One of the many concerns about horse slaughter is the inability to determine whether a horse has been given non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs at some point during their lives. These types of drugs are banned for use in any animal intended for human consumption because they are known to cause potentially lethal effects in humans.

 In a recent study entitled “Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: A public health risk,” shows that horses given phenylbutazone, a popular NSAID, have been sent to slaughter.

The researchers, Drs. Nicholas Dodman, Nicolas Blondeau and Ann Marini, identified 18 Thoroughbreds whose drugs records showed they had been given phenylbutazone but were still sent for slaughter.

“Horses are not raised as food animals in the United States, and mechanisms to ensure the removal of horses treated with banned substances from the food chain are inadequate at best,” stated the study.