Want to help
protect horses?
www.hr857.com
Please visit
www.pmurescue.org to see horses that are available for adoption
protect horses?
www.hr857.com
Please visit
www.pmurescue.org to see horses that are available for adoption
WHAT IS PREMARIN?
Premarin stands for PREgnant MARes urINe or PMU for short. It can and is spelled both ways, with and without an e on the end. Premarin (also included are Prempro, Premphase, Prempac and Premelle) are drugs made up of concentrated estrogens collected from the urine of pregnant mares. These are distributed in many forms pills, creams, injections, patches and vaginal rings. These are used to reduce the symptoms of menopause in women or women that have had a hysterectomy. Doctors also prescribe these to virtually eliminate the risks and effects of osteoporosis and reduce the chance for heart disease. What they do not tell you are the risks associated with taking these drugs made from mare’s urine. Breast, Ovarian and cervical cancers are just a few of the risk factors.
The company that produces and distributes Premarin world wide is the worlds only producer of Premarin. That company is Wyeth-Ayerst Organics Inc. This company is the worlds eighth largest drug manufacturer in the world.
The company that produces and distributes Premarin world wide is the worlds only producer of Premarin. That company is Wyeth-Ayerst Organics Inc. This company is the worlds eighth largest drug manufacturer in the world.
THE LIFE OF A PREMARIN HORSE
Premarin is produced at Wyeth-Ayerst in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. This is known in the horse world as the "PMU capitol of the world." Urine is extracted from mares on about 50 different PMU farms in Canada. It is then shipped to a processing plant in Brandon. Wyeth sets the quotas, pricing and picks the farms as farmers compete to get the contracts from Wyeth that will set them up as PMU farms. Wyeth also has a farm in Carnberry, which is operated like a working PMU farm. The security there is very tight because the work and experiments are strictly confidential.
At the height of its production, there were over 55,000 mares in this program. Today, there is an estimated 7000 horses in the program at some 50 ranches. For six to eight months of their pregnancy (11 months long), the mares are tied in stalls with a urine collection pouch fitted over their urethras to collect the urine. They are put out to pasture for 3-4 months to foal and be bred back. And, the cycle begins anew.
For many years, the foals were considered "by products" in this industry. They were routinely sold to slaughter for the horsemeat industry in Japan and Europe. At one time there were four slaughtering plants in the US that slaughtered horse for human consumption. Three of these plants are now closed and horse advocacy groups have been lobbying to close the last one in operation in Illinois.
Please to to www.hr857.com to see how you can help support the anti-slaughter movement in the US. However, there are still several active slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, close to the United States borders.
About fifteen years ago, horse advocates in the US realized the plight of these unfortunate horses. Several rescues were formed and baby horses started to be brought in and placed in adoptive homes all over the country. As the ranches started to close in 2003, mares and stallions were added to the list of "adoptive" horses. Today, there are hundreds of horse rescues from coast to coast. Their founders and communities fund many of them. For additional information on the PMU industry and alternatives to HRT, please visit www.pmurescue.org
At the height of its production, there were over 55,000 mares in this program. Today, there is an estimated 7000 horses in the program at some 50 ranches. For six to eight months of their pregnancy (11 months long), the mares are tied in stalls with a urine collection pouch fitted over their urethras to collect the urine. They are put out to pasture for 3-4 months to foal and be bred back. And, the cycle begins anew.
For many years, the foals were considered "by products" in this industry. They were routinely sold to slaughter for the horsemeat industry in Japan and Europe. At one time there were four slaughtering plants in the US that slaughtered horse for human consumption. Three of these plants are now closed and horse advocacy groups have been lobbying to close the last one in operation in Illinois.
Please to to www.hr857.com to see how you can help support the anti-slaughter movement in the US. However, there are still several active slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, close to the United States borders.
About fifteen years ago, horse advocates in the US realized the plight of these unfortunate horses. Several rescues were formed and baby horses started to be brought in and placed in adoptive homes all over the country. As the ranches started to close in 2003, mares and stallions were added to the list of "adoptive" horses. Today, there are hundreds of horse rescues from coast to coast. Their founders and communities fund many of them. For additional information on the PMU industry and alternatives to HRT, please visit www.pmurescue.org