Loose Trailer Kills Pregnant Horse

nbc5i.com

Vet: Owner Of Pregnant Horse Killed After Wreck Refused Help

POSTED: 6:56 pm CDT April 21, 2008

UPDATED: 7:56 pm CDT April 21, 2008

DALLAS -- A veterinarian said the owner of a dying pregnant horse that lay on a highway for hours after a traffic accident refused his services.The animal was inside an overturned horse trailer that shut down all six lanes of westbound LBJ Freeway at the Abrams overpass Friday evening. Witnesses said the trailer became detached from a pickup truck after the driver lost control and landed in a ditch.Two North Texas law enforcement agencies, which were criticized for not doing more for the dying pregnant horse, said they did all they could do under the circumstances.Emergency crews told NBC 5 they had a hard time trying to get a trailer to transport the mare to a medical facility where she could receive care. They said they asked the Dallas Sheriff's Office for a trailer but were told a trailer would be sent only if the mare was dead, NBC 5 reported.A Dallas Police Department representative said the Dallas Sheriff's Department's Livestock unit specializes in rounding up stray animals, but deputies said that does not include injured animals."We just don't do that; that's not something that we do. The sheriff's department's responsibility is that of loose livestock," Deputy Michael Ortiz said.Dallas police said the large-animal veterinarian under contract with the sheriff's department was called soon after the accident. However that veterinarian said the horse's owner refused his services, saying his own veterinarian was coming."The owner wanted a veterinarian to attempt the human version of a C-section before putting the horse down," Ortiz said.The horse's owner told NBC 5 that long after the accident his vet did arrive, agreed the animal could not be saved and put the horse down. It was then carried away by a highway department front-end loader. The owner told NBC 5 by phone Monday that he is still shaken by the loss.Dallas police spokesman Cpl. Janice Crowther said the owner's wishes had to be considered."It appears that under the circumstances, everything that could have been done was done," she said.

Previous Stories:

• April 19, 2008: Mare, Foal Die After Horse Trailer Overturns On LBJ Freeway