Volume 7 | Issue 1 Article 5

1944 Horses For Food M. H. McMillan Iowa State College

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Recommended Citation McMillan, M. H. (1944) "Horses For Food," Iowa State University Veterinarian: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/iowastate_veterinarian/vol7/iss1/5

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Observation of slaughter at Iowa (1lant

M. H. McMillan, '44

MID the innumerable industrial al­ States and parts of Canada. One example A terations to meet the current national of an equine abbatoir is the Davis Packing emergency, the livestock industry has Company at Estherville, Iowa. This par­ played a steadily increasing role. One of ticular plant has been in operation since the branches of the industry which has January, 1940, and is operating under the recently risen to importance is the slaugh­ Federal Meat Inspection Service of the ter of horses for human consumption, The Department of Agriculture Food Distri­ veterinarian's interest in this industry will bution Administration. The Meat Inspec­ be indicated by the various diseased con­ tion Act of Congress applies only to horses ditions of the horse with which he comes and congressional action would be re­ in contact repeatedly and their relation­ quired to include mules. ship to the inspection of horse meat and At present, the Davis plant is slaughter­ meat-food products. ing horses at the rate of 70 to 75 per day. Their horses are purchased from many Nutritional Value of the western states and parts of Canada Prior to the current national meat short­ in addition to all parts of Iowa. They are age horse meat was used chiefly for dog purchased at the rate of approximately 1 food. However, today the public is recog­ to 2 cents per pound. Since the economic nizing more and more the nutritional value importance of farm horses has been low­ of horse meat for human consumption. ered in proportion to their decreased use Although many people still hesitate to it is a natural tendency for the farmer to endorse the practice of eating horse meat, send an injured horse to slaughter rather it actually holds some advantages over than attempting treatment, thus decreas­ beef, pork, or mutton. The muscle fibers ing the practicing veterinarian's horse are mostly finer than in beef and the business. glycogen is deposited in the muscle, mak­ Meat Inspection ing it sweeter than beef. Further, the fat is deposited in layers rather than being Federal Meat Inspection regulations are marbled as it is in beef. This renders the enforced in the plant by an inspector in meat from thin horses practically as ten­ charge, who is a graduate veterinarian der as that from fat ones, Few people can employed under the Food Distribution recognize the difference between beef and Administration. His numerous duties in­ horse meat in a roast. clude: enforcing strict sanitation of the The present-day retail markets for fresh premises, checking the establishment em­ horse meat for human consumption are ployees daily for clean clothing as well as chiefly in the eastern part of the United for communicable diseases, and carrying States where other meats are scarce. Since out regulation meat inspection. The in­ horse meat does not require meat ration spector in charge at the Davis plant at points, its popularity is increasing. Ani­ Estherville is Dr. O. W. Anderson, to whom mals used for this industry originate from we are deeply grateful for much of the farms and ranches all over the United information included in this article.

Summer, 1944 29 The inspection and handling of horse 84 on ante-mortem inspection was their meat and meat-food products is an enforce­ moribund condition, which includes those ment of Regulation 29 of the Bureau of horses found dead in the pens when in­ Animal Industry Order 211, revised. This spected. Horses that are condemned on regulation contains the following provi­ ante-mortem inspection are sent to the sions in general: rendering plant. 1. Carcasses or parts of carcasses pre­ The process of slaughtering horses fol­ pared for transportation or sale as articles lows closely the method for killing beef. of interstate or foreign commerce must They are stunned by directing a .22 cal. be wholesome, free from disease, and fit rifle bullet through the brain. The animals for human consumption. are then shackled by the hind legs and 2. The slaughter of horses and prepara­ hoisted in the air to be bled from the tion and handling of the meat and meat­ cervical vessels. Skinning, removal of the food products thereof is conducted in an head, hoofs, and tail, and subsequent establishment where only horse meat is evisceration are carried out similar to beef handled. slaughter and the carcass is split longi­ 3. All horses shall be condemned if any tudinally to be cooled. of the following diseased conditions are found in either ante- or post-mortem in­ Post-mortem spection: strangles, glanders, influenza, purpura hemorrhagica, azoturia, forage Each carcass and its parts are subjected poisoning (cerebrospinal meningitis) , to post-mortem inspection at the time of dourine, generalized osteoporosis, acute slaughter. As soon as the head is removed inflammatory lameness, extensive fistulous it is given a routine examination. The withers. parotid, submaxillary, and sublingual 4. All horse meat or meat-food prod­ lymph nodes are incised and examined ucts are conspicuously labeled, using a for abscesses or lesions of an acute infec­ six-sided stamp with light green ink in tion or septicemia. The nasal bone is re­ contrast to the round stamp and purple moved and the nasal septum is examined ink used on cattle, swine, sheep, and goat for glanders lesions. The maxillary sinuses carcasses. are examined for the presence of abscesses Wherever horse meat is retailed on the or other abnormalities. The masseter market, it must be conspicuously labeled muscles are incised to note their general and no other kinds of meat can be handled character and to indicate to the plant em­ by that market. ployees that the head has been inspected. Following the routine examination of the Ante-mortem Inspection head, the cranium is opened and the brain Animals to be slaughtered are subjected is checked for any abnormalities and re­ to an ante-mortem inspection. They are moved to be used for meat-food products. examined in their pens at close range, both The pituitary glands are collected from at rest and in motion, for the purpose of the brains and used for medicinal extracts. detecting communicable diseases such as: glanders, dourine, pneumonia, strangles, Conditions Observed influenza, or any other disease which might render the meat unfit for human The carcass is viewed while being evis­ consumption. Those found to be only cerated and all the viscera are inspected slightly infected may be killed as "U.S. by examining the organs and lymph nodes suspects" subject to further inspection. for evidence of lesions of influenza, glan­ Of the 40,020 horses subjected to an ante­ ders, pneumonia, infectious anemia, tu­ mortem inspection during the fiscal year mors (either benign or malignant), or 1943, 39,807 were passed, 129 were killed any other diseases which would render as "U.S. suspects," and 84 were con­ the meat unfit for human consumption. demned. The reason for condemning the Extensive fistulous withers causes con-

30 The Veterinary Student demnation of the carcass due to the prob­ Food Distribution Administration of the ability of brucella infection. Almost all of Department of Agriculture. Regardless of the gray horses have melanotic deposits in his immediate interest, he cherishes a the subscapular region. If these lesions pride for his profession and is reassured are localized they are trimmed out and of its importance in this as well as other discarded, but if it is a generalized condi­ branches of the food-producing industry. tion and found in the spleen and lymph nodes the entire carcass is condemned. In the fiscal year 1943 there were 39,935 A.n Encouragement For The horses subjected to post-mortem inspec­ Training (If More Veterinarians tion, of which 39,152 carcasses were passed and 783 condemned. Reasons for con­ Years ago, when the horse was a domi­ demning these in their order of importance nating factor in transportation and in include: pneumonia and pleurisy, emacia­ farming, the veterinarian was popularly tion, melanosis, septicemia and pyemia, known as the "horse doctor," but with the peritonitis and enteritis, tumors, injuries, development of the veterinarian's activi­ nephritis, metritis, mastitis, uremia, drop­ ties this term has lost significance. There sical diseases, leukemia and pseudoleu­ is a greater need for his services with the kemia, pregnancy and recent parturition, food and fur-bearing animals, poultry immaturity, contamination, arthritis and and pets. Approximately 20 percent of bone diseases, and icterus. Parts of car­ the veterinarians of the United States are casses may be condemned due to: tumors engaged in the inspection of food of ani­ and abscesses, injuries, melanosis, arthri­ mal origin destined for human use. tis and bone diseases. Condemned car­ It is generally conceded that livestock casses are denatured with crude carbolic is necessary to successful agriculture since acid and sent to the rendering plant to be domestic animals contribute in maintain­ used, after cooking under pressure, for ing soil fertility, and are useful in con­ fertilizer or other inedible products. verting cheaply grown crops into higher priced animal-food products. Nearly 31h Disposition of Carcasses billion dollars are invested in livestock in the United States with more than 100 Passed carcasses and parts are washed, millions in each of the following states: branded, and placed in the cooler where Texas, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minne­ the temperature range is from 28 to 32°F. sota, Ohio, New York, Missouri, Nebraska, After 12 to 24 hours in the cooler the car­ Kansas, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Cali­ cass halves are quartered and shipped. fornia. In these states and Massachusetts Most of the meat from the Davis plant are the majority of the ve'i-erinary colleges. is sent to the eastern part of the United The age of the veterinarian is not the States for human consumption, but a por­ determining factor in veterinary medi­ tion of it is sent to their Topeka, Kan. cine that it is in some other occupations. plant where it is used to produce dog food. Based on a study of 1,568 practitioners, This dog food is being used by the Army the average age of veterinarians was 43 for the K9 corps. The viscera are sent to years. a rendering plant where they are used in the production of tankage and fertilizer. Many of the unsatisfactory blood The hides are tanned for the value of the samples received at Bang's testing labora­ leather and the hoofs are removed to be tories can be prevented by rapid chilling used for the production of glue. of the blood after drawing. Immersing the With these factors in mind, the veterin­ blood tubes in ice water immediately after arian's interest is established. This inter­ bleeding has been recommended as a est may be simply for informative reasons, routine procedure during warm weather. or he may be feeding his favorite hunting This is especially true in cases where dog U. S. Government inspected horse delivery to the laboratory may be de­ meat. Still, he may be associated with the layed.

Snmmer, 1944 31