Re: RC: Re: Equine Infectious Anemia

[Howard4567@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/28/00 8:17:45 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
suendavid@worldnet.att.net writes:

> Yeah, horses get euthanized from testing seropositive.  The program has to
>  do with epidemiology, not individual horses.  Life's a bitch.

Yes, it is and having to put your horse down because of this program, when it 
appears that there's not a thing wrong with him, truly sucks and, maybe we 
should come up with another option.

I particularly liked your comparison with HIV.  How come we don't have humans 
tested for this disease on a mandatory basis?  Once a year.  I think we 
should be required to carry our HIV papers across state lines, to prove our 
cleanliness.  Isn't it just as dangerous?  Just as infectious/contagious?  
Even more so?  The irony is that even if Magic Johnson's horse tested 
positive my bet is it wouldn't survive near as long as he has.  He'd be 
forced to have it put down.

I'm not saying I agreed with everything in Don's article but I did want to 
reprint it word for word; I didn't leave anything out.  But I must say there 
are some things in there that disturb me a great deal.  If there is no longer 
an epidemic, why are we continuing the program?  And why are horses put down 
who come up positive if they appear perfectly healthy?  Isn't there any other 
way to handle this?

It kind of reminds me of those toll booths along the highways; the ones that 
are there to collect funds for the road and are supposed to come down once 
the highway is paid for.  But they never come down, do they?  They stay there 
forever, collecting their dues, even well after the money for construction 
has been collected.

I knew I'd get a lot of heat for this one; what else is new?  This is 
Ridecamp and not the best place to bring up points of view that may offend 
one's sense of what is right and what is wrong.  Just let me ask y'all this.  
Those of you who are so much for the Coggins test.  If your horse, God 
forbid, the creature you love more than any other, the steed who carries you 
great distances where you become his burden,  the one who's crap you clean up 
after every day and do so with a smile on your face, if....he were to come up 
positive in this test and you had no clue as to how this could possibly 
happen, would you feel the same about it as you say you do now?  Would you 
not want to see another option other than euthanizing him?

The thought of losing my horse to a positive test is what disturbs me more 
than anything.  And don't say you have other options, that just isn't true.  
You really don't.

cya,
Howard