Documenting Eight Months of Wilful, Premeditated Animal Neglect, Advocating for Change in Animal Welfare Legislation, Questioning the Interpretation of AW Laws by the Ontario SPCA.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Poll Results
Can Horses Be Healthy, stalled without exercise for long periods without any social contact or adequate food/water/sanitation?
The correct answers are A, C & D, and not one voter selected any of the politically & legally correct choices.Which are:
Yes, Of Course. Correct. |
Who Cares? Correct. |
Horses are animals, and they can be caged forever.Correct. |
If living indoors, that animal never has to leave his "stall". By law, that animal does not have to be exercised. Everything is acceptable as long as the animal is not "in acute distress." Acute distress can only be reported/believed/accepted as a diagnosis by a licensed veterinarian.
Therefore, this horse, checked by two OSPCA-ordered veterinarians, was never "in acute distress". All animal welfare is based upon this veterinary opinion. Was the horse ever in acute distress? Chronic neglect does not often show itself as acute distress. (Until the animal dies of starvation.)
One must assume the people who knew the correct answers didn't feel comfortable selecting them.
Here's a great comment from a FHOTD reader. I’m Canadian and live in Ontario and I did not know about this until I saw this today. I can attest that the OSPCA in my area (not sure if it is the same one dealing with Chief) is extremely unhelpful when it comes to horses. They really do look at food, shelter, water at that is IT. And no, they don’t consider the quality of food, shelter or water either.
I’m also in law school and while I am certain that Ontario’s animal cruelty laws are both inadequate and vague, I think that the OSPCA could have still made a difference here. Yes, perhaps legally they may not be able to remove the horse due to our crappy animal rights laws. HOWEVER, if they had loudly and firmly proclaimed that their experts decreed Chief’s living situation to be deplorable it would have made a huge difference. If they contacted the media or even released a statement saying that they wish they could help Chief, but their hands were tied, that the laws suck, etc, it would have at least made it it clear that they stand for humane treatment of animals. Instead, I see them as sanctioning this abuse by ruling that Chief’s “care” doesn’t violate their standards. Maybe the OSPCA could have done nothing “legally” for Chief (which I am still not clear on if that was the case) but they certainly didn’t have to try to make it appear acceptable. If they had said “we hate this, but there is nothing we can do, please write to your MP to get our laws changed” then maybe I would still have respect for them. But. . . no."
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Rebuttal Letter from Doctor - Unfinished
As the Doctor has noted, her schedule has been very busy. Here's the letter Dr. Gaviller has been working on to the OSPCA, to refute the assertion by the OSPCA that any/all pictures shown on the CHDC blog were "several months old".
Pictures redacted, as most are already shown on this blog, in the months noted.
Quoting Dr. Gaviller below.
"The photos I was referring to were not as you say "more than 7 months old". In fact I can give you exact dates & times as the photos have EXIF data on them.
Nov. 19, 2010 – 3 photos, 2 taken at 3:17 p.m. & 1 at 3:18: ribs prominent, bloated belly, few shavings visible around edges of stall & near door, otherwise ‘stall’/garage floor covered with manure & looks rather wet
Nov. 15, 2010 - 2 photos taken at 3:26 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, few shavings visible at edges of otherwise manure-laden stall
Nov. 14, 2010 - 2 photos taken at 8:23 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, few shavings visible at edges of otherwise manure-laden stall, water bucket empty
Nov. 13, 2010 - 2 photos taken at 9:59 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, tailhead prominent, very light skiff of shavings on top of otherwise manure-laden stall; manure stains visible on his right side
Nov. 11, 2010 - 4 photos, 1 at 3:54 p.m., 2 at 3:55 p.m., 1 at 3:56 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, few shavings visible at very edges of stall, rest of stall not only laden with manure but looks quite wet, water bucket with a few inches of water at the bottom plus what looks like manure at the bottom
Oct. 25, 2010 - 8 photos, 3 at 9:50 a.m., 5 at 9:51 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, a good layer of shavings!, water bucket empty except for manure at the bottom, Chief cribbing; a reasonable supply of OK-looking hay visibly available to Chief although he has to reach over a high stall wall to get it - not ideal - potential for wood slivers, bag of sweet feed visible
Oct. 23, 2010 - 6 photos, 5 at 10:04 a.m., 1 at 10:05 a.m.; ribs prominent, bloated belly, tailhead prominent, a prominent crib-line visible on his neck, no shavings visible on top of manure-laden stall, just some hay spilled in area where he has been eating - looks like he has cleaned up all the hay he can reach - and has subsequently exposed some rather moldy-looking hay
Oct. 21, 2010 - 15 photos & 2 videos, 4 photos at 1:36 p.m., 4 at 1:37, 7 at 1:38, 2 videos taken at 1:37 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, tailhead prominent, water bucket almost empty and debris visible on the bottom, shavings only evident at edges of filthy, wet, manure-laden stall, hay available barely within reach is very moldy-looking; videos show Chief cribbing and appears to actually be eating some of the wood pieces he breaks off
Oct. 20, 2010 - 11 photos, 4 at 6:08 a.m.: ribs prominent, light skiff of shavings on otherwise manure-laden stall, water bucket appears to be about 1/4 full with debris visible in the bottom; 4 photos at 8:15 a.m., & 3 at 8:16: ribs prominent, bloated belly, tailhead prominent, light skiff of shavings present - no change, Chief cribbing on door to stall, 1 of stall sides made from particle board - top is well chewed from past cribbing episodes, no change in water bucket, bag of sweet feed visible
Oct. 18, 2010 - 4 photos taken at 3:21 p.m. plus 1 video taken at 3:21 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, crib line prominent, nice layer of shavings, water bucket 1/2 full but also lots of debris in the bucket, picture too dark to determine type of debris, lots of very moldy hay readily available some of which has been eaten; video show Chief not so much cribbing but more just eating his stall door - apparently in preference to the available moldy hay - interpretation: he is hungry and the food available is not appropriate
Oct. 17, 2010 - 16 photos, 5 taken at 11:11 a.m., 8 taken at 11:12 a.m., & 3 taken at 11:13 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, light skiff of shavings over top of manure on stall floor, water bucket almost empty with debris at the bottom, very moldy hay available, bag of sweet feed visible
Oct. 16, 2010 - 8 photos, 5 taken at 6:33 a.m. and 3 at 6:34: ribs visible, bloated belly, crib line prominent, reasonable amount of shavings on top of manure, water bucket almost empty with debris/ manure on the bottom, moldy hay available, bag of sweet feed visible
Oct. 10, 2010 - 9 photos, 3 taken at 6:27 a.m.: water-bucket less than half-full & dirty, a good bed of shavings on top of manure, manure stain on his side, ribs prominent, bloated belly, very moldy hay available; 3 taken at 7:26 a.m.: no change
Oct. 9, 2010 – 6 photos, 4 taken at 11:12 a.m. & 2 at 11:13 a.m.: ribs prominent, belly bloated, tailhead prominent, shoulders muscles appear to be atrophying, crib line prominent, head deep in feed bowl in 1 photo, floor of stall filthy, wet, manure covered except where bits of hay spilled in corner
Oct. 8, 2010 – 12 photos, 7 taken at 9:52 a.m. & 5 at 9:53: ribs visible, floor of stall is filthy, wet, covered with deep layer of manure, no shavings visible, water bucket is almost empty, round mold covered bale of hay available for him – picking at it in 1 photo, licking stall sides in another
Oct. 7, 2010 – 6 photos taken at 10:20 a.m.: bloated belly, floor filthy with manure, only sign of shavings is slight hint at stall edges, new very moldy round bale of hay present – at 1 end of bale the mold is actually black – this is not appropriate hay for a horse – later photos (see above) show the mold is present throughout the bale, not just on the exterior surface
Oct. 6, 2010 – 5 photos, 1 taken at 9:23 a.m., 1 at 9:25 & 3 at 9:26 a.m.: ribs visible, only hay present is small amount (less than a leaf) of moldy-looking hay in a hay net, the manure on the floor shows evidence of some shavings mixed in but the shavings do not appear fresh
Oct. 5, 2010 – 6 photos taken at 3:05 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, water bucket is almost empty and filthy, small amount of dusty, moldy hay available in hay net hanging outside stall, few remains of bale on the floor is not within Chief’s reach, Chief is cribbing, at least 1/3 of stall floor is thickly covered with wet manure, rest has evidence of shavings mixed in but does not appear fresh
Oct. 2, 2010 – 13 photos, 4 taken at 11:46 a.m., 4 at 11:47, & 5 at 11:48 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, crib line prominent when Chief not cribbing, Chief is cribbing in 2 photos and licking the stall door in 2 photos
Oct. 1, 2010 – 9 photos, 4 taken at 5:27 p.m. & 5 at 5:28: ribs prominent, bloated belly, relatively fresh skiff of shavings visible mixed with some manure on stall floor but Chief has pawed down to bare floor in several spots – total bedding thickness appears to be about 2-3 inches at most except where it’s piled against the wall from his pawing or lying down, water bucket virtually empty (can see dry bottom at 1 edge) with debris at the bottom, reasonable amount of hay appears within reach and no visible mold but still doesn’t look like good hay."
end quote.
Pictures redacted, as most are already shown on this blog, in the months noted.
Quoting Dr. Gaviller below.
"The photos I was referring to were not as you say "more than 7 months old". In fact I can give you exact dates & times as the photos have EXIF data on them.
Nov. 19, 2010 – 3 photos, 2 taken at 3:17 p.m. & 1 at 3:18: ribs prominent, bloated belly, few shavings visible around edges of stall & near door, otherwise ‘stall’/garage floor covered with manure & looks rather wet
Nov. 15, 2010 - 2 photos taken at 3:26 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, few shavings visible at edges of otherwise manure-laden stall
Nov. 14, 2010 - 2 photos taken at 8:23 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, few shavings visible at edges of otherwise manure-laden stall, water bucket empty
Nov. 13, 2010 - 2 photos taken at 9:59 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, tailhead prominent, very light skiff of shavings on top of otherwise manure-laden stall; manure stains visible on his right side
Nov. 11, 2010 - 4 photos, 1 at 3:54 p.m., 2 at 3:55 p.m., 1 at 3:56 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, few shavings visible at very edges of stall, rest of stall not only laden with manure but looks quite wet, water bucket with a few inches of water at the bottom plus what looks like manure at the bottom
Oct. 25, 2010 - 8 photos, 3 at 9:50 a.m., 5 at 9:51 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, a good layer of shavings!, water bucket empty except for manure at the bottom, Chief cribbing; a reasonable supply of OK-looking hay visibly available to Chief although he has to reach over a high stall wall to get it - not ideal - potential for wood slivers, bag of sweet feed visible
Oct. 23, 2010 - 6 photos, 5 at 10:04 a.m., 1 at 10:05 a.m.; ribs prominent, bloated belly, tailhead prominent, a prominent crib-line visible on his neck, no shavings visible on top of manure-laden stall, just some hay spilled in area where he has been eating - looks like he has cleaned up all the hay he can reach - and has subsequently exposed some rather moldy-looking hay
Oct. 21, 2010 - 15 photos & 2 videos, 4 photos at 1:36 p.m., 4 at 1:37, 7 at 1:38, 2 videos taken at 1:37 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, tailhead prominent, water bucket almost empty and debris visible on the bottom, shavings only evident at edges of filthy, wet, manure-laden stall, hay available barely within reach is very moldy-looking; videos show Chief cribbing and appears to actually be eating some of the wood pieces he breaks off
Oct. 20, 2010 - 11 photos, 4 at 6:08 a.m.: ribs prominent, light skiff of shavings on otherwise manure-laden stall, water bucket appears to be about 1/4 full with debris visible in the bottom; 4 photos at 8:15 a.m., & 3 at 8:16: ribs prominent, bloated belly, tailhead prominent, light skiff of shavings present - no change, Chief cribbing on door to stall, 1 of stall sides made from particle board - top is well chewed from past cribbing episodes, no change in water bucket, bag of sweet feed visible
Oct. 18, 2010 - 4 photos taken at 3:21 p.m. plus 1 video taken at 3:21 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, crib line prominent, nice layer of shavings, water bucket 1/2 full but also lots of debris in the bucket, picture too dark to determine type of debris, lots of very moldy hay readily available some of which has been eaten; video show Chief not so much cribbing but more just eating his stall door - apparently in preference to the available moldy hay - interpretation: he is hungry and the food available is not appropriate
Oct. 17, 2010 - 16 photos, 5 taken at 11:11 a.m., 8 taken at 11:12 a.m., & 3 taken at 11:13 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, light skiff of shavings over top of manure on stall floor, water bucket almost empty with debris at the bottom, very moldy hay available, bag of sweet feed visible
Oct. 16, 2010 - 8 photos, 5 taken at 6:33 a.m. and 3 at 6:34: ribs visible, bloated belly, crib line prominent, reasonable amount of shavings on top of manure, water bucket almost empty with debris/ manure on the bottom, moldy hay available, bag of sweet feed visible
Oct. 10, 2010 - 9 photos, 3 taken at 6:27 a.m.: water-bucket less than half-full & dirty, a good bed of shavings on top of manure, manure stain on his side, ribs prominent, bloated belly, very moldy hay available; 3 taken at 7:26 a.m.: no change
Oct. 9, 2010 – 6 photos, 4 taken at 11:12 a.m. & 2 at 11:13 a.m.: ribs prominent, belly bloated, tailhead prominent, shoulders muscles appear to be atrophying, crib line prominent, head deep in feed bowl in 1 photo, floor of stall filthy, wet, manure covered except where bits of hay spilled in corner
Oct. 8, 2010 – 12 photos, 7 taken at 9:52 a.m. & 5 at 9:53: ribs visible, floor of stall is filthy, wet, covered with deep layer of manure, no shavings visible, water bucket is almost empty, round mold covered bale of hay available for him – picking at it in 1 photo, licking stall sides in another
Oct. 7, 2010 – 6 photos taken at 10:20 a.m.: bloated belly, floor filthy with manure, only sign of shavings is slight hint at stall edges, new very moldy round bale of hay present – at 1 end of bale the mold is actually black – this is not appropriate hay for a horse – later photos (see above) show the mold is present throughout the bale, not just on the exterior surface
Oct. 6, 2010 – 5 photos, 1 taken at 9:23 a.m., 1 at 9:25 & 3 at 9:26 a.m.: ribs visible, only hay present is small amount (less than a leaf) of moldy-looking hay in a hay net, the manure on the floor shows evidence of some shavings mixed in but the shavings do not appear fresh
Oct. 5, 2010 – 6 photos taken at 3:05 p.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, water bucket is almost empty and filthy, small amount of dusty, moldy hay available in hay net hanging outside stall, few remains of bale on the floor is not within Chief’s reach, Chief is cribbing, at least 1/3 of stall floor is thickly covered with wet manure, rest has evidence of shavings mixed in but does not appear fresh
Oct. 2, 2010 – 13 photos, 4 taken at 11:46 a.m., 4 at 11:47, & 5 at 11:48 a.m.: ribs prominent, bloated belly, crib line prominent when Chief not cribbing, Chief is cribbing in 2 photos and licking the stall door in 2 photos
Oct. 1, 2010 – 9 photos, 4 taken at 5:27 p.m. & 5 at 5:28: ribs prominent, bloated belly, relatively fresh skiff of shavings visible mixed with some manure on stall floor but Chief has pawed down to bare floor in several spots – total bedding thickness appears to be about 2-3 inches at most except where it’s piled against the wall from his pawing or lying down, water bucket virtually empty (can see dry bottom at 1 edge) with debris at the bottom, reasonable amount of hay appears within reach and no visible mold but still doesn’t look like good hay."
end quote.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)