Truth about Premarin

The maker of Premarin, Wyeth-Ayerst, a drug division of global giant American Home Products, and the PMU industry insist that the manufacture of Premarin is not cruel, but just a form of profitable horse husbandry. You be the judge.

The Premarin Mares
To produce Premarin, an estimated 35,000 mares are forced to stand in barns throughout Canada and parts of the Midwestern United States for about six months out of every year with urine collection devices strapped onto them.Even by the self-serving standards of corporations, Wyeth-Ayerst's suggested (but not mandated) 4 1/2-foot wide stalls for pregnant draft horses weighing up to 1700 are ungenerous. The stalls are deliberately kept narrow to prevent pregnant mares from turning or lying down with their legs stretched out for fear the collection cups will become detached as the urine is "harvested." And, worse yet, many of these mares get little or no exercise for the six months they are forced to stand in the barns. (The most recent "voluntary" Code of Practice for the industry states that the mares only be exercised on an as-needed basis.) Their water intake also is regulated and restricted, all of which can lead to swollen legs, sore hooves and other health problems. And then, when these mares are too tired, too old or too surly to stand on the "pee lines," their reward is the auctions and a likely trip to the slaughterhouse.

The Premarin Foals
The story is just as tragic for the Premarin foals. The PMU farmers and Wyeth-Ayerst would like us to believe that the estimated 35,000 foals resulting from these pregnancies are sold as companion animals. A very few may be and a few more fillies are allowed to grow up and replace their worn-out mothers. However, most, especially the male colts, are weaned too early, taken to auction where they're sold by the pound to killer-buyers, fattened in feed lots and then sent straight to slaughter.There, these sensitive, highly social young animals are made to wait their turn for death with the smell of blood in their nostrils and the sound of horses screaming in their ears. And for what? So that Wyeth-Ayerst can sell their animal-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Premarin when there is plant-based HRT available. And so that restaurants in France and Japan can serve foal steaks to connoisseurs of cruelty! (Foal steak sells for up to $15 a pound in some Paris butcher shops.)
United Animal Nations

Premarin mares standing in their "pee" lines

Equilin
Equilin is an estrogen from horses with the chemical name 3-hydroxyestra-1,3,5,7-tetraen-17-one. Equilin is one of the estrogens present in the mixture of estrogens isolated from horse urine and marketed as Premarin. Premarin became the most commonly used form of estrogen for hormone replacement therapy in the United States of America. Estrone is the major estrogen in Premarin (about 50%) and equilin is present as about 25% of the total. Estrone is a major estrogen that is normally found in women. Equilin is not normally present in women, so there has been interest in the effects of equilin on the human body.
Wikipedia-Estrogens-Equilin

Visit these links to read more
about Premarin:
Premarin.org
Equine Advocates
Humane Society
UAN Premarin Awareness Campaign
FemFatalities
Premarin - Wikipedia

Visit these links to read more about
alternatives to Premarin:
HRT: Analysis & Alternatives
Hormone Profile - Info and Products
Premarin Awareness Community Forums
I've Switched Campaign
More to come...

The slaughter house - final destination for tens of thousands of foals due to the drug Premarin

Get the facts
about horse slaughter
Each year an estimated 90,000 horses are slaughtered in the United States and processed for human consumption. In addition, many thousands of live horses are transported across the border to Canada for slaughter. After these horses are killed, their flesh is shipped to Europe and Asia for human consumption. Their owners are often totally unaware of the pain, fear, and suffering their horses endure before being slaughtered.

Who eats horse meat?
Horse meat is not eaten in the United States; it is exported to serve specialty markets overseas. The largest markets are France, Belgium, Holland, Japan, and Italy. The only three horse slaughter plants in the United States are foreign-owned.
Most horses destined for slaughter are sold at livestock auctions or sales. The cruelty of horse slaughter is not limited to the act of killing the animals. Horses bound for slaughter are shipped, frequently for long distances, in a manner that fails to accommodate their unique temperaments. They are usually not rested, fed, or watered during travel. Economics, not humane considerations, dictate the conditions, including crowding as many horses into trucks as possible.
Often, terrified horses and ponies are crammed together and transported to slaughter in double-deck trucks designed for cattle and pigs. The truck ceilings are so low that the horses are not able to hold their heads in a normal, balanced position. Inappropriate floor surfaces lead to slips and falls, and sometimes even trampling. Some horses arrive at the slaughterhouse seriously injured or dead. Although transportation accidents have largely escaped public scrutiny, several tragic incidents involving collapsed upper floors and overturned double-deckers have caused human fatalities, as well as suffering and death for the horses.

How are they killed?
Under federal law, horses are required to be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter, usually with a device called a captive bolt gun, which shoots a metal rod into the horse's brain. Some horses, however, are improperly stunned and are conscious when they are hoisted by a rear leg to have their throats cut. In addition, conditions in the slaughterhouse are stressful and frightening for horses.

How can you help?
Individuals can support organizations such as The HSUS that work toward the goal of ending horse slaughter. One of our goals is to reduce the callous overbreeding of both sport horses and pleasure horses so that older, injured or surplus animals will no longer be viewed as expendable. A reduced number of surplus horses would result in a sharp decline in the profits of the horse meat industry because the cost of obtaining each horse would rise due to decreased availability. This would force slaughterhouses to scale down their operations and eventually shut down. Horse owners should think carefully before breeding a mare and consider adopting their next horse from an equine rescue organization.
Horse owners can plan for their animal's eventual death by setting aside funds for humane euthanasia by a veterinarian, if it becomes necessary. Menopausal women on hormone replacement therapy can ask their doctors to prescribe one of the many safe and effective, FDA-approved alternatives to Premarin®. (Contact The HSUS for a free brochure detailing these alternatives.) Finally, individuals can work within their home states to pass laws that afford stronger protections for slaughter-bound horses. HSUS