Louisiana Downs is one of only two tracks in the nation (Parx being the other) to consistently report euthanasias on its charts. My guess is that there’s some sort of requirement to do so, for judging by the typically curt way they’re conveyed, it’s certainly not meant (of course) to commemorate the stricken. From yesterday’s 4th:
“[5-year-old] BETTY MC…fell at the half pole and was euthanized.”
“Fell and was euthanized.” And that is that.
The dead’s people: Donnie Meche, Judy Behler, Robert Niolet, Jake Morreale.
Betty Mc, you mattered. To us.
If Parx & Louisiana Downs are required to report all fatalities, I would think this is a state requirement and that Presque Isle Downs, Penn National, Evangeline Downs and Fairgrounds would also be required to do so. And perhaps the harness racing tracks in these states? I know PA has harness racing tracks, not sure about LA?
I didn’t mean to imply that there is a state requirement to do so, for that is most certainly not the case: Pennsylvania denied my FIOA request for its 2014 dead. If there is a “rule,” it is just for the chartwriters at those specific tracks – nothing more.
Oh the racehorse Betty Mc “fell”? Wonder what the Louisana Downs Racing Commission’s definition of “fell” is? Betty Mc was also “euthanased”. Well we all know what that means – horse is given a lethal injection of pentobarbital sodium to bring its life to an end.
In 2015 researchers from the University of California, Davis, William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital determined that:
• The average time to inject the pentobarbital sodium was 46.8 seconds;
• Visible and audible breaths were not detectable by the end of the injection;
• Electrical activity of the cerebral cortex was lost first, either during administration of the drug or within 52 seconds of when the injection was administered;
• Brain stem reflexes were lost second to electrical activity of the cerebral cortex, followed quickly by BAER;
• Within one minute, heart sounds were not audible and an arterial pulse was undetectable;
• Mean arterial blood pressure was undetectable by 52.6 seconds after the injection; and
• Electrical activity of the heart was the last to cease; the team believes this is due to the heart using its last reserves of energy, resulting in ineffective contractions (considering there were no detectable heart sounds or arterial pulses).
The researchers also found that euthanasia was “painless, and minimally distressful” for the equine. Interesting that they categorically state that it is painless? They declare it is distressful which is usually associated with some kind of pain.
The question that needs to be asked here is why was this racehorse was killed/euthanased? As far as Louisana Downs is concerned it was because the horse “fell”. Given horse fell during the race there are a number of reasons as to why this horse fell and was then euthanased – some possibilities are as follows:
fractured femur
fractured a radius and/or ulna
fractured tibia
fractured a cannon bone
fractured a carpus (knee)
fractured pastern
fractured humerus (shoulder)
fractured pelvis
fracture and rupture of a femoral artery
a lumbo-sacral injury
a severed flexor tendon
a ruptured flexor tendon
ruptured/fractured suspensory apparatus
ruptured aorta
sesamoid injury
dislocation/fracture of a fetlock
severe pulmonary haemorrhage – likely exercise induced
suffered a massive bilateral nasal haemorrhage – likely exercise induced
haemorrhagic shock caused by a rupture of the middle uterine artery
an acute cranial base fracture and subdural haematoma of the brain
head/neck injury
cardiovascular failure – CAUSE? likely drugs and/or exercise induced
I hasten to add that the above list is not exhaustive.
Perhaps Louisana Downs Racing Commission inadvertently forgot to disclose the reason this horse fell and the reason for its subsequent euthanasia. Or, perhaps, it chooses not to be transparent and disclose, despite the fact that this horse was on public display, the horseracing industry is a public industry which is sustained by the public and the public has a right to know.
is that all she was worth…”fell and was euthanised” what a sad world we live in – RIP beautiful girl