When Sage was 9 months pregnant she arrived at the Kaeli Kramer Foundation after living twelve years as a mare exploited by the PMU/Premarin (Pregnant Mares Urine) industry. She was rescued in 2010 by former ASPCA officer Annemarie Lucas who drove from New York to a North Dakota Premarin factory farm. Sage had not been taught basic skills needed to interact with humans and was most fearful and in extremely poor condition. She did not know how to walk on a lead and did not know how to stand for the farrier. She had to be sedated to be shod because she had never had her feet handled and because she was in a great amount pain due to neglect. It took the dedication of many caring equine professionals to alleviate her physical and mental suffering. It has been a long journey for Sage. Over time, the seeds of trust in Sage have grown stronger. She has become our farrier’s favorite horse which is also a testament to his compassion and skill.
Life for PMU mares like Sage is horrific. The mares are repeatedly impregnated, and spend six of their 11 month pregnancy confined in straight stalls that prohibits them from turning around, grooming themselves and comfortably lying down. Their water intake is restricted to produce maximum estrogen-rich urine. The mares are continually attached to a UCD (urine collection devices) which are designed to fit over their urethras, in order to capture all of their urine. It is held in place with uncomfortable body straps that restrict movement. When mares can no longer adequately “produce,” most are sold for slaughter. Almost all of their surviving foals are either used as replacements or sent to slaughter.
The PMU industry has now spread to China where almost 100,000 mare endure lives of suffering. There are alternative drugs that do not cause suffering to innocent animals and do not carry the serious health risks of stokes, heart attacks and reproductive cancers which are associated with Premarin and other PMU drugs such as Duavee and PremPro.
YOU CAN HELP by boycotting all Pfizer products which include Centrum, Advil, Chapstick, Neosporin, Preparation H, Robitussin, Celebrix, Lipitor, Zoloft and many other products. Read labels and say no to all Pfizer products.
Write to Pfizer’s CEO Ian Read Pfizer, 235 East 42nd Street, NY, NY 10017
Thank you for Sage and all the PMU Mares
