Horse sanctuaries are getting hammered with calls. Veterinarians are euthanizing more elderly animals. Cats are inundating local animal shelters.
And rumors abound about animals being released into the hills to fend for themselves.
In interviews last week, shelter managers in western Montana said more people are surrendering their animals because they've lost a job or house, are relocating or can no longer afford a pet.
Veterinarians said their clients are trying to curb costs. Some people want to learn how to vaccinate their animals. And vets expect breeders to be more selective in their programs.
Some folks are putting down older horses instead of paying to care for them in their twilight years. Others are postponing care or forgoing expensive medical procedures on cats, dogs and other animals.
Jani Zirbel, a veterinarian who runs Animal Blessings Pet Hospital in Missoula County, said she's seeing more people struggling to pay for animal care.
“We have people who've taken very good care of their pets and now have lost a job,” Zirbel said. “So now we're doing more billing where we spread the payments out for things that can't be put off.”
Zirbel also works at the emergency Western Montana Small Animal Clinic on Reserve Street in Missoula.
“Especially if an animal is older or if the emergency care is about $1,000, then the owners are saying, ‘We can't do that,' ” she said. “It's not everybody, but we're seeing that a little bit more.”
Dick Richardson at Blue Mountain Veterinary in Missoula said some of his clients are feeling the pinch of a tight economy.
“We're euthanizing way more horses than we used to do even a year ago. What happens is it becomes easier to euthanize the old horse than do colic surgery,” which can run up to $2,000 or so, he said. “You're seeing less of the people who think they can make money breeding horses Š because the demand for horses has dropped off.”
In both routine and emergency care, he's seeing more people waiting three or four days after a laceration or lameness to see if they can treat the problem themselves rather than take an animal to the vet.
Linda Kaufman, a veterinarian at Burnt Fork Veterinary Clinic in Stevensville, said the flagging economy has some clients looking for ways to save money.
“I have more clients who are anxious to learn how to give their animals shots instead of paying me to do that,” she said.
She is also seeing more people, faced with high hay costs or expensive pellet feed, deciding to put down their horses.
“The owners are choosing to euthanize sooner because it costs so much to maintain them,” she said. “I see a lot of people trying to find a good home for their horse. Some people are still taking care of them, but they would like to cut back. It is too many mouths to feed.”
Boarding stables, faced with higher costs ranging from hay to fuel, are increasing the amounts they charge horse owners.
Roberta Brady said she had to raise her fees $75 a month at Pleasure Park Farm to cover her rising costs, including diesel fuel, workers' compensation and a
30 percent increase in hay prices.
Even though Brady hadn't raised her boarding costs since 2006, she said she lost several boarders.
“Gas and oil prices are affecting all of this. I don't expect the prices to come down because of the economy,” she said.
Some people are just selling their animals altogether in an effort to cut expenses.
Kent Kerchal, manager of the Missoula Livestock Exchange, has seen a
60 percent increase in the number of horses for sale at his monthly auction.
And he's preparing for more cattle to be sold this fall, as ranchers cull their herds.
“We've seen a notable increase in the number of horses for sale starting in April and May, and I think we'll see more cattle up for auction this fall,” Kerchal said.
Horse sanctuaries and animal shelters are also experiencing more activity.
Peter Bensen, executive director of the Humane Society of Western Montana, said they're seeing more surrender of animals due to the economy.
“In the last couple of months, there have been about a half-dozen people who have said, ‘I'm having trouble keeping this animal and I can't afford it,' ” Bensen said.
He tells pet owners about the food bank, where people can get supplies once a month. They also refer owners to several vets who do procedures inexpensively.
Vicki Dawson, operations manager at the Bitterroot Humane Association in Hamilton, said they're “maxed out” with four horses at the shelter, which primarily is geared for small domestic pets. She said they're struggling to pay hay costs, which are about $12 a bale at local feed stores. While they're able to adopt out most of the dogs, they are inundated with cats that need homes.
“It's a crisis situation,” Dawson said. “One of our volunteers predicted this situation two years ago. Economics, for us, is critical.”
The nonprofit Montana Horse Sanctuary in Helena urges people buying horses to research the basic costs of care.
Jane Heath, executive director, said they have no room and end up referring callers to local vets, farriers and 4-H clubs to find homes for horses. She's been able to place 20 to 30 horses this way in the last year without bringing them to the sanctuary.
“We are getting more e-mails and phone calls from people who want to find another home for their horse. Every single one of them has said their reason has been economics,” she said. “It's a nightmare right now and emotionally I brace for it because I have to tell them ‘no I can't take your horse' and I know they're hurting economically.”
She said horse owners should also quiz people who offer to take their animals to ensure they will receive adequate care.
“There are so many people desperate to get rid of their horses and they give it to someone who then doesn't take care of it,” she said. “I know of seven cases like that in the last six months.”
Farriers said some of their clients are postponing the shoeing or hoof trimming of their animals.
“I think the price of hay will affect the horse owners more,” said Lee Severson of Stevensville. “People can make the shoes last a few more weeks or trim them every three months instead of every two months, but horses have to eat every day.”
Several other sanctuaries in western Montana, including Angels Among Us Equine Rescue & Sanctuary in Kalispell and the Montana Large Animal Sanctuary & Rescue in Hot Springs, say they are full.
Christina Panerio of the Kalispell sanctuary said there's been an increase in calls and e-mails because of high hay prices.
She said the sanctuary is feeling the crunch, too, and needs support through donations and from people adopting horses.
“We have healthy horses available for adoption, and have not had any serious applicants in quite some time,” she said in an e-mail. “We may have to face the possibility of having to euthanize the horses that we have and close our doors simply because we can no longer afford to feed them.”
Rolling Dog Ranch Sanctuary in Ovando specializes in disabled animals. While they haven't received many more calls, they've heard from managers of horse sanctuaries across the West looking to see if they have space for a blind horse.
“We're hearing those sanctuaries are getting more and more calls from people who're trying to place their horses,” said owner Steve Smith. “It's because of the (high) hay prices or being squeezed because of the rising fuel prices or people needing homes for their animals because of foreclosures.”
Reporter Pamela J. Podger can be reached at 523-5241 or at pamela.podger@missoulian.com.
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