h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've always wondered if it's true that they chop up racehorses and mince them for dog food when they get sent to the nacker's yard. It seems ironic that such a beautiful and magnificent creature that attracts such attention should be postumously turned into pedigree chum. Can anyone confirm whether or not this actually happens?

PS: Do they make glue out of the bones as well? As you're off to the glue factory was a common threat doled out to horses in comics when I was a lad.

Yep, animal bone was/is commonly turned into glue, and fertiliser. I wouldn't be in the least surprised if old racehorses do indeed go into petfood, but it's usually the less savoury parts of cows and sheep.

New Winalot Prime with Red Rum...No really

That is disgusting! Those beautiful creatures becoming pet food. Some may say well what else is there for them to do once they are dead and thats ok but if they are killed just because they can't race anymore that is horrible!

It's the same with greyhounds, which until recently were routinely disposed of when they could no longer race. Mind you, public awareness of this is rather greater than it was, and many people now adopt retired greyhounds, which incidentally make marvellous, loving pets. I believe racing kennels are monitored much more closely than they used to be, also.

It's not just greyhounds. There are literally thousands of hounds in the British Isles that have been bred solely for the purpose of fox hunting and are pretty much useless for anything else. With the current climate in Westminster growing ever colder towards the so called sport, it looks like the very thing that these animals were bred for will soon cease to exist. I applaud the moves made by the government to abolish a cruel and barbaric persuit such as the hunting down, savaging and dismembering of a small rural animal that could be controlled in a more human manner; but this is another example of humanity and its habit of using, abusing and discarding another species as its needs see fit.

Yep, we're a pretty unpleasent bunch really.

Myself personally I'd rather see anti cruelty legislation targetted on the many millions of animals who endure miserable conditions in the meat industry - the gristly killing of a couple of dozen foxes, while deplorable, really is a drop in the ocean.

I was actually talking about the fate of the hounds. While the fox is hunted cruelly in this way it is still a pest that has to be controlled, but the method of control must be more humane. The hounds on the other hand are set to become obselete; perhaps that's the downside of being man's best friend.

Yes, actually, is there any contingency for the hounds? It's a poor way to treat your 'best friend'. Why dogs threw their hand in with us, I don't know. The world would've been a happier I'm sure if we'd thrown our hand in with them.

Someone needs to take dolphins aside as a species and point this fact out to them as the cheeky aquatic mammals seem to be getting awful friendly with the humans.