Friday, March 7, 2003
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Friday, March 7, 2003 |
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Starved horses make turn for better under care of state vets By JOHN MUNFORD The seven malnourished horses confiscated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture from a pasture off Sandy Creek Road Tuesday morning are well on their way to recovery, according to Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin. "We are very optimistic there will be a full recover of all seven horses," Irvin said. Irvin said he was disturbed to hear from the horses' owner, John Johnson of Jonesboro, that he would leave them for weeks at a time without any care. "You can't live them for weeks at a time, especially when they don't have any feed," Irvin said. The Department of Agriculture impounded the horses based on "the owner's failure to provide adequate food and humane care," Irvin said. State officials were called in at the request of the Fayette County Animal Control unit, which began the initial investigation and will press the criminal charges against Johnson. The horses are under the care of veterinarians at the state's central care facility in Decatur. The personnel there are specially trained at helping starved animals recover, Irvin noted. The food portions must be carefully controlled because if the horses eat too much, they could die. The owner of the horses, John Johnson of Jonesboro, has been cited for six misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. Three of the horses were in critical condition when they were examined by a veterinarian Tuesday morning at the pasture. The impounded horses include a quarter horse mare and her foal, three ponies and a Saddlebred mare and stallion.
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