Why does a horse have to perform euthanasia if it lacks one leg? Can't you survive even if you install a prosthetic? Don't worry, let's look down slowly.
Is the horse dead if one leg is missing?
In fact, is not a big deal for other animals, but if a horse lacks one leg, it cannot survive , Because the hip knee joint on the inner side of the horse is connected to the hip tibial joint, once injured, it will directly affect the horse's legs. Because the upper body of the horse accounts for a large proportion of the body weight, but the legs account for a small proportion of the whole body. Once injured, it will make it difficult for the already fragile limbs to bear weight, causing the horse's body to gradually collapse.
Can't rely on artificial legs?
Many people will think, Since the remaining three legs of the horse cannot support its weight, why can't we use the current advanced technology to create a fake leg for the horse?
Because horses are good at moving at high speed, the cost of horse prosthetics is very high. In order to balance the weight and durability of the horse itself, must be made of carbon graphite and titanium. However, these two materials are very expensive, even more expensive than the price of the horse itself. has installed prosthetics in time. The horse cannot be as flexible as before, and the value of the horse cannot be realized. The owner of the horse is naturally unwilling to spend so much money.
Can't horses stay on their lie down and maintain their lives?
Some people still think, since the horse is injured, it’s okay to just lie down, why can’t you survive? In fact, everyone is really thinking too simple.
On the one hand, it is because horses are herbivores and eat plants. They are all foods of crude fiber . Foods of crude fiber can only be metabolized and absorbed through exercise. If the horse is injured, the food in the body cannot be metabolized, and the toxins in the body will slowly accumulate, which will eventually cause the horse's body organ failure and death.
There is another fatal reason. If the horse lies on, its body will inevitably suffer great pressure. Over time, the horse's blood cannot be circulated, which can easily cause ischemic damage and necrosis of muscle nerves. Over time, it will also cause pressure on the heart, and eventually lead to internal organ failure and death.
Why can other animals survive?
For most animals, losing one leg does not mean the end of life. Many animals in the wild can still survive without human help. Their tails can help them maintain balance. Because most of them are small in size, and many animals will help each other, even if they lack one leg, it will not affect their survival.
Take elephants as an example. Their weight can reach several tons, because the elephants are very large and have basically no natural enemies in the wild. Even if they lose one leg, their other three thick legs can still maintain basic balance.
Conclusion
So, once a horse is injured in its leg, it will experience great pain. Even if it costs a lot of money to treat, the later effect will not be good. In order to reduce its pain, the owner of the horse can only choose to euthanize it.
In fact, In nature, there are many cases where many wild beasts lose one leg because of traps and natural enemies. Many of them die because of inflammation of the wound. Even if they survive with strong immunity, it is difficult to escape being eaten by natural enemies.
