Eclipse, the decorated racehorse who won in the late Georgian period,
made horses very important. When Eclipse died, the Crown wanted to
learn why and called upon Frenchman Charles Benoit Vial de St. Bel to
perform an autopsy. It spurred the need to have a veterinarian school in
England. They had been around for twenty years, but until the famous
horse died, farriers had been the primary source of care for horses. The
Napoleonic wars added additional need and interest in keeping horses
healthy; thus, the care of horses became paramount. King George
established the Royal Veterinary School with the first four students
attending in 1792.
With only a few vet schools and very few veterinarians, all of them
were focused on horses and the very important livestock. However, for
most illnesses, farriers (who were tradespeople who learned
their trade from their fathers and were often called upon to diagnose
and attend illnesses in horses and other livestock) were still called
upon.
Dogs and cats had become significant in the homes of the rich. When
the aristocratâs pets were sick, they struggled to gain access to a
qualified vetâoften competing with the farmers and others that needed
care for their horses and livestock. This drove many people to rely on
home remedies or unqualified practitioners, and even manuals that
portended to have the answer.
Occasionally, something came along that required government
involvement. When a rabies epidemic broke out in England, they placed a
bounty on the heads of stray animals trying to exterminate the problem.
Owners were told to keep their animals inside, or risk having their pet
killed. However, despite the governmentâs best efforts, the disease
became endemic and by the early 19th century, thousands of
animals had lost their lives. In 1793, one lone voice had suggested that
animals be confined for an incubation period to see if they had
contracted rabies. But the fear had been too great, and they ignored the
voice. It was almost 150 years (and many thousands of unnecessary
animal deaths) before that idea was finally acted upon.
The short answer to my question was animals with illnesses or severe
injuries were most likely handled brutally. As much as I hated to hear
the tears coming from the room next door Shepâs, I knew her pet was
being given the best vet medicine offeredâtoday. And in a field that
continues to grow in significance, my hope is in ten years, some of
those tears wonât have to fall.
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