Mounted search and rescue

["IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>]

There was an epidemic of EIA (30% fatality from disease, 100% fatality from the test for it) in SE PA around 1989-90.  Out of close to 15000 head in the 5 county region 50 or so were positive for the disease and were eventually destroyed.  The inability to move horses off their home properties and the reluctance of owners to leave home led to total shut down of the horse industry in the area.  The only volunteer mounted unit in the area was dismounted and effectively shut down for 2 years after. Ironically, the initial carrier case was a racehorse, supposedly tested and cleared for the disease as it traveled the region from track to track.

 

Quarantine is an effective way to keep a disease from spreading.  But it must be tempered with high quality diagnostics to assure that the horse or farm being quarantined actually has the disease.  The only legal screen for EIA tests for anti-bodies, not the disease itself.  Horses with symptoms can test negative because they have not yet developed any anti-bodies and vice versa.  And many are so scared by a disease that they just ship the animals to a canner without tests because tests are reported to the authorities and may result in yellow quarantine signs going up.

 

Current rules here are that the owner pays for the quarantine.  The only off premises quarantine system in place in my county is for rabies suspected small mammals where a dog owner has to pay the SPCA for 6 months of care up front.  There is also a US$300 fine for not having a rabies vaccination and since you can’t get a dog license without a certificate they get the US$300 for no dog license. The idea is that getting the shot and a license is a lot cheaper so smart people will get a free shot at a SPCA rabies clinic and fill out the license form for about $10-15. 

 

In cruelty cases where the judge has granted custody of the animals to the SPCA or a humane society agent, the owner of record is still responsible for board and vet care bills. The SPCA often has a vet out several times a week to check on abused animals in its care, and spends donations on feed without limit.  The frequent result is that the owner signs over the animals to get out from under the bills, regardless of the legal outcome or the necessity of care given. The most egregious case was a humane agent who seized 40 head and the highway trailer they were in because it was a double decker, legal in interstate shipping but not legal inside the state.  The fine was around $100 per horse, the horses had been acquired at auction for under $500 each, and the bills from the humane agent were over $1000 per horse per month.  All the horses eventually were donated to a “rescue” where they were rescued at around $750 each donated to the rescue by caring new owners.   

 

Irv Lichtenstein

 

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From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Paul
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 6:08 PM
To: MSAR-Riders@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [MSAR] E.I. down under