Preventing Colic Deaths

"If owners and veterinarians could catch all serious cases of colic within three to four hours, survival rates would go way up, and we would have finally taken steps to dramatically change how many horses are saved."
Read "Detecting Pain" by Anthony Blikslager, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS (TheHorse.com, free registration required)

Colic was the presumptive cause of the death last month of the 8-year-old carriage horse Clancy. However, the industry refused to release the cause of death, forcing the ASPCA to file a Freedom of Information Act to gain access to the veterinary records.

Animal cruelty (in particular, working sick animals) is not entertainment. In the view of NYC carriage drivers, however, efforts at early detection of colic and early and aggressive veterinary care would take a horse out of the workforce and cut into the profit margin of this cash business. NYC carriage horses receive infrequent veterinary care--this doesn't give them a fighting chance against colic.

Support Intro. 658/2007, the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. Ask your City Council member to co-sponsor this important bill. Take Action Now

Traffic and Other Risks to Carriage Horses

New York City carriage horses must travel up to 2 miles each way in heavy traffic to and from their cramped and dirty stables. And it certainly is true that this city never sleeps.

An equally serious health risk is colic--the #1 cause of death in horses. More than $115 million a year is spent on costs associated with loss of use, treatment, and death resulting from colic.

Unfortunately for New York's carriage horses, the risk of potentially deadly colic is higher for horses who do not have turnout and don't get adequate water--conditions that were observed among NYC carriage horses and described in the 2007 city comptroller's audit of the horse-drawn carriage industry.

Eating at irregular intervals or eating poorly (ie, grains) are known to contribute to equine colic, and stall confinement also contributes to a horse's risk of developing colic--the presumptive cause in the February 2008 death of Clancy, an 8-year-old New York City Carriage horse. The city health department refused to disclose the cause of Clancy's death, forcing the ASPCA to file a Freedom of Information Act to obtain the records.

Learn more about appropriate care of horses
Read about the inconsistencies that were revealed in the city audit of the industry (2007)
Agencies entrusted with oversight have "dropped the ball" (City Comptroller William C. Thompson as quoted by The New York Times, Sept. 6, 2007)
Humane Society of the United States: Latest death underscores importance of a ban (Feb. 14, 2008)
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) supports a ban (December 2007)
Why a ban on horse-drawn carriages is needed: Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages

Expert Opinion - Colic

"Horses with colic may need either medical or surgical treatments. Almost all require some form of medical treatment."--Merck Veterinary Manual, Colic in Horses

A New York City carriage died in its stable on Friday, February 8, and colic is said to be the presumptive cause. Colic is a major cause of death in adult horses, and a cause for ongoing vigilance. David Freeman, a specialist equine veterinarian at the University of Oklahoma, has cautioned that periods of intense exercise followed by periods when the horse is simply standing around--coupled with limits on the horse's access to small and infrequent amounts of water--increase risks of colic as well as heat stroke.

A horse with colic may show symptoms, the most of common of which include pawing repeatedly with a front foot, looking back at the flank region, curling the upper lip and arching the neck, repeatedly raising a rear leg or kicking at the abdomen.

The manifestations of colic--and the clinical evaluation of the extent of the disorder--are extremely complex. Yet the clinical examination is essential, owing partly to the necessity to differentiate colic from acute obstruction. Horses have relatively small stomachs, and they can neither vomit nor regurgitate, according to clinical texts. Caretakers must maintain a high index of suspicion for potentially deadly disorders such as colic. This requires keen insight. (And you've got to like horses, too.)

We are told repeatedly that the New York City horses are well tended, have plenty of water and high-quality food, and lotsa love. We're even supposed to believe that the horses get farm vacations.
Carolyn, was a vet even called? (No, I mean before the horse died in agony). I look forward to hearing your fancy version of this story. Here's a hint: it happened at the Clinton Park Stables on W. 52nd Street.

I have a morbid curiosity, and so I took a stroll along Central Park South today, looking for signs of drinking water. Why don't you do the same? Heck, let's all take a walk and check out the drinking water.

The Life and Death of Juliet

The death in September 2006 of Juliet has yet to be fully explained. The carriage horse died under mysterious circumstances that had prompted an investigation into the cause. After she collapsed, her owner, Antonio Provenzano, was seen striking her with a thin whip in an effort to get her back on her feet. Mr. Provenzano said he was acting on telephone orders from a veterinarian (perhaps on the assumption that the horse had colic, a scenario in which the horse would be better to stand up) and continued whipping his horse, even as onlookers yelled at him to stop. A police officer ordered Mr. Provenzano to stop the beating. However, mounted unit officers who arrived at the scene allowed him to continue whipping the horse. Employees of a hotel eventually came to the scene with a rug, on which Juliet was placed. She was then dragged into a police trailer and taken to West Side Livery Stables, where at 5 a.m. she died following several hours of treatment. A necropsy was ordered to determine why and how Juliet died. Mr. Provenzano and others had suggested that Juliet had collapsed from a heart attack, or perhaps colic. Notably, colic can be deadly in a horse and most cases require veterinary treatment.

Mr. Provenzano has moved on. Now he drives Benny. Hey, it's a job.

Read "For Central Park Carriage Horse, Death Arrives Inelegantly" (New York Times. Sept 16, 2006)
Read "A Life and Death Without Dignity" on the Friends of Animals Web site (Sept. 19, 2006)