Cost of having a horse put to sleep

Clodagh said:
Mine used to buried here too, but it is actually illegal now. Mind you, with the state of PIOs as they are I doubt anyone would ever find out.
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Mine was PTS about 16 years ago now and as she was a pet, then it was legal. I am not sure what the law is now. I thought if they were classed as pets then it was ok to bury them at home as it is for a dog or cat.
 
I had my boy PTS last year. The local hunt came and shot him and took him away. Far more traumatic for me than the horse! It cost £220
 
Peter7917 said:
Or if they aren't signed out of the food chain then you can send them for meat and they pay you :)
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Bear in mind that if a horse has EVER had bute (even once) they are signed out of the food chain. To find an elderly horse that has never had bute would be very rare I would have thought.


Unfortunately most of the people who tell tales of woe with lethal injection are referring to horses pts many years ago when the drugs weren't so efficient or fast. I know of many horses that have been pts - horses belonging to friends and friends of friends and nearly all have been PTS and I have never heard of one that ever reacted other than the way it was meant to, to the injection.

Sorry for your impending loss.
 
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ycbm said:
I've held two for a friend of mine. One was sedated, the other not as that vet didn't believe in it. The second one took over five minutes to lose the blink reflex when he touched its eye. It was horrible, and he was about to give it more stuff when it stopped. The first horse was gone very quickly. Only two, but different experience from what your vet says. That vet retired and the practice as a whole now routinely sedate first.
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Oh dear, but the second horse would have been completely unconscious so not aware. But I can fully understand that it would be very upsetting for people watching, and the vet too because they want to do a good job. With my girl the vet listened to her heart several times and reported that it was slowing and then stopped and she was gone.
 
Wow there is a big difference in costs up and down the UK...I understand the seemingly high cost of the vet putting to sleep - what took me by surprise was having to pay £240 for the body to be picked up and disposed of...
 
My local hunt euthanized and took the body for £200. The man told me that a lot less hunts do it nowadays as it's so expensive and time consuming to keep up to date with a the regulations placed on them.

The hunt was quick, efficient, and most importantly painless for the horse. I believe my horse was then fed to the hounds which, maybe strangely, I take comfort in as it seems like such a waste of a large amount of meat otherwise.
 
I had my girl PTS last week which was so hard after a long battle with lami. It was the most peaceful thing I have seen , which helped me a lot . By injection . It was like loosing a child but just seeing her fall to sleep and that was it, made it a lot easier. I haven't had my bill yet but I had individual cremation too which was over £500
 
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