Dahoss that picture is from Bloodhorse right now and the article is up there too. Sensational was Barbaro's Derby.

Really hesitated about chiming in here...but I will anyways.

I am a huge fan of this horse. When a great many of us were over on ESPN, I was begging for the Jackson's to keep this horse on the grass....thought he had the chance to be an incredibly special turf horse. I told anyone that would listen that he would be your Derby winner.

Call me a baby, but I cried for an hour after the Preakness....my heart had been broken. After he broke down, I was elated that he would be saved and hung on that prospect for an awfully long time. But, as more complications have begun to arise, I just continue to see ZERO quality of life in the near and distant future. Putting him down would be the correct thing to do, IMO.:(

Dahoss,
Very low. I didn't post it for a pat on the back and said as much from the beginning....Weak man.

Understood.

Im not a horsey person,
but why kill a horse with a good pedigree that has every chance to be a good stallion?

does he want to live?
I have no freaking clue and I could not care any less.

but if you can save him, then do it.
we need more than just El Prado as a top turf sire in this country.

The advances today are absolutley amazing horses that would have been put down 5 years ago are now treatable even broken legs can be fixed ( used to be instant death sentence) ive seen alot of horse injuries from ripped out legs to lighting strikes & it has allways amazed me the massive healing power of horses so i wouldnt be giving up on the horse just yet .One thing you can be absolutley sure of the vets treating the problem would not continue if they thought there was no hope or the the horse was in absolute pain.
Just wondering do they feed horses alot of sellium over there? laminitis is becomming quite rare down here.

the only thing i'm really thinking about all this is i sure hope the jacksons don't read this thread. they are living this on a daily basis. we can sit here and abstractly pronounce what should be done, or shouldn't. fact is, unless and until one of us is in this same situation, we don't have a clue what we would do.

hindsight is 20-20. we know NOW that barbaro has had setbacks. they didn't know going in that all this would happen. they knew there could be and probably would be complications.. looking back, it does seem like a lot...but that's when you encapsulate months and months into a few minutes of looking back....

also, dr richardson said that money was no object, that the jacksons would do this regardless of the horses real or perceived value-if this was all about money, barbaro would have been put down and insurance paid out.

the odds have been slim from day one. 5% when they discovered the laminitis.

fact is, if he survives a month, a year, or ten years-if he ends up passing due to the laminitis there will be posts galore saying 'see, he shoulda been put down'.

Good discussion. I don't know what the proper thing to do is. I am not degreed in veterenary science. Don't know pain thresholds of animals. Don't know how bad off he is. I honestly don't have a clue, and really have no opinion on this matter as I simply don't knwo enough about it. I did approve of the effort to save his life.

depends what part of the coutry you live in...certain areas like the Northeast and nrthwest have soil that is selenium deficient...and many people supplement (although they don't need to since local feed companies cater to the region and add it to their grain mixes)...other parts have adequate amounts in the soil, and there are places that actually have too much, areas of the southwest (New Mexico, Arizona) ...as selenium is toxic...

What does selenium do? (GR happily sits down at her school desk and prepares to learn something... :) )

if you're deficient, you can have intestinal disorders. also is believed to combat cancer in humans...

of course there is a connection between gastro-intestinal disorders and laminitis.

selenium is a supplement that is added to livestock feed....

here, i did a search.....

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/002414.htm

Thanks, Danzig! Very interesting.
(GR raises hand)
So, it's added to feed to try to prevent gastro-intestinal disorders? I see now what it does for (and to) humans, but how, specifically, does it benefit/adversely affect the equine?

did another search.....

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/s...cle.cfm?id=181

in a nutshell...


Clinically, selenium deficient horses will often 'tie-up,' a degenerative condition of the
muscles also known as rhabdomyolysis," says Dr. Scoggins. "It can affect the heart muscle,
the muscles of respiration, as well as the large muscles of the

back and limbs. It can also cause a decrease in the efficiency of the immune system, leading
to opportunistic infections."

A horse that has rhabdomyolosis will have severe muscle cramps resulting in sweating,
stiffness, and increased pulse. The breakdown of muscle cells can result in coffee-colored
urine. "Do not walk a horse that is tied up," stresses Dr. Scoggins.

That's REALLY interesting (I am always fascinated how different minerals and vitamins affect the body's workings). Thank you!

So if you shouldn't walk a horse that is tied up, what should one do?... Wait, I should go read the second article myself, huh? I'll go do that now. ;)

i don't think it says what you should do....

fluids and a blanket for starters i'd imagine. and call the vet.

back to google...