Should People Eat Horses?

704 Words2 Pages

There are three cases of toxoplasmosis, parasites that can infect almost all warm-blooded animals. The first patient died of a primary infection, while the other two were pregnant at the time, one who was closer to delivery, was able to have her baby, while the other was forced to terminate her pregnancy and still experienced further complications. All three patients were encouraged to eat raw horsemeat to promote good health. If one wishes to eat horse meat safely, it is recommended to heat to an internal temperature of about 150 degrees fahrenheit, combined with deep freezing for three days prior to cooking. Parasites are not the end of the trouble involved in consuming horse meat. Many horses in the racing industry are given drugs on a regular basis. Dr. Nicholas Dodman says, "Racehorses are walking pharmacies.” This statement is extremely accurate given the amount of horses that break down on the track that are loaded with painkillers. Racehorses are often injected with phenylbutazone and firocoxib to prevent inflammation, while another drug, clenbuterol, is used to build muscle similar to anabolic steroids. All of these drugs are allowed for use in horses, but they are not intended for use in horses to be food. The most commonly used drug phenylbutazone, or bute, can cause the blood disorder aplastic anemia in children, and is potentially fatal. Both parasites and drugs in horse meat have potentially fatal consequences for those that eat it. The horsemeat industry is not regulated to ensure the safety of consumers. Therefore, it should not be acceptable to continue slaughtering while the lives of humans are at risk.

Despite the negativity associated with horse slaughter, proponents argue for the positive sid...

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...and eventually filtered. This releases pollutants in the ground and water which harms the environment and is potentially hazardous for humans. Horse slaughter is still inhumane, even without the road trip to another country. Horses are naturally nervous creatures, and the slaughter environment will always be extremely stressful to them. Furthermore, while horse meat is in some cases healthier than beef, it still poses health risks to humans through drugs and parasites if not prepared properly. Clearly, the aspects and process of horse slaughter is unfair and not something that should be justified for any animal; therefore horses should be rescued from “kill” buyers and protected from the evils of a slaughter house. Finally, one must keep in mind that Winston Churchill stated that the outside of a horse, not the inside, was good for the inside of a man.

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