Aid seen for equine storm victims

Operations are under way to rescue and treat horses stranded and injured during Hurricane Katrina, the number of whom was largely unknown on Monday.

In Kentucky, the American Association of Equine Practitioners announced it will establish a foundation to aid horses in disasters, while area horsemen stopped by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation facility at the Kentucky Horse Park to donate veterinary supplies and horse-care items for local veterinary teams traveling to the stricken Gulf Coast.

Dr. Rustin Moore of the Louisiana State University Equine Clinic in Baton Rouge said that veterinary teams have been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture. Moore said the agriculture department had helped teams get into Kenner, La., last Thursday, where they rescued 63 horses from two boarding facilities.

LSU has also established the Horse Hurricane Hotline at 225-578-9501 for horsemen seeking information or aid, or those volunteering to help. People may also contact the LSU veterinary school at 225-578-9900 or the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association at 800-524-2996.