1171
Cheeky (mander.xyz)
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Catoblepas 89 points 5 days ago

Sometimes they will die because they can’t puke. Also broken legs are usually fatal even with vet care.

[-] LennethAegis@fedia.io 105 points 5 days ago

To add on why broken legs are fatal: its because horses are so big, that even with a sling, they cannot support themselves well on 3 legs. And lying down is also not an option as their own weight will crush their internal organs if they stay down for too long.

[-] TheDoozer@lemmy.world 60 points 5 days ago

Oh, wow, I had always thought that shooting a horse with a broken leg was an act of brutal expedience, not mercy.

[-] _stranger_@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago

It's sad, but it's common medical practice in modern horse hospitals:

[-] frosty99c@midwest.social 25 points 5 days ago

Also, don't they need to run to move food through their digestive tract? Or to force themselves to cough if they have something stuck in their lungs? I think there is some sort of dependency of basic functions that relies on the movement of their lungs/stomach going back and forth while running that they can't easily do if they just stand in one place all day

[-] Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world 15 points 5 days ago

Also their blood gets pumped through their hooves, and to much weight on one hoof can impede blood flow through their body.

[-] Eiri@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 days ago

I thought horses not being able to lie down for long was just competition horses! It's all of them?

[-] LennethAegis@fedia.io 2 points 3 days ago

It's not just horses, all large mammals have this problem from lying down too long. Horses can and do lie down every day, but for short periods of time. It's the extended lying down from illness or injury that kills them.

this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
1171 points (100.0% liked)

Science Memes

10637 readers
2728 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.


Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS