No apologies for showing this upsetting photo of a horse who was dumped with her dead foal in an Essex lane last week. She must have suffered extreme pain and fear as she died trying to give birth.
It's highly unlikely that the person who allowed this to happen will be brought to justice as she was not chipped.
If the person responsible was successfully traced they would be prosecuted unless there were very unusual extenuating circumstances — highly unlikely as someone who was incapable to an extent which made them not responsible for their actions would not have been able to arrange transport to dump the animals.
Sad, and fortunately unusual, as this is, it isn't rare for similar fates to happen to other animals whose owners have allowed them to become pregnant without giving any thought to the cost of dealing with things if the worse happens.
An emergency caesarian for a large bitch can cost as much as £700; something that a completely thoughtless owner may not have budgeted to cover in any way.
What possibly happens to bitches on puppy farms, who are seen as mere "livestock", when they get into difficulties giving birth doesn't bear thinking about.
In a typical year our branch provides just over 4,000 low-cost treatments to help owners who do care, but can't afford the full cost of a private vet. The other 169 branches which together cover the whole of England and Wales are responsible for similar services in their own areas.
No single activity can tackle the job of making life better for animals in our country; we need the whole set: low-cost veterinary treatment to help caring owners in genuine need, rehoming for animals who can't stay with their current owners, education to change behaviour, campaigns to change the law and prosecutions to enforce it.
If those who don't care at all know there will never be any sanctions no amount of education or provision of services will help their victims. We persuade if we can; offer help when needed, but compel if we must.
