written by Steven Long – Editor and Publisher of “Horseback Magazine”
No Straight Answer on the Unlicensed Vet tending to Wild Horses
Wild Horse "processing" at Pryor Mt. Round-up - Photo by Terry Fitch
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – The federal Bureau of Land Management has punted on whether it employed a veterinarian on its Calico roundup who is not licensed in the State of Nevada. Responding to a query by Horseback Magazine regarding the credentials of Dr. Albert Kane, the BLM referred questions to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal, and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Thus far, 113 horses and miscarried foals have died after a helicopter driven stampede in Northern Nevada. The bureau’s fiercest critic in Congress, Sen. Mary Landrieu told Horseback late Tuesday that she will sit on her hands regarding the deaths.
“Sen. Landrieu will not call for an immediate hearing, but the Senator continues to be engaged on the matter and is working to find a permanent humane solution,” Landrieu spokesman Aaron Saunders said.
Late last year Landrieu called for BLM to clean up its act within a year or risk losing management responsibilities over wild horses and burros on its 260 million mostly vacant acres of federal land in the West.
The BLM responded in detail Tuesday to Horseback’s story on Kane’s lack of credentials, reveling that about another vet working the Fallon Nevada holding facility is in good standing with the state, but only mentioning Kane in a brief punt to another government spokesperson in another federal agency. The BLM cited a gap in the Nevada’s veterinary practices act which would permit an unlicensed vet to work.
Other vets and physicians find the gap in credentials troubling.
“Unlicensed vets cannot perform veterinary duties in NY (no exams no nothing and you do get fined here),” said a vet who has tangled with Kane in the past but declined to be identified.
A physician active in the movement to stop the BLM wild horse roundups was even more harsh in her criticism.
“If Kane is still there, it is possible he is helping with the “disposition” of the horses. This is really criminal” the doctor said. “The BLM needs to hire vets who are expert at dealing with metabolic syndrome. I bet they are colicky. This is a travesty of the first order. These people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a helicopter contract but then they skimp on proper care? It is a very chilling thought that the vet used by the BLM may not have sufficient knowledge on metabolic syndrome and doesn’t know how to provide proper care to these horses. I am very concerned about this possibility even if he is licensed elsewhere. The BLM should have hired a vet who has extensive knowledge on metabolic syndrome so that the horses do not develop this condition.”
Medical professionals have been critical of the BLM practice of feeding wild horses rich hay immediately after their capture in a dramatic departure from their lifelong diet of sparse desert grasses.
The BLM said in exquisite bureaucratese:
“On the issue of veterinary credentials: The BLM ensures that veterinarians working within the Program (sic) have the necessary qualifications (graduate education and legal credentials) to work within each state. Private practitioners who work under contract for the BLM are required to be licensed by the boards of veterinary medicine in the states where they practice. State veterinary medical practice acts generally exclude veterinarians in the employ of the United States Government or respective state governments such that they are not required to be licensed in each state for the performance of their official duties. In Nevada, for example, the practice act for veterinarians does not require a state license (see citation below) for Federal veterinarians performing official
duties.
NRS 638.015 Applicability. Nothing in this chapter applies:
1. To the gratuitous castrating, dehorning or vaccinating of
domesticated animals nor to the gratuitous treatment of diseased animals by friends or neighbors of the owner thereof, except that all vaccinations for zoonotic diseases must be administered by a licensed veterinarian or a
person under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
2. To debar any veterinarian in the employ of the United States
Government or the State of Nevada from performing official duties necessary for the conduct of the business of the United States Government or the
State of Nevada, or a political subdivision thereof, upon which he is assigned.
Dr. Rich Sanford is the attending veterinarian providing care for the Calico horses at the Indian Lakes Facility. Dr. Sanford’s license is NV #565. He has 25 years of experience working with wild horses.
APHIS has requested that all questions about Dr. Kane be referred to Lyndsay Cole, APHIS Public Affairs. Her email address is:
JoLynn Worley, 775-861-6515
Office of Communications
BLM Nevada State Office
Horseback has requested the USDA provide the biographical information on the veterinarian that both Kane and the BLM have refused to reveal.
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Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
“This is a travesty of the first order. These people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a helicopter contract but then they skimp on proper care?”
Exactly. The BLM spent over $2.7 million dollars to 2 round up contractors in 2009.
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The BLM paid the Palamino vet, Dr. Sanford, $50,000 last year. To try to care for hundreds of horses at Palamino.
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Evidently the buck doesn’t stop anywhere!
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the buck doesn’t even “slow down…”
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I wonder if Senator Landrieu has been following this issue?
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Its all about greed, a fast track to a fast buck. I wonder if kickbacks being paid to the BLM or the ‘experts’ running the show are all friends and relatives?
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Senator Landrieu has been following this. She has decided to not spend political capital (favors, arm twisting, persistence) in the/her so-called fight for the equines in the US.
Sorry Senator, that you and those in Congress allow documented abuse because it becomes too expensive or inconvenient is not legitimate retrograde in my mind.
Every day Congress allows this massacre is another day humanity dies just a little bit more.
Vote them out! Vote them ALL out!
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DITTO! I keep saying “We are voters and we are watching, AND we will NOT forget!”
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I don’t think we should be too critical of Sen. Landrieu at this point. Her spokesman said she will not call for an “immediate” hearing. That doesn’t mean she isn’t getting her ducks in a row for something down the road.
If she calls for a hearing on her own or with little support, she may do more harm than good. Washington is all about strategy. The key is to get more Senators on board, but so far that’s been a thankless task. We need to come up with a tastier “carrot”. Better yet, a “win/win” scenario – something pols always go for.
Please don’t think I’m going soft. I want the wild ones and all horses and animals protected as much as anyone else. We’ve just got to keep brainstorming until something clicks!
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Good observation, Linda. Sometimes it better to do your homework before jumping in to the fray. Hopefully, she is fact checking and garnering more support.
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I watched Sen. Landrieu in a video. She did a great job addressing Salaazar on the issue on wild horses and burros. She brought up the issue TWICE during the same meeting.
The only way to get faster results is to convince more attorneys to file lawsuits. Best spending energy finding these attorneys, raising the funds and figuring out the approach.
Did anyone watch the doc “Blue Gold: World water wars”? A TEENAGE kid started by raising $70 when he heard that a village in Africa was in need of a water pump. The $70 turned into a foundation which raised over a million dollar to help the cause. People raised money any way they could to hire attorneys to fight for their cause. They had fundraisers, garage sales, anything they could think of. They were able to pay the expenses of the lawsuit and they won.
May be their suit took a few years which worked for them in their case, but just to have one law suit for the horses might not be enough. There is a need for more attorneys at different levels and for a concrete plan for lawsuits.
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Remember this is from a president that the people voted in without the proper credentials and now you wonder why things like this are happening. As I heard the term justice before it was in referrence to “Just Us”. So keep yelling it from the roof tops as the people need to learn to be more compassionate to all gods creatures not just the ones with money.
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I respect your position, BUT when does enough become enough? I’m sorry, but the issue is now and the horses are dying. I’ve been following Sen Landrieu for awhile. I like her and understand Congress and restraints. I have no complaints with her or other Congressional supporters save for one….when does the time come right while equines are being brutalized, abused and dying for no reason other than money mindset and special interest. Actually, those owners that starve and/or send to slaughter are a problem. But the DOI and USDA that participate in this massacre are more responsible.
But I get your points. I’m not bashing Landrieu or Whitfield. I’m saying that time is not on the horses side and they need relief now.
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D- You are right, I see your point. Sometimes it IS better to (at least) call for immediate action if one can accomplish this without making future enemies. I hate politics, its like roadkill, you don’t like to see it but you keep looking anyway.
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I agree, the time is NOW,the horses need help NOW, not in a month ir next year or whenever! I am sick to death of political gamesmanship, I want them all out too, I want people in government who really will listen to US the people and change things. This administration appealed to America’s desire for change, and we STILL have the same-old, same-old. I’m tired of it, tired of their lies and excuses and wasteful spending; over 2 million dollars to roundup contractors, that is unconscionable, yet they can’t provide decent care for the horses once they are in the pens.
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Enough has been enough for a very long time. Protests, correspondence, phonecalls, even face-to-face meetings have legally/governmentally gone pretty much nowhere. A few roundups have been postponed. Filing a lawsuit every time is necessary, but doesn’t get to the root of the problem.
The wild ones are our cause, but the BLM’s warped justification for their removal has become increasingly obvious. It’s all about corporations, energy, mining, ranching, sweetheart deals, campaign contributions, etc. The big bucks.
The BLM should be our prime target. Secrecy, cover-ups, no-bid contracts, fuzzy math, and so much more. The wild ones are a symptom of a much larger issue. I’m going to go back through posts and comments and try to put together a list of serious, provable infractions. I’d appreciate all the help I can get.
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BLM is rounding up and brutally abusing and ILLEGALLY- cruelly sending to slaughter thousand of Americas treasured wild horses & burros that they were supposed to protecting – America has been betrayed! BLM, Dept. of AG, US Forest Service and F & G, US Wildlife Wild Life all have joined in in killing wild horses, replacing thousands of our beloved majestic horses with 9 MILLION PRIVATELY OWNED WELFARE CATTLE on OUR PUBLIC LANDS!! The BLM are corrupt liars who lie to perpetrate their BRUTAL FRAUD. Horses are not over populated or starving those are BLM LIES so they can remove them and replace them with 9 MILLION PRIVATE WELFARE CATTLE that destroy our public lands, wildlife and water and cost us up to 1 BILLION per year and are also destroying our bountiful west natural plants and use 70% of all water used in the Southwest. There cattle will drain the OGALLA AQUIFER that the Southwest depends on in 50 years ! BLM also colludes with oil and gas companies and lies about wild horses starving so they can steal their homes. Wild Horses are native to North America and are good for the land and grasses ( ask the National Academy of Sciences). The VERY CORRUPT and CRUEL BLM also COWARDLY ABUSES & profiteers off our beloved majestic Wild Horses, stealing over 24 million acres of land from them-their homes , and then routing them to brutal abuse at rodeos, imprisonment in feedlots, death in slaughter houses. The BLM has destroyed over 100 HERDS OF WILD HORSES that they were sworn to protect ! Having the BLM in charge of our Nations MAJESTIC & BELOVED WILD HORSES & BURROS is like having Michael Vick in charge of our Nations Dogs ! NO MORE WILD HORSE ROUND UPS -SEND CORRUPT BLM THIEVES TO PRISON FOR KILLING OUR HORSES AND, BLATANT CORRUPTION, DESTROYING OUR LAND , WILDLIFE, WATER and for LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND CONGRESS.
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Shari, I couldn’t agree with you more!
This news needs to be sent to Senator John Ensign (D) NV. He is a wild horse empathizer AND a licensed vet in the state of NV. He was one along with Landrieu that sponsored the anti slaughter bills. He needs to know about this, and as far as Landrieu is concerned SHAME ON HER! I am so sick of government fraud, favors and other garbage while our beautiful country and Mustangs goes down like the Titanic at their whims and lobby buy outs. I agree vote them ALL OUT and impeach Obama. He didn’t win the popular vote (the one that counts) Clinton did, he won the deligate vote, which is a sham to begin with. Bill Clinton was the only administration in the last 30 years to put a 4 year moratorium on round ups when other equally horrific round ups and holding facilities (Snows in Lovelock) and how the horses were being treated there were exposed, and therefore; personally I think Hillary would have been a much more empathetic and have done something about the out of control BLM.
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According to the website senatus.com, Senator Ensign is having a difficult time garnering support from anyone for anything in Washington; while the Mere Mortal Public pays not so much attention when an elected official, er, steps off the reservation, so to speak, the Pure and Sin-Free of DC divest themselves, lest they be overcome with randiness.
But I agree; Senator Ensign would be an excellent place to start. If ever a fella needed the support of the Public in exchange for stuff we can’t get to, this man would be he.
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You folks who’ve been around the roundups for a while – is this ‘metabolic syndrome’ a frequent diagnosis or is it specific to the Calico Capture?
Could you provide a link or info on where to find previous vet reports on prior ‘processing’ of Captives?
Also, have any past roundups resulted in so many pre-natal losses? And the euthanizing of so many older horses?
I’m asking because I know from research that past roundups have had casualties but this particular roundup seems to me (and as I have stated, I’m fairly new to the vocal advocacy) off the charts in terms of destruction and protocol failure. Because the Calico Capture is my starting point, it’s the basis for my judgments on all roundups and after-care.
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Mar mentioned on a blog awhile back that a winter gather in the 80s had resulted in quite a few deaths..someone else who might know would be Nevada Willis, since he is from Nevada and involved in the mustangs.
The thing is I spent some time researching this and now where do you find this particular circumstance to find a comparable-to be able to draw a conclusion..Winter gathers are not the norm..and the BLM stated to the judge on the injuction that this was not an emergency gather to to feed or water in the current situation..and also stated to the judge that waiting would put them in the middle of foaling and it was less dangerous to do it now..We will see how the judge feels about that as we now have the graphic results of that winter gather. Common sense on all levels , and as someone who has mares and foals..I was positive there would be no good outcome of doing this at a time when the horses are conserving energy to fight of the cold and scarcity of food in the winter..in a couple of months they would have new growth poping up to feed in as they should have been foaling..There are only a few reasons for a mare to abort a late term foal( and frankly we do not know what term these foals were as ther was no description.
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Sandra;
I think myself and Craig Downer had the data on the Calico round up in the Mid 80’s that you are referring too. In that round up over 20 babies were ran to the ground and their hooves to bloody stumps by the same outfitters the Cattoors. They know this terrain is deadly with the lava rock on soft baby hooves, and they know babies can’t keep up. They shot over 20 babies on site after the stampede to the holding pen and I have the inventory sheets to prove it with a ‘destroyed’ stamp next to the horses description that includes it’s age.
During load up, they had parked the trailer on a slant and ran horses in the trailer. It over turned due to a weight shift and killed 50 or more horses. Others had to be shot because their injuries were debilating. Can you imagine trying to unload a stock trailer full of wild and terrified horses, some dead, some on 3 limbs or with broken necks,shoulders and hips?
From my BLM inventory sheets of that round up, BLM/Cattoors killed over 200 horses before they ever left for Palomino Valley either by running them to the ground and or death and the trailer incident. I don’t know how BLM can keep saying their death rate is less than 1%, but then again we all know they are bald face liars with their own agenda!
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are these utah cartoors the same utah people who ran mustangs off cliffs in utah in the 60s and 70s?
The BLM never takes photos or vids of anything because they lie and hide the mustang killing!
an artist rendition of that official report could make a heck of a good poster for the pubic to view.
we really don’t need an actual photo, if a painting will do. The public has to ‘see’ this.
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I agree!! The Vets a hack and just helps the BLM kill as many as they can!!
We see rescues ALL the time take a weak starved horse over 20 years old and bring that horse quickly back to health!!!
The BLM sucks they should have NO deaths at all!!! The BLM to this day doesn’t understand that running horses the way they do and the lack of aftercare is HARMFULL to ANY animal!
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This is really long, but I thought ya’ll might like to read the “Thank You” I just received from the President. I found it quite interesting, especially since I haven’t done ANY work for anything except send a FLOOD of correspondence about the wild ones and the BLM to him, Biden, my Senators & Representatives, etc.
I don’t even support campaigns. Just check the $3 box on my tax return and hope someday someone will wake up to the benefits of public campaign financing.
This message is obviously about Heathcare, but I’m going to call him out on the our issues by adding my comments to his (staffer’s) words. I’m sending it back to him on HIS PERSONAL WEBSITE, which accepts more characters, & maybe to White House if can edit it down so they’ll take it.
Our Founding Fathers warned about the dangers of a two-party system, and we’re witnessing their words come to fruition. I’ve been a registered Democrat all my voting life, but that’s about to change. I’m going Independent, along with 45% of the country. Hey, pols – catch me if you can!
Linda —
I wanted to take a moment to thank you directly for the outstanding work you’ve been doing as part of Organizing for America’s Final March for Reform. I can tell you that your voice is heard in Washington every day. I see how your efforts are moving us toward victory.
But I also know that with just days remaining, the final vote is shaping up to be extremely close. Everything we’ve worked for is on the line, and your voice is needed now more than ever before.
Raise your voice today: We must all speak out together to finish the job.
In these final, crucial days, much more will be asked of us. Our resolve will be tested.
During moments like this, I believe it’s important to remember why we have worked so hard for so long. That’s why I spoke to the country Monday at a gathering in Ohio and said it plainly: I’m here for Natoma.
Natoma Canfield is like most of us: She works hard, and tries to do what’s right. Years ago, she had battled back from cancer, so she always maintained health insurance in case she ever really needed it again. But because of her medical history, the insurance company kept raising her deductible and her premiums.
Last year alone, Natoma paid over $10,000 in monthly premiums and co-pays, while her insurance company chipped in just $900. And then they hiked up her rates another 40%. She simply couldn’t afford it — she had to cancel her policy. That’s when she wrote to me. I read her letter, and shared her story with insurance company CEOs as another reason why the system has to change.
That was two weeks ago. Then, just last week, the unthinkable happened: Natoma collapsed, and was rushed to a hospital. It’s leukemia — the cancer has returned. Now she’s in the hospital, worried sick not just about her condition, but how she’ll financially survive.
So why am I still in this fight? Simple. I’m here for Natoma.
I’m here because of the countless others who have been denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. I’m here for the small business owners forced to chose between health care and hiring. I’m here for the folks who are forced to watch helplessly as their premiums skyrocket with no reason or recourse.
And I’m here for my mother. She died of cancer, and in the last six months of her life, I saw her on the phone in her hospital room arguing with insurance companies instead of focusing on getting well and spending time with her family.
As I was finishing my remarks Monday, a woman in the crowd called out, “we need courage.” She’s right.
The politicians in Washington need courage to face down the powerful interests who have held back progress for far too long. And all of us who share this cause need courage to speak up with persistence and clarity in these final days.
I’ve always found that courage comes from remembering that we fight for something and someone beyond ourselves. It comes from our faith. And it comes from our commitment to those we love.
So please take a moment to remember those who inspire you — those who give you the strength to march on.
There’s very little time left, and still much to do. But I believe to my core in the power of Americans to change history when we put our mind to it. And if you’ll stay with us in these final days, I know we can do it again:
http://my.barackobama.com/speakout
Thank you for making it possible,
President Barack Obama
Paid for by Organizing for America, a project of the Democratic National Committee — 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
This email was sent to: lckhorn3@sisna.com
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OMG!!! I knew it must have been bad in the past as it is bad now, but I assumed the hell had to have been worse in the past because there just wasn’t as much attention paid then as now.
Good Lord!
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FYI, update on the BLM site lists 2 more deaths this week, one to “hyperlipemia”/metabolic failure, what ever that means now that we know that this syndrome is very rare in horses, a 20 year old mare, and a 25 year old stallion due to “teeth loss.” Did all his teeth suddenly fall out?? It took them 2 months to realize this horse couldn’t eat??? so they let him basically starve to death, isn’t that what they were supposed to be preventing by rounding all of them up in the first place????? OMG, this is so maddening!
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Jan – am I sensing a lack of faith in the good vet’s diagnosis? ‘Cause you seem to find it less than credible.
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These horses are colicing and stressed beyond belief….the DOI and contractors are cow-punchin’ morons.
They drove these horses wrong time of year, inappropriatelt with a helicopter, took in too many at one round-up, fed them the wrong food, processed too quixkly and don’t have enough vets or care staff. What’s left to be said?
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That’s SENATUS AT WORDPRESS.COM
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