A New Mexico calf might provide an example of advances in livestock prosthetic technology. Meadow, a yearling Black Angus calf, sustained major damage to her hind limbs last winter when she lost her back hooves and half of her ears to severe frostbite, the Associated Press reported.
Rancher Nancy Dickenson and her stepdaughter bought the injured calf from her owner and took her to veterinarians and students at Colorado State University. In August, vets amputated part of both hind limbs and fitted Meadow with prosthetics.
Now back at home, Meadow is able to run and graze.
"A few people have asked 'Is she going to be beef?' and I said 'Are you kidding? This is my newest baby," Dickenson said.
A prosthetic limb can be a viable option for some formerly doomed horses, potentially giving a new lease on a quality life, although there are numerous caveats. Cost and potential complications severely limit the pool of potential candidates for the procedure, but single limb prosthetics are a possibility for some. I've not heard of any equines with dual prosthetics--any stories out there?
Read more about equine prosthetics and see example photos.
Awesome headline: "Carriage Horse Licks Car! Woman Outraged!" And even better photo from gothamist.
It seems a reader submitted an entry to the NY Times Metropolitan Diary concerning a carriage horse that had the audacity to lick the back window of her car.
She wrote: "as soon as I put the car in reverse to parallel park, I noticed a horse and buggy. I checked my rearview mirror and couldn't believe that the horse came as close as possible to my car and started licking it, from the trunk to the back window. The horse's saliva created a film over my children's college decals."
The horror!
(Related: a few weeks ago I stopped by my truck to grab something on my way back to the barn after riding and my gelding was fascinated by the interior of the cab. He was all eyes, so I let him investigate a bit so he wouldn't be afraid. Looking it all over, he spent some time lipping the seat belt buckle before thoroughly sliming the door handle. I thought his enthusiasm was cute. But he apparently didn't get enough, as just a couple days later he ran his teeth all the way down the side of a friend's truck when she parked it briefly in the field to unload something from the back. You can now see a pinstripe of tooth tracks in the paint. Thanks dude.)
Behaviorist Sue McDonnell tackled the topic of car chewing a couple years ago. Excerpt: "I don't really know what attracts horses to chew on vehicles, but I have sure seen the behavior develop in otherwise normal, healthy animals." Read the rest.
Snaps to reader Pat for the Weird News Sighting! Is there something you'd like to see on the Weird Horse News blog? You can always comment below, or feel free to e-mail me.
