Another PETA success story. Budweiser tail docking stopped.

RELATED: American veterinarian criticises fellow vets for dog ear crops and tail docks

This is not hot of the press news but it needs to be reported. To spread that word that PETA achieves results.

For 90 years Budweiser tail docked their Clydesdales for a couple of reasons, but ultimately they were cosmetic and have been widely condemned by animal welfare organizations and veterinary groups. Here’s a breakdown:

• Aesthetics: Docked tails were seen as part of the traditional show appearance for some horse breeds, including Clydesdales.
• Misconceptions about practicality: Some believed it prevented tangled harnesses or made it easier to clean the horses.

However, PETA campaigned against the practice highlighting the following:

• Unnecessary pain: Tail docking is a surgical procedure that can be painful for the horse.
• Importance of tails: Horses use their tails for balance, communication, and to swat away flies and insects.

Following PETA’s campaign and growing public pressure, Budweiser ended tail docking for their Clydesdales.

For those people who in my view misguidedly criticised PETA, we need to remind ourselves that they have achieved many successes in animal welfare. This article mentions just one of them. Budweiser stopped mutilating their horses last year.

After a PETA investigation, dozens of protests and a nationwide advertising campaign together with emails from 121,000 concerned customers, Budweiser were eventually driven to agreeing to stopping the amputation of Clydesdale’s tail bones.

The PETA investigation revealed that Budweiser had been painfully severing young horses’ tailbones either by putting tight bands around the tails to stop blood flow causing the them to fall off or by simply amputating the tales with a scalpel.

The video shows agitated Budweiser Clydesdale horses trying to flick away flies around their bottoms which is one purpose of a horse’s tail. This brings up a point which I have constantly mentioned namely that when humans remove a part of an animal’s anatomy, they remove a part of the functionality of that anatomy.

Another classic example which has concerned me for decades is cat declawing. Many people declaw cats in America to protect their furniture and themselves from being scratched but the cat claw is a vital part of their anatomy and it serves a purpose.

In the case of Budweiser, both the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners condemn cosmetic tailbone amputation. It is prohibited in America in 10 states and in several countries. It’s been described as abusive, disgraceful and despicable by veterinarians treating horses.

Dogs also suffer a lot of tail docking and ear shape modifications sometimes by unqualified people in a very inhumane and cruel way. We need to thank PETA for this success; there have been many others.

RELATED: Piglet tail docking is unethical from two standpoints