# Mare Attacked



## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

I know you say there are no big cats, but this is awfully similar to the injuries caused by mountain lions. They are making a comeback in some areas of the US and Canada so you may not even know they are there. 

Coyotes and dogs both tend to try to grab onto faces and lower legs to try to get the animal down on the ground, and they also chase and "worry" animals until they are exhausted and can't fight back. Mountain lions attack prey from behind and try to drag them down that way with weight. It could possibly have been a juvenile mountain lion without much experience.


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

Agreed. Here are some pics of confirmed mountain lion attacks on horses.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

My best friend's gelding attacked a mountain lion who came into their arena one night. Yes, you read that correctly. The *gelding* attacked the _mountain lion_, not the other way around. Near as we can figure, the young lion came down from the hills behind the property in search of water and got more than he bargained for.

TC busted through the gate of the holding pen he was in (12x20 stall inside the arena made from stall panels) and literally ran over the top of the mountain lion multiple times. You could clearly read what had happened in the tracks in the arena. My best friend's mare, Tinkerbell, even got in on the action.

These were his injuries:





I'd say they're very similar to your mare's injuries.


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## 2horses (Oct 11, 2009)

Rain Shadow, were the horses in the pictures in Florida? When I lived in FL, I found marks similar to the ones in the first picture going down the inside of my horse's leg. I didn't think there were any large cats there; so I never understood what happened.


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

You may also want to look all around to make sure there aren't any nails that have come loose from a fence or barn wall. I had a horse go to scratch herself once on a wall and some nail heads were raised and scratched her and it looked like she had fought with a big cat... But it was only the side of a barn...


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## FoundationlovinQH (Mar 19, 2016)

I've been told repeatedly that we have no mountain lions in or area of Georgia as that was my first guess. I'm putting up game cameras tonight to figure out if whatever it was is coming back and what time so we can set up traps so AC can safely remove it.

As for sharp objects, there are none, i've scowered every inch of her pastures (she's out on 8 acres right now which is not attached to the barn) and nothing was at that height that could have snagged her and left the claw marks on her butt and injuries on her leg.

EDIT: She's pastured with a gelding and not alone, but I worry whatever it is will come back and try again.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

2horses said:


> Rain Shadow, were the horses in the pictures in Florida? When I lived in FL, I found marks similar to the ones in the first picture going down the inside of my horse's leg. I didn't think there were any large cats there; so I never understood what happened.


It well could have been since we do have Florida Panthers (depending on where you were living at the time), and quite large bobcats. Also people here let their 'pets' go (cougars, leopards, you name it.) Once they are too big or too scary to handle anymore. I've also seen where some bear attacks look like that, usually a very young black bear, which we have plenty of in FL as well, they'll try to grab where ever they can get a paw hold.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Confirmed cougar sightings map for the curious! This includes dead mountain lions that have been found.


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## FoundationlovinQH (Mar 19, 2016)

Thankfully that map has no confirmed sightings near me, but I know we have bob cats. Hopefully the game cameras will catch something and it can be taken care of quickly. 

My biggest concern is how fast everything swelled and started losing color, less then 12 hours is pretty quick for an infection when cleaned and covered with ran keeping it cool as well.


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

FoundationlovinQH said:


> I've been told repeatedly that we have no mountain lions in or area of Georgia as that was my first guess. I'm putting up game cameras tonight to figure out if whatever it was is coming back and what time so we can set up traps so AC can safely remove it.
> 
> As for sharp objects, there are none, i've scowered every inch of her pastures (she's out on 8 acres right now which is not attached to the barn) and nothing was at that height that could have snagged her and left the claw marks on her butt and injuries on her leg.
> 
> EDIT: She's pastured with a gelding and not alone, but I worry whatever it is will come back and try again.



You have panthers there. Florida Panthers range into Georgia. Also big bobcats. 

Honestly a horse can injure themselves on a tree branch, but those look like claw marks.


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## FoundationlovinQH (Mar 19, 2016)

Rain Shadow said:


> You have panthers there. Florida Panthers range into Georgia. Also big bobcats.
> 
> Honestly a horse can injure themselves on a tree branch, but those look like claw marks.


After a previous borders horse snagged himself on trees the owners have a landscaper come out monthly to trim and grind down all the low hanging parts of limbs that could hurt them.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Be sure your horse gets a Rabies shot. A shame to go through getting her better to have rabies take her. 

A Bobcat won't take on a horse but a *Rabid* Bobcat might (and would take on anything). 

Bobcats range at night for the most part when Raccoons are out and raccoons are a known rabies vector. 

Even if it was a Florida Panther (subspecies of the western cougar) rabies should still be a concern and vaccination prior to being symptomatic can save your horse's life (not to mention your own!)


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## FoundationlovinQH (Mar 19, 2016)

She was fully vaccinated before but we revaccinated her this morning anyways to be on the safe side


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

If it was a large cat, their bites can be the worst for infection. I hope your mare heals up nicely and you get to the bottom of what actually happened.


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Mulefeather said:


> Confirmed cougar sightings map for the curious! This includes dead mountain lions that have been found.


It sure looks like 'something' gave the cats a helping hand after 2005.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Mulefeather said:


> I know you say there are no big cats, but this is awfully similar to the injuries caused by mountain lions. They are making a comeback in some areas of the US and Canada so you may not even know they are there.
> 
> Coyotes and dogs both tend to try to grab onto faces and lower legs to try to get the animal down on the ground, and they also chase and "worry" animals until they are exhausted and can't fight back. Mountain lions attack prey from behind and try to drag them down that way with weight. It could possibly have been a juvenile mountain lion without much experience.


Nope, not quite right,according to sessions we attended, where a wild life officer that specializes in livestock predation, gave a talk
Mountain lions are very efficient killers, and attack at the neck
It it wolves that attack form the rear. Coyotes that sometimes kill new born calves, also attack for the rear, and in fact, calves have been brought in, still alive, victims of coyotes that fed on the rear
Dog packs often make random bites, not being skilled, organized like wolves


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

'Mountain lions, having relatively short, powerful jaws, kill with bites inflicted from above, often severing the vertebral column and breaking the neck. They also kill by biting through the skull.'

Hind quarter attacks are not common for lions, but I guess there is the possibility of that cat having missed the neck
Any black bears int he area?


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Any chance she just got into some barbwire ?
Do you have other pictures that I missed, as those first three do not convince me wounds were caused by predation


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

To me, those marks are not very conclusive, far as an attack by a predator
Happened during a storm, so the horse could have been running around.What is your fencing like?


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

To me it looks like she scraped up against something. The 2 marks could be nails or similar. If the storm was that bad it could be anything. If something clawed her it would have used 2 paws and teeth so I would expect more marks.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Yeah I would expect a predator to do a lot more damage, what's it going to do swipe her once then walk away?

Mountain lions are BIG and efficient. Other predators are not so much a threat for an adult horse and IF they attacked one I would expect something more obvious. FWIW it's worth there "aren't supposed to be any" here either but sightings are regular and pretty conclusive.

Good to treat is as if to be safe but personally not seeing it.

How's she doing?


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

I work for NY DEC and I can tell you that most sightings are INCONCLUSIVE and the few that prove out have proven to be released "pets" kept illegally. ONE CAT traveled from the west to New England relatively recently and was hit by a car in CT. Genetics proved that one out. Out of that the conspiracy theorists have sprung up. NO ONE has proven anything with scat, track casts or photos. If there is conclusive evidence, we want to see it and to know it and to study the animal. 

We had a recent sighting in the Adirondacks with photos. There was nothing to scale the photos from but the distance was known. The wildlife folks took a Mountain Lion size cut out and put it where the photo was taken. They stepped back and took a photo from the same location. Superimposing the new and old photos the supposed "lion" was a house cat.... that could, in fact, walk under the cut out full size lion.

Meanwhile, we are accused of having a highly secret program to breed and re-introduce Mountain Lions to the region. <<<<<<<<<<< Totally false. Yup. they would be lion (sorry.. pun intended). We barely have staff enough in the agency to do the work that needs doing without adding some "secret" thing. The liability alone would not be worth it.


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## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

That is scary, I hope your mare is ok.

Predators are something we don't have to worry about here. The biggest predator in NZ is man :-(

We are clean of rabies too. I must remember not to take it for granted.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Elana, I am talking about my specific area and not trying to spread rumors. There is currently another mt lion in the Quabbin with a radio collar that they tracked from the west, my father and I were talking about the young one killed in CT just the other day. I believe DNA came back as South American as well as Northern? My father is very involved with that type of thing and while some people may not recognize a house cat (lol) he knows what he is doing and which people he can trust to be accurate. Sometimes proof is not always available.

For an animal known to be rare and secretive it's no surprise sightings are inconclusive! They definitely travel a bit though. Some people have no idea what they are talking about, some do.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Supposedly we have no mountain lions in PA, but there have been many sightings that are leading people to believe they're in the mountains. Lord knows we have plenty of black bears, though! Just in the last year there were 3-4 that were sighted within a 10 mile radius of where I live.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

We 
have many mountain lions living in our area. They will once in a while, prey on sheep, but their main prey remains deer
I have seen cat tracks right out in front, by our driveway, my friend, who also has horses, caught one on her trail camera, and I heard one scream, on night, doing 10 PM horse feeding on my two that are in the corral
I have come across a cougar kill, of a young calf, on a grazing lease, not far from us (could see the drag marks, and tracks,into the willows, plus the moma cow was hanginga round. reported it, and by the time Fish and wildlife got there, (ranchers are compensated for a proven predation ), there were two grizzly bears on that cow, who was then also dead
Heck, the school in one of our local towns, did not allow kids to go outside for a few days last year, as there was a cougar sighted right in town, plus many other cougar sightings in our general area.
Cougars rarely will attack a horse, and they sometimes do get 'hooked' onto small dogs and cats
My hubby worked on a greenhouse he was building, fro some people not far from us
They have sheep (also horses) A cougar was coming about once a month or so, helping himself to one or more sheep. Hunter with dogs was called in, and one morning when hubby went to work, there was a cat in the front end loader.

Those marks, do not look like claw marks, and I would be very, very surprised if that was proven otherwise.
I am quite sure that I live in an area with way more cougars, black bears and even grizzlies, yet have never had a cougar, or a bear for that matter, attack any of our horses


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

We have an organization, in our immediate area, known as "bear Smart', where sightings of cougars and bears are reported.
Just to give you an idea, of activity since Jan/16, with bears just now coming out of hibernation, is is a link to that site

http://www.mountainviewbearsmart.com/bear_activity_report.php

We have many, many sightings every year, with cattle and horses very plentiful, yet I can't re call the last time there was ever a reported attack , other then on sheep and the odd pet dog or cat, taken off a porch


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Mountain lions are resident here (to accurate, one mountain lion is -- they each protect a territory which may be square miles in extent). Our resident attacked my goats three times over six years; on the third attempt he killed them all. 

I have only seen one big cat and I've lived here thirty years. 

Like all predators, lions have a very strong aversion to getting hurt while hunting or -- they can easily starve to death if injured, that's why horses and mature cattle are generally not attacked, they aren't worth the risk. Lions hunt just like housecats -- stalk, set up, pounce-kill.They go for the neck, to sever the spinal cord. They don't get into a fight except by accident, as in the story of the brave gelding TC. 

I think it is more likely she injured herself on something. If there is one tiny nail sticking out in a 100 acre field, a horse will find it in order to tear themselves open. Generally on a Sunday or national holiday.


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## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

MuleFeather I am one of the ones that say we have mountain lions in PA. A customer of mine has for the past 2 years had a lion walk the back of their property and sun itself in their field. My parent and I have also seen one on 2 different occasions. One was on a 4-wheeler ride it crossed the trail in front of us. And the other was walking up my parents driveway. My friend also had a horse that was attacked by a lion and it ripped up her back legs and left claw marks from her withers to tail.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Oh I'm absolutely convinced we have some in the mountains here, especially since there are ranges that would allow a lion to trek thousands of miles without needing to go close to a major human population. They are VERY elusive and given that a male lion might range over somewhere close to 400 square miles, you might never see one in the same place twice. Lots of prey with deer breeding like crazy all over the place along with lots of things like rabbits, raccoons and possums. I don't think a hungry lion is all that picky. 

We've got coyotes here too - I actually saw a dead one on the road going up to Berks county last weekend. But, I've seen a live one maybe once in the dozen-plus years I have lived in the state.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Mulefeather said:


> We've got coyotes here too - I actually saw a dead one on the road going up to Berks county last weekend.


Wow, zombie coyotes. Not going to visit you any time soon. Yikes.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Mulefeather said:


> Oh I'm absolutely convinced we have some in the mountains here, especially since there are ranges that would allow a lion to trek thousands of miles without needing to go close to a major human population. They are VERY elusive and given that a male lion might range over somewhere close to 400 square miles, you might never see one in the same place twice. Lots of prey with deer breeding like crazy all over the place along with lots of things like rabbits, raccoons and possums. I don't think a hungry lion is all that picky.
> 
> We've got coyotes here too - I actually saw a dead one on the road going up to Berks county last weekend. But, I've seen a live one maybe once in the dozen-plus years I have lived in the state.



From the predator sessions we go to every year, where both a Fish and Wild life officer, that specializes in encounters, and research biologists give talks, cougars are much more dedicated to one species, far as prey, although once they deviate, they teach that to their young. Cougars mainly prey on deer-that is documented by biologists in the field
In southern Alberta, we have mountain range that is different then where we live, further north, in the fact that there are no foothills, with those mountains rising right out of the prairie grasslands
Wolves, bears ans cougars are the main predators. In the winter,both cougars and wolves prey on deer and elk.
When the cattle are turned out on those lands in the spring, wolves switched to preying on cattle, esp calves, to a significant number, while cougars stay mostly fixed on deer.
Coyotes are a non issue, unless you have sheep. Occasionally, they will take a new born calf, and then move on to taking bigger calves, teaching that behavior to their young.
Yes, there are a few cougar attacks on humans, documented from time to time. Last one I recall, is a cross country skier, and tracks showed where that cougar had been stalking her for some distance
I know there are cougars around here, as I see tracks, know of sightings, actually saw one, sleeping at the edge of some woods, just riding around the 'block' one year.
We have a very healthy cat population, yet even when I was raising foals, never had a problem, nor do I recall any attacks on livestock, other then sheep, for many years
I think people that live where predators are less common, become over fixated on these predators , that for the most part, live very respectfully among us
THe friend of ours that had a PMU ranch, would pasture some of his mares way, way up north, on some land he had up there-basically bush quarters and in the middle of no where. Those horses were left un attended, often for months. He did have one mare with wounds that look like they were inflicted by a cat, probably defending her foal
Cougars, unlike wolves, are very efficient killers. They go for the neck and spinal cord, usually killing with one bite. Wolves, on the othe rhand, attack from the rear, trying to ham string their prey, and often start to feed before that animal is even dead,
Sure, I can see cat stretches, further back , if that horse was defending and the cat missed the neck, but you would also see claw tracks, not puncture like wounds/gouges, as from some object
As we go on and on, has the OP even stated as to what kind of fencing she has, or if any wild life official actually determined a cat attack. 
Here, our wild life officers are trained to document both a predator attack/kill and the predator responsible.
If there is a problem bear or cat in the area, they are tracked down and dealt with


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

Interesting stuff, Smilie. Apparently around here, heavily forested mountains between two urban areas, many of our big cats dine mainly on pets (as per study of stomach contents of dead lions -- they get hit by cars a fair amount). Wish they'd stick to the ubiquitous deer but I'm sure they go for the easiest first. 

Good electric fence will keep out mountain lions but nothing else will except a barn with a door. They can jump on to the roof of a house from a standstill.


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## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

MuleFeather where I am in Potter County (almost on the NY border) we see coyotes all the time. We actually had a pack of about 15 harassing our horses one night till my mustang ran them out of the pasture. Though we hear them a lot more than we see them.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Coyotes here are as common as gophers almost. 

in mating season, their yipping at night drives our dog nuts , and keeps us awake at times. 
Ava, yes, cougars do take small dogs and cats, when they move into an urban area
In fact, one problem cougar is presently putting a big dent in the dog population of a near by Indian reservation. For obvious reasons, they wild life officers can't use cougar hounds there, so that cat has escaped capture so far
When I see people hiking with small dogs around Canmore, in winter, I think, 'cougar bait'! 
We did have a bow hunter, killed by a sow grizzly , with two cubs, just over the highway from our hay field one year. Looked like he came across that bear and her cubs, on a kill, in thick brush
Riding out west, I have both black bears (more in the foothills ) and grizzlies in the mountains. Most times, they are very happy to get out of your way, unless you come upon them suddenly, or get between them and their cubs. I have been lucky, that the bears I encountered, thus far, were as happy to see the last of me , as I of them!
Cougars, on the other hand, are ambush predators, and if they stalk you, you don't play dead, as with a bear. You keep eye contact, and if they attack, fight with everything you got!


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Here is a video, of wolves taking down an elk, just outside of the town limits of Banff, taken by someone on the way to work

https://christophermartinphotograph...-from-the-banff-wolf-packs-attack-on-the-elk/


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Mulefeather said:


> We've got coyotes here too - I actually saw a dead one on the road going up to Berks county last weekend. But, I've seen a live one maybe once in the dozen-plus years I have lived in the state.


You should come up and ride with me (I am about an hour north of you), and you would stand a pretty good chance of seeing a live one. Last year, I jumped one in the woods in one particular spot just about every time I rode by there.. to the point I would holler to the coyote as we approached so it had time to vacate without being under the horse's legs. Also sometimes see black bears.


I would not be surprised at all to have mountain lions around either. Luckily I haven't seen any of those since leaving Oregon! 


OP, hope your horse is healing well.


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

^^^

Why have bells on my saddle. I am outside Pittsburg and see coyotes a lot, and hear them more at dusk.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

sarahfromsc said:


> ^^^
> 
> Why have bells on my saddle. I am outside Pittsburg and see coyotes a lot, and hear them more at dusk.


Yes, we have a friend that rides with bells on his saddle in the mountains-drives my hubby nuts!
He loves the quiet of wilderness, and choses that over the possibility of maybe not warning a bear
Ever since grizzly tags are no longer available, thus they are not hunted, they have learned that gunfire during the fall hunting season is like a dinner bell being rung!. They know that gut piles, ect are left behind, and more then one hunter, has gone back to pack an elk out, to find a grizzly had claimed it.
Happened to us, when my brother came out from Ontario to go elk hunting with us. We warned him, but he hiked out early morning to where he has shot an elk at dusk the night before, and was lucky to see the bear before he got too close
Coyotes are just considered pests here, with open season on them any time they become a problem. More then once, hubby has had to shoot at them, when they became too bold, coming close tot he barnyard, not because of any threat to the horses, but they will drag off barn cats, or lure a dog out far enough, where buddies are waiting to ambush that dog in pack.
One morning, I woke up to see a young cowhorse bred filly,' working' a coyote in the pasture!

This picture is when grizzy tags were still available on draw. Early spring, hunt with horses. His horse did draw the line at packing out elk though, when hubby though he could ask his horse to accept a fresh grizzly bear hide!




Now that we have gone off track, how is the horse. Hope you found what she hurt herself on. It can be amazing, as some horses can hurt themselves in a padded stall, almost!


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## FoundationlovinQH (Mar 19, 2016)

Alright, it's been about a week since I posted. I can conclude it was an attack by dogs as dogs came BACK and attacked both horses and we caught them on camera's several times and had called AC. She did have scratches on her hind end and bites on her legs and we saw them come on to the land again and go for the legs as well as jumping towards their rears. 

AC is in the process of capturing all of them (3 or more) and vet believes that it was a nail or tooth that hung on the the original gash and that was before telling him of anything.

Fencing is wood slats and hot wire with rubber caps over the metal. The pasture they were in during the storm has no hanging limbs at that height, no splintered wood or anything that could snag right in there and leave bite marks and remove hair on her hind end and sides. 

She's healing very well on her side but we are having problems with the leg that was bit and have her on another round of antibiotics. Dogs have no owners or collars and look to be thin.


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## ToManyHorsesAndOnePony (Oct 16, 2013)

If they come back shoot the dogs, even if they are someones pets this is to far. Three dogs can and will take down a horse


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I am definitely NOT a "shoot the dogs" person but in this situation yes. "Trying to capture is absurd". They don't sound loose, they sound like a wild pack, quite likely born feral. If so it's not unrealistic they would bother a human in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Trying to capture" hasn't stopped them from coming back several times.

I'm assuming you're doing things to protect the horses but an officer with a gun sounds like a better option than AC. What are they going to do when they catch them anyways?

I'm glad your mare is doing ok and hope everything continues to heal and the dogs are taken care of! (I'm glad there were no further injuries too!)


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## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

Even if these dogs are caught, they should be put down. Once they have been in a wild pack, they simply are not safe


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

ShirtHotTeez said:


> Even if these dogs are caught, they should be put down. Once they have been in a wild pack, they simply are not safe


My father managed to scare off a pack of wild (born feral) dogs, a friend was in the same area later and was attacked, luckily he was close to his truck because they WANTED to kill him. Wildlife officers went out and shot the dogs. The dogs found them.. They are not domestic dogs.

A feral dog is WORSE than a wild animal because they don't have the same fear of humans a true wild animal will have. They are dangerous. Now the OPs dogs may just be strays and not truly feral but by the time they are attacking horses in a pasture... I don't understand the purpose of trying to catch them, it's not like they're going to rehome them!


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## ToManyHorsesAndOnePony (Oct 16, 2013)

I'm not a shoot the dogs person either, unless they are actually chasing or doing harm to livestock. I'm not going to try and chase off or try to catch a dog or group of dogs that is currently out in my field running the horses. As I run out I'll yell and scream and hope they run, but if not I'm sorry. If its a pet you shouldn't have allowed them to get into this situation, in the end I'm mored worried about my animal than yours. If the run good, but the way I see it that animal is going to come back most likely if its continued to be allowed to roam. If I can't find the owner and warm them or if they decide to just let them run anyways well. To bad


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## Overread (Mar 7, 2015)

Yogiwick said:


> A feral dog is WORSE than a wild animal because they don't have the same fear of humans a true wild animal will have. They are dangerous. Now the OPs dogs may just be strays and not truly feral but by the time they are attacking horses in a pasture... I don't understand the purpose of trying to catch them, it's not like they're going to rehome them!


I did some reading a while back on wolves and many times it was said that wild pure-wolves were little threat to people in normal situations; though in some localities children were at more risk where wild prey was reduced. 

Otherwise the biggest risk was wolf-dogs or feral dogs. Domestic breeds or derivatives there of that have little fear of people. And its true in other species too; where wildlife fears man it avoids them at all cost and whilst you get the odd killer here and there most will go out of their way to avoid contact. Those that have no fear or through stress/illness or madness lose that fear are far more dangerous and will do the unexpected. 




I agree that likely they want to recapture so that they can assure themselves that the dogs come from fully feral stock and are not roaming pets nor the result of a recent release. Dogs can act differently when they are in a pack than alone in a home; and they will act differently when "on the hunt" in a group away from "home". Heck our dog will hunt and she's the only dog in the family so a group alone with no fear of people could easily start hunting captive prey.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Well, I have zero tolerance for stray dogs coming on our place, esp when they are running in a pack, with pack mentality
Dog attacks are usually shown to be much more random, as they lack the skill of wolves, far as taking down prey efficiently' Thus, bites are often random. We bred a mare once, for people new to raising a foal. Their own dog fatally attacked that foal. The owners checked on the mare at night, she foaled, and they thought all was well, so went back to bed.
In the morning they found that foal with several bites, and one to the neck proved fatal
When our mares were foaling I always kept our dog in. Once that baby was up, next day, the dog realized it belonged, and then protected it , but that un cordinated movement, by the foal, trying to stand, and the smell of blood, would trigger the predator in the dog.
Running in a pack causes a similar mentality. I know people that have had horses put through fences, by stray dogs
Many dogs will run after horses, often in 'play', but I never, never allow it. Our dog is never allowed to chase a horse. I've seen people think it was entertaining, to see their dog snapping at the heels of a running horse.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I would also want the head of those dogs examined fro Rabies
Obviously, those dogs would not be vaccinated, thus a real concern, JMO


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## ShirtHotTeez (Sep 23, 2014)

Over here, once a dog chases stock it gets put down. If they are identified in a pack they don't get a second chance. 

A friend's dad had a german shepherd years ago. A nearby sheep farm had dog trouble and someone pointed out friends dog. He had to be put down. There was zero chance that it was that dog, because he was either in his high fenced pen or chained up or out with owner. Friends mum was home most days. 

By the time the farmer found that out it was the wrong dog it was too late. Obviously the farmer still had problems because the wrong dog was blamed, so the attacks continued.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Agree with above
We had a dog thaT we got as a rescue. He decided it was great sport to go to the end of our road and chase cattle
First time, hubby got him home,and we tied him up. I was still working, so on my day off, decided to let him loose, thinking he would surely stick around, while I worked in the garden
Wrong! Sundenly he was gone, when my back was turned, back to chasing those cattle. Hubby took his gun and fixed that problem, before the owner of those cattle had to


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