a chance makes me want to vomit. There is surgery and rehab just like any other athelete. It is a sad day for the world of horses. It's obviously all about the money. I have seen so many horses go on to lead great lives in green pastures loving just being alive. I guess the atheletes in the olympics had better be weary, they could be next. She deserved a chance,now we'll never know what could have been. My final question is was there adequate care? It seems to me that she should have been in tip top shape for this race? Did some one miss a stress fracture? Are the vets really taking care of these horses? Or are they being bullied by the money hungry owners, trainers, and riders?

Answer 10

What is most important here, is the fact that she broke both front ankles.  Most fractures can be repaired, although the athletic career for the horse will be over, but they do heal and our methods of fracture repair are as advanced as they are in human medicine.  The problem happens with the non-fractured limb that can get laminitis or "founder."  thats when the bone inside of the hoof loses its attachment to the inside of the hoof and sinks or rotates through the sole.  Each fracture has to be evaluated and the chance of success depends on whether the fracture is compound, how many fragments there are, and the location of the break.  In this case, she had bilateral (both front limbs) compound fractures.  when this happens, there is no way to splint two fractures like this to even get her in the ambulance and to surgery.  This was a no-brainer decsion on the track vet's part and the best thing for this wonderful mare.  She will be missed.

B. Dubynsky D.V.M.

equine veterinarian

Answer 11

Remember Barbaro?  

Horses aren't people, you can't reason with them to calm down, it'll be okay.  All they know is this HURTS and then they freak out and hurt themselves worse.

What kind of life would they have in a sling, like Barbaro did.  They're CRIPPLED they won't be even a decent horse for anyone.  

The technology you refer to is for people.  We simply can't perform the same types of things on a huge animal, there really is no other choice.

Eight Belles was absolutely tragic, and a situation that is too common because of the inbreeding of these animals.  You see it with German Shepherds and other dogs and hip displaycia.  In order to breed this great horse, they inbreed them [not so much now but historically...] and their faults come out.

Answer 12

RIP

Answer 13

Even in the horse world, there's not a cure-all. In fact, horses like Eight Bells and Barbaro who are at the top are most often owned by very wealthy people, and have a better chance than any other type of horse to get the healthcare they need. No matter, there are still some things that can't be cured, and this is one of them. Believe me, if there was any hope of recovery, she would be alive. It is more economically feasible for her to be alive, you see?

Answer 14

They don't heal.  That's the problem.  The only sensible thing is to euthanize.

Answer 15

This was a hideous an injury as an equine athlete can suffer. The legs are very fragile and there would be no chance of recovery --- the type of breaks would be like snapping a twig from a tree.

Answer 16

I've search and searched and all the news stories talk about that she was euthanized, but not how (bullet, bolt, OD, etc.). Seems like a salient fact. Anyone know?

Answer 17

Being thoroughbreds means that they are hyper, and could never stay calm for the six weeks that it takes a bone to heal.  They tried it with Barbaro.  Most owners don't care because of insurance.  Why are stables and barns still made out of wood?

Answer 18

To answer the question of HOW the filly was euthanized, unfortunately in the horse world it is not an uncommon situation and track (as well as any other equine vets) normally use an injected sedative, followed by another injection of a massive dose of barbituates, which depress respiration and cardiac function until the horse is no longer alive.  This was the method used to euthanize Eight Belles, and as horrible a tragedy as it was, I have spent 20+ years around many types of horses and have unfortunately seen them euthanized for various reasons (colic, untreatable leg injuries, etc.) and can say that, at least from a humane standpoint, that it appears to be a painless, 'humane' death, and much better than a bullet or captive bolt to the head.  I am certainly not defending the racing industry, and perhaps when they go back to breeding for stamina and strength rather than the instant gratification of fast money by running 3 year old horses, we will see fewer horses in need of humane destruction due to catastrophic track injuries, but in this instance the damage was done, and the method of euthanasia used caused this great filly no additional pain.  It's the same process used (only on a larger scale) as when older or terribly injured cats and dogs are put to sleep, and as horrible as it must be, I like to think that if the time ever came when my own companion horse had no quality of life, I would make the same decision for him and allow him to go peacefully.  The world lost a racing great today, and it is very sad to think of what this filly could have accomplished in her lifetime.

Answer 19

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/v...