Pet food companies in the United States cannot use horse meat, according to the Equine Protection Network, which is a group dedicated to making a difference for abused, neglected and slaughter-bound horses. The main reason for this is because U.S. companies make more profit by selling it to countries where people eat the meat.
This does not stop horse meat from making its way back into the United States as unspecific “animal” by-products, “animal” meal or “animal” digest.
“Animal” digest is the ramains of pretty much any part of any animal (blood, teeth, hair, spleen) from anywhere (roadkill, shelter animals, euthanized pets and horses, etc.). Cheaper dog foods contain by-products and animal digest (see my post on dog food ingredients).
The only way to be absolutely sure horse meat is not used in your dog’s food is to read the label. Look for dog foods with ingredients like lamb, duck and chicken. The first three ingredients should be specific proteins. Avoid dog foods with unspecific ingredients like “animal” by-products, “animal” meal and “animal” digest. and
The reason the horse meat issue came to my attention was because legislators in North Dakota are sponsoring a bill that could lead to the building of the only horse slaughterhouse in the United States.
A North Dakota plant would slaughter horses.
I know this is totally unrelated to dogs, but as an animal lover, the headline “Plant may slaughter horses …” in Saturday’s issue of The Forum caught my attention.
Let me say that I am not a horse person. I’ve never owned a horse, I’ve gone riding maybe five times in my life, and I’m actually a little scared of horses. What bothers me is that horses can be slaughtered in our country and the way it would be done.
The EPN describes on its web site the way horses were killed in our country up to 2007 when the last two U.S. horse slaughterhouses closed.
First the horses were hit in the forehead until they were (hopefully) unconscious. Then their hind legs were shackled and the horses were lifted into the air upside down to have their throats sliced.
This all happened after the horses were shipped for sometimes thousands of miles and then lined up into the slaughterhouses, hearing and seeing their fellow horses being hit in the head and bleeding, according to a PETA forum. Of course, this is how pigs and cattle are also inhumanely killed in our country, but I won’t even get into that.
I hate to think of how horses are killed in Mexico and Canada, which is where the U.S. currently ships its horses for slaughter. Something tells me that if you are going to be slaughtered, you’re better off being killed in the United States than in Mexico where horses are stabbed to death, according to the EPN (just do a YouTube search for “horse slaughter”).
In 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an act to ban horse slaughtering. But it failed in the Senate, making it still legal in our country, according to The Forum.
The North Dakota plant would slaughter horses that are no longer used for recreation, farming or racing, said The Forum. Slaughtered horses are used for meat, gelatin, glue, pet food and leather products, according to the article.
I could not find any pet food brands that admittedly use horse meat. Instead, general words such as “animal” by-product and “animal” digest are used. This could be any animal.
Would you care if your dog’s food had horse meat in it? What’s your opinion on slaughtering horses, and should it be done in our country or elsewhere?
Discuss this issue further at ThatMutt.com’s new dog forum – What are your thoughts on slaughtering horses in the U.S.?
The photos are from a horseback riding trip I took with friends in Costa Rica a few years ago, one of the few experiences I have with horses.
For more information on what is found in pet foods, check out my raw food page which explains why dry food is unhealthy for my dog.
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There have been alot of points made about this and everyone will alwase have there own opinion but i have been studing this for 2 years now and because of that i quit eating meat. just amagen with me for a moment.
you are a year or to old and in the prime of life. YOu are in a cage and have been sints you were born. you are to big to turn around now. you must stand or lay in your little cage for the rest of your life. you remember your mother and siblings and you wish they were here, not the stupid gross guy in the cage next to you he keeps biting you so now you have scars all over your back. but you cant see them because you are coverd in your own shit. but someone comes down the little isle and lets you out your so happy to get to move you try to run but you cant you dont no how you have never gotten to run in your hole life. but even though you keep falling you are happy but then they load you in a trailer with a ton of others and you get in fights with them and your coverd in blood because none of you have ever bein socholized. the coverd in blood you get dragged out of the dark trailer that you have bein in for maby months and your eyes are burned by the light but your happy when they put you in a nother cage away from the pigs you are there for two days and they dont feed you or water you and your realy hungry. then you are hurded up in to a room with all the meanies agen. but one by one you are run thew a shoot and they lay a matel arm agenst your side and its cold one second later you feel and electroc shock run threw your entire body and you fall limp in a trance in pane but you come out seconds later so you can feel the large metel macheine picking you up by your hind legs and you fight it when you are up side down you feel a cold blade agenst your throught they slice your throught and you die thats all you were ever born for was to die so humans can eat you . you a pig are now dead hanging from the machiene being cut apart so humans can eat you.
this is the life story of meny pigs hows it eny diffrent then what they do to horses. horses die so we can eat pigs die so we can eat cows die so we can eat. what is the diffrence it is all wrong. some may say its the circle of life or the food chain but i dont think it is because animals raised for slauter howses on feed lots are raised in small cages and never get a chance to run we breed animals so we can kill and eat there young how is this right that is why i dont eat meat or eaven where leather if i can help it. just think and dont put your needs infront of an animals there alive to.
Thanks for your comment Amber. I think many people agree with you. I don’t eat most meat for the reasons you described.
If you want meat in your diet, then buy meat from animals that have lived a healthy, humane life. The meat will be healthier for you anyway.
I like horses a lot. But I don’t mind seeing unwanted horses going to slaughter for pet food and what not. It keeps the costs of dog food from matching the price of our steaks.
It’s the way they are killed that I have an issue with. Thanks for sharing your opinion.
thats so mean. I dont believe in that stuff. I think it is crull. Even if the animal is dead
I LOVE HORSES AND I THINK IT IS WRONG FIND ANOTHER THING TO PUT IN DOG FEED
Thanks for your comment.
Horse meat is unfit for humans to eat.
Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 48, Issue 5, May 2010, Pages 1270-1274
Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: A public health risk
Nicholas Dodman, Nicolas Blondeau, Ann M. Marini
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6P-4YF5RB0-1&_user=10&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2010&_alid=1317753422&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=5036&_sort=r&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=4&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=2f8a2c55a559e5963d0f1e02b682319c
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – prohibited as well Phenylbutazone, known as “bute,” is a veterinary drug only label-approved by the Food & Drug Administration for use by veterinarians in dogs and horses. It has been associated with debilitating conditions in humans and it is absolutely not permitted for use in food-producing animals. USDA/FSIS has conducted a special project to for this drug in selected bovine slaughter plants under federal inspection. An earlier pilot project by FSIS found traces less than 3% of the livestock selected for testing, sufficient cause for this special project. There is no tolerance for this drug in food-producing livestock, and they and their by-products are condemned when it is detected. Dairy producers must not use this drug in food-producing livestock and if it is found, those producers will be subject to FDA investigation and possible prosecution.
http://www.saanendoah.com/prohibiteddrugs.html
Horse Owner Survey Shows NSAID Use Trends
by: Edited Press Release
April 30 2009, Article # 14073
In a recent survey, 96% of respondents said they used nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to control the joint pain and
inflammation in horses, and 82% administer them without always
consulting their veterinarian. More than 1,400 horse owners and trainers
were surveyed to better understand attitudes toward NSAIDs, in a project
sponsored by Merial, the maker of Equioxx (firocoxib).
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=14073
99 percent of horses that started in California last year raced on bute, according to Daily Racing Form. Bute is banned in the United States and Canada for horses intended for the food chain. That’s a permanent ban.
Thanks for the info, Tom. This is a good reminder of all the chemicals, drugs, hormones, etc. that end up in “meat” legally allowed in pet food. Sure, it is “unfit” for humans to eat, but there are few regulations about what goes into pet food. I highly suggest that everyone switch their dogs and cats to a natural or organic brand of food.
http://www.thatmutt.com/2009/10/19/best-dog-food-ingredients/
hello, i have to state my opinion here, being a horse lover, breeder, and running an equine rescue and retirment ranch, feeding these horses to our pets, in my eyes, in 100% wrong. i love ALL animals and do not agree in any way shape or form with the way they are treated. it is cruel, very very cruel.. even the way our “meat animals” are raised and killed. what many dont realize is that where the cattle mainly are raised from the start in cramped and cruel conditions (which again is never right, and should be corrected) the horses sent to slaughter are more than often our loving pets and companions until people get sick of them, they get too old, or we outgrow that equines size so then people just throw them away and what happens just happens. these horses often referred to as “dumb animals” serve their entire lives to us and do as we wish normally with no complaint as long as they are treated properly. they win us money at shows and rodeos, grow with us and our children, and all around are part of the family again until we grow sick of them. this is going to step on toes and i am sorry but this must be asked as im sure theres another that thinks the way i do, would you send your human family member to slaughter when they are ill, hurt, old or just not useful any longer? i think not. im not saying its right to raise innocent animals for slaughter because its not right by any means, the industry should start raising the slaugher stock right and humanely but it wont ever happen. but maybe if enough complain, they may possibly being to raise them right and kill them right, make sure they are dead before bleeding them out. anyways, ive ranted enough for now… thanks for reading.
Thanks Mary. I am totally in agreement with you.
I am only a young horse lover, and last school semester, I wrote a persuasive on treating horses with respect. I am only twelve and there is a lot I can do. Although, I don’t own a cat or dog, I do own a Japanese Fighting Fish, but that is another story for another time. I agree with Samantha, and Lisa S., but, I do not agree with Waltraut Krause. He or she must be a horse hater.
Agreed.
For anyone who wants to see the cruelty first hand, just go to YouTube and search “horse slaughter.” The videos make me sick so I am not posting them on my blog. But feel free to do the search if you don’t believe how inhumanely horses are treated.
OH MY GOD! I’m beyond shocked by this post!!! I don’t know how people can be this way… there’s no doubt that that’s exactly the reason why this world is the way it is and that’s EXACTLY why I feed my Poodle Holistic dog food… this is SICK.
Canada has 6 or 7 slaughterhouses and kills them for Asian countries and a few European countries. They claim to kill them humanely, but they allow 5% of all killings (throat slit)to happen while the animal is still conscious!!!! So disgusting.
Canada and Mexico are both exploiting and torturing our animals. Not to mention that most of the horses have medicine and antibiotics in them – they’re not fed the same as cattle. Have fun, unethical “gourmet” eaters.
Thank you for your comment, Eduardo. Your poodle is lucky to eat holistic dog food.
Donna, it’s terrible what goes on in those slaughterhouses. We don’t even know how bad it is. Thanks for your comment.
i think if you site peta as a credible source for animal treatment it completely makes anything you write about invalid. peta is nothing but a bunch of eco-terrorists that stage “undercover videos” and euthanize animals by the thousands that are adoptable. they are not in it for the animals. they’re in it for the publicity…..
I hesitated to use PETA as a source because I know there are people who do not believe a word PETA reports. Still, if you say you disagree with PETA because you are concerned that it kills so many animals, you must be concerned for the poor horses and other animals that are being slaughtered inhumanely.
Um I don’t see how u can be okay with eating regular meat and be completely against horse meat. THEY ARE ALL TORTURED AND KILLED THE SAME. It is so disturbing and I can’t belive some of the sick things that go on to these poor animals. They don’t even gey a say, they have no choice no way to fight it, they are helpless and I wish we could all see how horrible it really is and become vegetarians. Even if u don’t have a heart and don’t care for animals there are a million and one reasons not to eat/support it. Hormones going into your body, the enviornment being destroyed from slaughterhouses, the economy and all money used to raise them just to be killed, etc. Obviously my opinion on this issue is clear that I do not agree with horses being killed for pet food, or for any reason at all, along with all other animals.
Thank you for your comment. I agree with you. I am a (mostly) vegetarian because it bothers me how the animals are treated before they reach our dinner plates. Not just horses, but cows, pigs, chickens, etc. It’s terrible. But good points about how unhealthy it can be to eat meat considering it is full of hormones, dyes, etc. If you are going to eat meat, definitely buy the highest quality, organic meat.
I have dogs, cats and horses. And no, I don’t care if my dogs or cats were to eat horse meat in their food. Let me explain the truth as a horse owner.
Just as dogs and cats are bred irresponsible, so are horses. It is not uncommon for an irresponsible horse owner to pasture their mares together with a stud and end up with a pasture full of unusable horses after a few years. It goes without saying that these horses go without proper medical care and proper training. Since the slaughter sales have ended there is no outlet for these animals now. I live in North Carolina and will give you a couple of examples of what is happening here.
For the most part, horse traders and or owners use to take the old, sick or otherwise unusable horses to the slaughter sale where they were purchased by the pound. Although that sounds cruel it was a necessity. Now, you have to be careful of taking any horse to the sale because when you exit you will find horses that did not sell abandoned and tied to your trailer. Also, because horses are obviously more expensive to keep than your average pet dog, people simple cannot afford to maintain them so they are starving to death and going without proper care. So what’s worse, killing a horse and keeping it in the food chain or torturing it through starvation and disease?
It is so easy to jump on a band wagon and join a cause but in this case it is a matter of choosing between two evils. I wish more slaughter houses would open if only to put an end to the cruelty going on in the horse world today. And by the way, keep in mind that the next hamburger, chicken or sausage you eat came to you via the death of an animal, a death no different from what the horses would experience.
Dawn, thank you for your comment. I certainly can’t argue with you. Very good points. I live in North Dakota, and I always hear of horses that are abandoned and left to starve or they just simply are not cared for and the owner just doesn’t feed them while continuing to live on the property. Unfortunately this is reality as people can’t afford their horses.
That being said, I do not believe it is OK to slaughter any animal the way it is done in our country. Shooting an animal and killing it instantly is one thing. Hoisting it upside down and slitting its throat is another.
As long as they are handled in a humane manor. They are no better than any other animal.
The problem is, like pigs, cows, chickens, etc., they are not handled humanely.
i hate that place. i get that we all eat meat but you don’t have to be so cruel.
I agree.
i hate what they are doing but i get that everyone this to eat meat but don’t that so cruel
i think that horses have feelings to and that we can find some other f’n animal to kill! wild horses or just horses are the best animla the bible says that god is going to ride down on a white HORSE!!! we are killing gods creation! if they do not stop i am going the jack slap them and then drop kick them! and this is coming from a 13 year old and i am so mad!
STOP HORSE MILLS NOW!!
Wow you are a stupid child, grow up. The bible says to honor all living things, not just people and horses! just because you think thEy are “cuter” than pigs or cows means we should’nt eat them? That’s just DUMB! But anyone that believes in that bible-thumping nonsense is obviously braindead anyway… Oh and hey, SANTA ISNT REAL EITHER!
Thanks for your comment, Cora!
I am a vegetarian and have been one for almost 7 years now. That being said, why is it such a big deal to use horse meat? How many millions of cows get slaughtered on a regular basis where people do not make a fuss about it?
I agree with you. I don’t see a difference. It’s just that people are more emotionally attached to horses and see them as pets, kind of like dogs. Fewer people care about cows, pigs, chickens, etc. I think that’s too bad. They all suffer.
1. Animals rights groups like PETA, HSUS and ASPCA pressure the USDA to stop inspecting horse slaughterhouses.
2. The USDA gives in.
3. Horse slaughterhouses go out of business.
4. More horses die of starvation than ever before, or have to endure long train trips to be slaughtered elsewhere.
5. AR groups fail to apologize.
6. Smart people stop funding HSUS, PETA, ASPCA etc.
7. HSUS, PETA, ASPCA, etc. go belly up.
8. Horses, dogs and people can finally be happy.
I see your points.
I dont understand why we feel the need to play god when it comes to horses living or dying?
Because we care about other living creatures.
The 2 issues that have been raised here, which I would like to comment on, are those concerning how healthy the meat is and whether, or not, the kill technique is humane. First, for the health part, if you are talking purely organic horse meat, yes it is healthy. But, the only “organic” horse meat you will find are the Mustangs. Who, of course, will be rounded up by helicopters brutalized and finally shipped out for slaughter. (Do a youtube search for mustang round ups.) Now, aside from the Mustangs, most horse meat, from American horses, will have LOADS of poisons in it. The worst being Bute, a common pain killer that never completely leaves the flesh of the horse. Then there are deworming medications, anti inflammatories, tranquilizers, etc. As for the humane question, it’s not just about kill technique. Horses shipped to slaughter are subjected to days of being jammed into a small pen, then a semi trailer and finally the slaughter house. They frequently sustain horrible injuries during this time, often broken bones, terrible wounds, etc. They also are not given food or water during their transport. If the plant in ND is opened and horses from FL are shipped there, the time spent in the semi will be without food and water. So, apart from the actual kill, humane or not, horses are subjected to days of suffering, prior to slaughter.
Becky,
All very true, unfortunately. Thank you for the thoughtful and concerned comment.