Tuesday, April 27, 2010

CASTRATION BLUES: JUST DEAL WITH IT, and other BLM Classics

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5 comments:

  1. Sucostrin is not also Ketamine. Sucostrin or succinylcholine is different than Ketamine. And it makes a HUGE difference to me as a veterinarian which one was used. It is very common to use Rompun & Ketamine & you are correct in saying it is most effective to allow the animal to get ataxic - let the Rompun kick in prior to giving the Ketamine. Sucostrin is a whole different ball of wax. Please be clear which drug was used - it makes a huge difference. I have not heard of anyone using Sucostrin for years. I have castrated 4 yearling colts in the last 3 weeks & am thrilled to say, none of them are going/or have gone through anything like what this mustang is experiencing (thoughI have had some do a lot more poorly than others) But this mustang needs be addressed. he is clearly in distress & he deserves to be treated.

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    2. Thank you for your question: sorry it has taken me so long to answer! Yes, it was indeed sucostrin, along with Rompun (xylazine) and ketamine. Quoting from a report by Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) then-chief veterinarian Dr. Eric Davis,

      "The anesthesia protocol used consisted of administering succinylcholine at a dose of approximately 40 mg IV while the horse was restrained in the chute. The chute was then opened and the horse walked out into a sand paddock in front of the squeeze. The horse became recumbent within seconds. The legs were tied (left front to left hind and right front to right hind). Once it was established that the horse was breathing, xylazine and ketamine were administered IV, to provide unconsciousness and short term analgesia."

      I would be glad to email you the full report. You can contact me at SingingRider@gmail.com.
      I am starting a new blog at wildhorsetimes.com, which will soon be kept more current.

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  2. Elyse, Thanks for your details and and also for the court review. I see all these beautiful colts, already shedding out, gelded and unable to contribute to the future generations and I can only conclude that this is a waste; overkill and beyond. 230 foals!! Someone has counted!! I am glad to hear there are so many and can see them in my mind's eye being released with their mothers and learning the ways of their families. If you can see it then it may be so. Take care, mar

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  3. Elyse...

    I'm going to college soon and plan to minor in wildlife conservation/biology. For a while now I've been putting together a project of sorts that I believe would bring awareness to the cause and hopefully encourage a change in the BLM's methods.

    Here's what I'm thinking: One of the BLM's big go-to excuses is that the wild horses are decimating the land, yet the data they use to support this claim is a bit sketchy... so what if I rally a bunch of students to go down to these so-called barren areas? What if we could meet with local botanists and biologists and assess the situation honestly and openly? And if the ranges really are in horrid conditions, what if we committed ourselves to working with these professionals to start the biggest cross-state planting project ever?

    The media loves to see college students getting involved in the community, so there's where the awareness would come from. A project of this nature would show that future generations do care about what goes on in their world and are not going to sit by and let someone make the decisions for them.

    From what I've read on this issue, the BLM does not like to be questioned about its data or state its sources... but if this project really got going, there would be a bigger demand for the veritability of that information, and the BLM would no longer be able to operate behind public view. This, hopefully, would bring about the change.

    I understand that the biggest changes will have to happen through legislature, but simply writing letters doesn't seem like enough. I'm worried that by the time anyone in office agrees that something is wrong here, it will be too little too late. At the very least, I believe this project would benefit the communities by increasing their native plant population, and serve as an inspiration to people (and kids) who believe they have little say in what goes on in the world. No one should ever feel like the situation is out of their hands because their opinion isn't important enough to matter.

    But before I can do anything, I need honest opinions. Do you have any advice or warnings for me, or know anyone that could provide assistance? It would take a year or two at the earliest before I'd be able to do this (I'd need to gather travel expenses, secure accommodation, etc), but I want to make sure my project outline is as realistic as possible and that the outcome would be worth the time of myself and everyone involved. I wholeheartedly welcome any input on this project from you and your readers.

    Thank you.

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