35 yr old pony not getting up

i actually know of a vet who left a pony with a broken leg over night because the insurers had to be informed before they could put it down, and the same practice took blood for tests on an old pony that was down in case it was something other than old age!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks for the posts from everyone who has been supportive. I have not written on here due to the fact I have been upset. We had to say goodbye to our much-loved, beautiful pony yesterday. He was unable to get up still.

I had a number of opinions from various people and everyone thought we should leave him overnight. He was not cold as he had an extremely thick winter coat and he had a rug on plus we covered him with another warm rug, he was in a place he knew very well and was very happy in. I wasn't willing to play god before I knew all possibilities had been covered as he really was very well in every other aspect. He was part of the family and enjoyed our company as much as we did his.

He will be hugely missed by so many...
 
Oh i am sooooo so sorry for your loss, what a wonderful age he got to. I understand how you feel, i have known my 34yr old boy almost all his life and felt that he would go on forever but he is declining and i know that it will be this year that we part company. You did everything you could for your old boy, thinking of you xx
 
poor old pony.
i'm sorry for your loss, but i'm really really sad that he spent his final night like that.
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Thanks for the update the thought of the little guy stuck out in the field in the cold, alone in the dark, unable to get up has been haunting me.

RIP little fella, you deserved more in your final hours.
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I think some of the posters on this thread should feel ashamed of themselves for posting callous and quite frankly cruel and evil remarks. From what i can gather the owner of this pony was being advised by her vet throughout and is obviously very distraught and upset at the loss of a family member. I feel she did all she could and gave the pony the chance to rally round that evening, something which some poor horses don't get the chance to do as they're dispatched at the very first sign of trouble and expense.

I find i come on this forum less and less these days and im often disgusted and appalled at some of the nasty comments and mis informed posts and sadly this one has been no exception.

I'm so sorry for your loss fourlegs and i hope in time you're able to remember all of your happy times together with an obviously much loved family friend. I just hope mine all live to such a grand old age.
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benji's_girl, i am not at all ashamed of what i said.
i am appalled that a very old pony was left to spend his last night on earth out in the field, unable to get up. that any vet could countenance this really shocks me.
i have some experience of old horses and imho once they can't get up without assistance (NOT that i have ever let one of mine get to that stage, i hasten to point out) they don't just 'rally round'... rather, it is just a matter of time before some kind, responsible, clear-headed, merciful person does the right thing for them.
some of the ignorance of those who post on here shocks me to the core. this isn't the first such post recently, unfortunately. old horses and ponies rarely go peacefully in their sleep. how can anyone have one that old and then think of its recent colic attack (in a former post) and then this collapse as both being "out of the blue"?
i'm much more disgusted and appalled that this sort of thing happens than i am that a few clearsighted forum members pointed out (politely and rather kindly, i thought) that it was rather unfair on the poor old pony.
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I see where you are coming from but I'm giving the benefit of the doubt as you never know, they may have stayed out with the pony and forgotten to put that as they might have felt that was obvious. Plus they seemed to care greatly for him generally. Maybe he lived at home and was right there at the house in his own little paddock with his friends. I couldn't have left any of mine 'down' and unattended, though.

Maybe others reading this might have a re-think about some aspect of their oldies' management, so it's not a wasted point you have made. I agree, leaving a horse which is unable to stand isn't a thing I'd do, but she said the vet was in charge and how many of us get a vet out, listen to his advice then argue with them and demand another course of action? He/she must have had a reason to advise leaving.

So sorry to hear the pony has gone and I'm glad he didn't go whilst suffering an unseen twisted gut attack, as has happened to more than one pony I know of. The terrible scenes of a horse having died, alone and in agony from one of those, I would think is unimaginably awful to live with.
 
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I think some of the posters on this thread should feel ashamed of themselves for posting callous and quite frankly cruel and evil remarks.

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Which remarks in particular have been callous, cruel and evil GB??
 
I wasn't actually referring to you Kerilli when i made my post but it obviously struck enough of a cord for you to answer. This place just never ceases to amaze me how completely and utterly tactless some people can be, in the OP the poster said that the vet had been out and assessed the pony, it was bright in itself and was able to eat and drink and was kept warm throughout the night. Like you Kerilli, i also have a lot of experience with veteran horses and have had to make that decision before regarding putting much loved animals to sleep but i have always followed the advice of a vet and discussed it with them prior to them being euthanized. If the vet thought it was inhumane to keep it alive throughout the night then surely something would have been done there and then. From your latest post you seem to be bringing into question the judgement of the vet, so why do posters on this thread have to post nasty jibes about the owner?! She was merely following the vets advice and trying to do her best by her animal.

I hardly think that the death of an animal and the grief its owner must be going though can be seen as ''excellent news'' but then im a horse lover....
 
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I hardly think that the death of an animal and the grief its owner must be going though can be seen as ''excellent news'' but then im a horse lover....

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I'm guessing you're an intelligent young woman - so will know full well that the 'excellent news' comment referred to the excellent news that this old chap had been pts. Why gloss over it?

We are all devastated to loose our much loved animals. Hopefully most of us do it in a timely manner though, and are really not afraid to play God when it's called for.
 
The owner (who appears to have been unable to face up to the gravity of the situation) was badly advised by her vet. We all want to give our horses every possible chance, but at 35 there was no way on earth I would have allowed any of mine to spend their last night like that. The vet is as much at fault.

That said, I feel desperately sorry for the owner who has lost her much loved pony.
 
benji's girl, some vets are excellent, and put the animal's welfare above all. others, unfortunately, sometimes do not. i have no way of knowing about this one, but given the situation, i am amazed that the vet did not recommend that the pony be pts rather than spend the night out in the field when he was used to coming in etc.
i wonder, did someone sit with the pony all night, in case he took a turn for the worse? this would make it slightly more reasonable.

hear hear Daffodil, that's what i was trying to say.
 
Yes, i'd like to think i am, and i'd also like to think that when i contribute on here i do so with a bit of feeling and tact. I also remember SS the many thoughtful, and kind posts you received when you lost your mare a while ago. Fourlegs is a new poster i believe to this forum and is dealing with the loss of her pony just the same as you did back then, it would just be nice if you granted her the same amount of respect and diplomacy as other people did when you lost your mare.

I shan't be posting anymore on this thread as i don't want this to turn into a slanging match which it nearly always does with these sorts of issues, and i don't want it to detract from the main vein of this thread which is the loss of a dearly loved pony and a very upset owner.
 
My dear girl was not left in a field overnight, unable to get up.

We must take our responsibilities as owners very seriously. And remember that the end comes through discussions not only with our vets, but also through an educated and compassionate decision made by ourselves.
 
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My dear girl was not left in a field overnight, unable to get up.

We must take our responsibilities as owners very seriously. And remember that the end comes through discussions not only with our vets, but also through an educated and compassionate decision made by ourselves.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh how we all aspire to be as perfect as you Sally.

RIP little pony and hugs to your owner
 
the old boy i have had the pleasure of for many years now should have died 20 yars ago, he had very bad breathing issues & vet advised he wouldnt make it past 10yo, well in 2000 he he was found in feild as OP's was unable to get up but perky in himself the vet advised leaving him overnight & maknig desision in morning. at 4.15 on a very icey morning one of his owners was trodden on by him as he had found his feet again (good job he was a dartmoor & not a shire) he is still going strong at 31 years old & th only reason i no longer have him is he was distroying all my post & rail fencing & letting the others out & we are much too close to major roads for that risk so he went back to old owners farm in the middle of knowhere (hours car drive away, so travelled too)
As with everything emotions cannot be presented in written format as well & what may have been posted in a sympathetic way may be read by someone else as aggressive/rude. sadly this is the way of the written word, no emotion.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
My dear girl was not left in a field overnight, unable to get up.

We must take our responsibilities as owners very seriously. And remember that the end comes through discussions not only with our vets, but also through an educated and compassionate decision made by ourselves.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh how we all aspire to be as perfect as you Sally.

RIP little pony and hugs to your owner

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I am sure SS doesn't 'apsire' to be anything other than a responsible horse owner.

I most certainly don't 'aspire' to being perfect when it comes to the care of my horses and I hope others don't either. Giving ones horse the best possible care avalible is what EVERY horse owner should 'apsire' too.


RIP little pony
 
Are you practising your new word of the day??

No need to be so pedantic! (there's another one for you). My point being that we cannot control every eventuality in our own or our horses life. This owner thought she was doing right by trusting the opnion of her vet (as it has already been pointed out).

I think this is being totally blown out of proportion. There are plenty of other situations where horses are badly treated with the owner fully intending to do so. This owner 'appeared' to be rather innocent here.
 
The BIG difference is that pony was 10yrs (thus relatively young) and this one was 35yrs (a grand old age in anyone's book).

Vets will rarely suggest PTS, unless brought up my the owner in my experience. Thus whilst I am surprised the vet thought it was acceptable, I don't think they are solely responsible for the decision to leave the pony down over night.
 
Fourlegs - I am so so sorry for your loss
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I lost my boy on Monday and so can totally empathise with the heartache you are feeling.

As to the rest of the thread. Those who followed Monty's illness last week will know how i feel about it.

Sleep tight little chap x
 
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