In December 1997, The California Equine Council, member of HoofPAC, sent a mailer to the California members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

455 letters with return postcards were mailed to California AAEP members asking them to participate in a blind study on equine euthanasia. See below.

AAEP SURVEY

SAMPLE SURVEY:

• # OF EQUINE EUTHANASIAS PERFORMED (FOR ANY REASON) IN 1996.......
  
  
• # OF VETERINARIANS @ CLINIC/PRACTICE...... EUTHANASIA FEE......
  
  
• CARCASS DISPOSAL AVAILABLE: RENDER...... LANDFILL...... OTHER......
  
  
• ASSIGNING THE RATING SCALE OF 1,2,3,&4, THE BREAKDOWN OF YOUR PRACTICE:
  RECREATIONAL/PLEASURE...... PRO/COMPETITIVE...... WORKING...... RACING......
  
  
• DO THE MAJORITY OF YOUR CLIENTELE EUTHANIZE OR SELL THEIR HORSE TO SLAUGHTER WHEN THEY NEED TO BE PUT DOWN?.............
  
  
• WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOUR LOCALE: URBAN...... SUBURBAN...... RURAL......

CONCLUSION:
95 or 21% of the 455 were filled out and returned. 21% response is very good.

CONCLUSION:
There were 2,065 equine euthanasias, excluding clinics and universities, performed by 21% of the respondents in l996.

CONCLUSION:
Average euthanasia fee: $60.00* (Excluding call or emergency fee.)

CONCLUSION:
72% dispose of carcass by rendering
14% dispose of carcass by landfill
13% dispose of carcass by back hoe*
(*75% from rural areas - 25% from suburban/rural areas.)

CONCLUSION:
48% suburban locale and practice
37% rural locale and practice
15% urban locale and practice

CONCLUSION:
46% of practice recreational/pleasure
33% of practice professional/competitive
14% of practice working
8% of practice racing*
(*consistent in that practice was either primarily racing or smallest percentage of practice.)

CONCLUSION:
93% of practitioner's clientele euthanize
7% of practitioner's clientele 50% euthanize and 50% slaughter*
(*70% of this response from rural practices.)

SUMMARY:
California AAEP clientele is predominately comprised of pleasure and
recreational owners (46%) who humanely euthanize their horses (93%) and have
the carcass hauled and rendered (72%).

RENDERING:
There are 15 licensed tallow companies in California, 12 of which accept horse carcasses. Per Dr. Don Franco, President, National Renderer's Association and Mike Koweler, President, Pacific Coast Renderer's Association, an additional ten thousand horses a year would not be burdensome, would not negatively affect by-product and would in fact be welcome business. Further, any one plant could accommodate this number of horses in one week. These same rendering plants also do collections throughout the state, i.e., Darling goes as far North as Modesto and as far South as Bakersfield. NOTE: The State of California euthanizes and renders approximately 600,000 dogs and cats annually in addition to (statistics unavailable) enormous numbers of dairy and cattle. Horses would be inconsequential.

LANDFILLS:
In California there are 217 City, County and Private Landfills. Fifty percent (50%) would accept house pets (cats/dogs) and twelve (12%) or 25 sites would accept large animal carcasses such as horses. There are an eleven (11) additional possibilities located in Kern County.

HAULING:
There are nineteen (l9) licensed dead haulers in the State of California. Each of the nineteen collect throughout multiple counties via satellite pickups.