A donkey with a severe sarcoid is recovering after welfare charities stepped in to get him the specialist veterinary care he needed to survive.
Skye, an eight-year-old skewbald who was living on the grounds of a distillery in Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, had a large sarcoid on his chest that needed urgent veterinary attention.
A local groom and volunteers looked after Skye and a pony he lived with, after their owner could no longer care for them. They were told by a vet that Skye would need specialist surgery and dedicated aftercare, owing to the severity of the sarcoid. A combination of all these factors meant that it was suggested the “only option” could be to put the donkey down.
Horsetalk.co.nz A seismic day for animal welfare in Britain: Maximum jail terms jump for worst offences
A campaign by animal welfare organisations in Britain has resulted in a major increase in the maximum sentence for the most serious animal cruelty offences.
The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act has completed its final reading in the House of Lords and has received Royal Assent, meaning sentences for animal cruelty will increase from a maximum of six months to five years.
The charity World Horse Welfare said it warmly welcomed the passage of the long-awaited bill.
It has been part of a coalition of leading animal welfare organisations that have been pushing Britain’s parliament to increase penalties.
Horsetalk.co.nz New careers abound for OTTBs, but owner awareness lacking
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Making racehorse owners aware of the options available for their thoroughbreds after racing is one of the hurdles facing aftercare providers.
The importance of promotion of aftercare providers was emphasised during the third session of the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses’ (IFAR) virtual conference series last week.
Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance operations consultant Stacie Clark and Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of its Thoroughbred Incentive Program, described the path from the racetrack to placement into accredited aftercare programs. They emphasized the importance of these organizations’ promoting themselves and communicating to the Thoroughbred industry that they exist so that horse owners are aware of the retirement options for their former racehorses.
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The third session of the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) virtual conference series concluded Tuesday following speeches on the various paths for Thoroughbreds in different countries at the conclusion of their racing careers. This session was the third in a series of four webinars that compose the 2021 IFAR Conference.
The webinar, “Global Insights on Aftercare (Aftercare Providers, Equine Charities),” was moderated by Donna Brothers, who is part of the horse racing coverage team for NBC Sports in the United States. The list of speakers consisted of Stacie Clark, operations consultant, Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (U.S.); Lisa Coffey, founder and director, Racing Hearts (AUS); John Osborne, director of Equine Welfare and Bloodstock, Horse Racing Ireland; Dr. Ignacio Pavlovsky, veterinarian, owner, and breeder (ARG); and Kristin Werner, senior counsel, The Jockey Club, and administrator, Thoroughbred Incentive Program (U.S.).
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