When we were about to move to Hawaii, we made the difficult decision to give our beloved goats, Orville and Wilbur, to Sanctuary One, an animal sanctuary in Oregon.
Orville and Wilbur and Grandson
The Sanctuary, known for its dedication to animals in need, welcomed Orville and Wilbur with open arms. With the assistance of Scott Beckstead from the humane society, we were reassured that our goats would be in good hands. In return for their kindness, we donated our horse trailer to the Sanctuary, a small token of our gratitude.
Wilbur became a Goodwill Ambassador, and Orville fell in love with a sweet little lady goat. No babies. He was a wither.
While there, we encountered a mare with long curly hair. I commented while petting her that she was curly. (There are horses with curly coats.)
"No", said Sacha, a caregiver, "she has Cushing's Disease from the stress she has endured while being a Premarin Mare. Her hair doesn't shed due to the disease, so we must clip her. When she came to us her legs were like noodles. When she lay down we had to get a tractor to get her back up."
My heart went out to that horse. I knew about Premarin mares, but I had never met one. These are the mares who provide Premarin, hormone therapy for human women. And that mare was a small horse, not strong enough to withstand the rigors the hormone sites inflict upon them.
Premarin mares are bred for the hormone excreted due to their pregnancy. They wear a permanent catheter, and the worst thing is that they are tied during their pregnancy and stand on cement, which virtually kills their legs. When their babies are born, they are almost throw-away babies, for they do not want horses; they want the mare's urine.
They are bred at their next cycle, and so it goes.
Do Not use Premarin.
There are other sources of estrogen. Wild Yams are one source. And you can have it prepared at a compounding Pharmacy. Or you can purchase it online.
No, your insurance will not pay for it, but it is a small price to pay to not torture horses.
Here is one source online that I have used, and they do not use mare’s urine in their products. I called to make sure. And the owner writes informative posts.
"Our goal is for our company blog Illuminate Health to be the premier online resource for research-based health information."
“Silky Peach Cream”
And they also sell progesterone cream.
https://ww.parlors-games.com
I am not associated with this company in any way except that I have purchased their products. Silky Peach Cream did not burn me as a doctor’s Rx did.
From the Equine Advocate:
DUAVEE, a new "PremPro-Lite" Drug
With all the bad publicity and increasing awareness of the dangers of PMU drugs, we thought this awful practice would
surely come to an end, but it didn’t and then the FDA approved Pfizer’s DUAVEE (formerly known as Aprela) in October
2013. Although heavily disguised in both name and labeling, DUAVEE is nothing more than “PremPro Lite” that also
carries dangerous side effects, contains Premarin and is not only made in the same inhumane way but also contains
Bazedoxifene, which is not even approved as a stand-alone drug by the FDA in the United States.
Cycle of cruelty
Life for PMU mares in Canada was brutal and we can only imagine that it is even worse in China where there is little to
no oversight. The mares are repeatedly impregnated, and for six months of each 11-month pregnancy most are confined
in stalls that prohibit turning around, grooming themselves and comfortably lying down. Their water intake is often
regulated to produce maximum estrogen-rich urine. The mares are continually attached to plumbing which is designed to
fit over their urethras. It is held in place with movement-restricting body straps. When mares can no longer adequately
"produce," most are sold for slaughter. Most of their surviving foals are either pulled and raised as "Pee Line"
