Elderly horse pain relief Vs PTS

[Mister Flynn]

Our oldest pony is now 30, she had had arthritis since she was 13, retired at 25. She has been having supplements and no bute.

Over the summer she has been finding it difficult to stand on one hind for farrier and to have hooves picked out, she is also realy struggling to get up. She occasionally trots or does a few strides in canter on a straight line but can't turn a corner.

Had the vet over yesterday and discussed that she probably needs proper pain relief now. The issue we have is she is absolutely refuses Bute, what ever we disguise it in.

We have managed to get danilone into her in the past my making a treacle paste and smearing it onto the back of her tounge, but after a few days she gets very wary. The vet went to price up metacam as apparently it's more palatable, but it looks like it would be £10 per day for the very lowest dose, which I can't afford long term?

My biggest fear ATM is going out one morning and finding her stuck or worse.

Has anyone had any experience of other painkillers or ways to get danilone into an extremely fussy horse? Otherwise I think we only have one other option. In all other ways she is bright and well. Can't imagine life without her?

 

[9tails]

I think it's time for PTS I'm afraid, when they struggle to get up or don't go down for fear of struggling to get up it's not really fair.

 

[Mister Flynn]

I think it's time for PTS I'm afraid, when they struggle to get up or don't go down for fear of struggling to get up it's not really fair.

I think you are probably right. The cold and wet are no friends to arthritis either. I have always been adamant I will give my horses a kind end, but it's so hard to actually do it

 

[tankgirl1]

My mare is on previcox, 1/4 tablet a day, I squish it into the middle of a slice of bread, She is considerably younger though, but it has helped her

ETA not expensive at all, so maybe worth a try before winter hits to see if it helps?

 

[meleeka]

If the main worry is cost you can get a prescription from the vet and Danilo is currently £1.31 online.

I don’t think it would be wrong to pts in this situation though. There really aren’t any prizes for keeping them going as long as possible and you are only putting off the inevitable anyway.

 

[View]

I’d give her a few days pain free on metacam and then let her go with dignity. You’re right to want to avoid it being an emergency.

 

[Lots of Gift Bags]

I think it's time for PTS I'm afraid, when they struggle to get up or don't go down for fear of struggling to get up it's not really fair.

This, I'm sorry to say. Sounds like it's time for her from your description.

 

[Mister Flynn]

Danilon in the past has had to be force fed, which would be ok if it was a week course, I would not want to do that long term

 

[Mister Flynn]

My mare is on previcox, 1/4 tablet a day, I squish it into the middle of a slice of bread, She is considerably younger though, but it has helped her

ETA not expensive at all, so maybe worth a try before winter hits to see if it helps?

I will look into previcox,. A tablet is easier to disguise than a whole sachet of powder

 

[Tiddlypom]

I think you are probably right. The cold and wet are no friends to arthritis either. I have always been adamant I will give my horses a kind end, but it's so hard to actually do it

You are right about this. She sounds like her time has come.

You don’t want to find her down in the field. This happened locally to a horse with similar indications to yours, including struggling for the farrier. It went down in the field, it was dark, the weather was horrendous with wind and rain, the vet was lighting the horse up with his headlights to see what he was doing. They couldn’t get the horse up despite numerous attempts, and it had to be PTS where it was, in the storm.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If she is struggling to get up, I doubt that pain relief is going to make much difference now. I would pts before it becomes an emergency.

 

[teddypops]

The struggling to get up would do it for me. Time for pts unfortunately as hard as that’s going to be for you.

 

[BBP]

At 30 and struggling to get up I would think it might be time. If you are wanting to think of other options so you know you have covered everything, is do you get her seen to regularly by an excellent osteopath or similar? Have you had bloods run (I’ve just found my horse has been chronically vitamin E deficient, which can affect muscle function).

Mine has been having a hard time getting up, so I know a bit of how you feel, you don’t want to leave it too late and get it wrong.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

The winter is coming and the weather is only going to get worse. I assume she lives out. Do you really want to have her struggle through the winter and possibly not make it and have to be put down in really bad conditions?

 

[PapaverFollis]

30 is a great old age.

It's hard but giving her a dignified end now, while she's still quite bright and happy, could save a lot of heart ache and upset later on.

I'm sorry you are facing this.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I agree with a few of the others the struggling to get up would worry me and I would pts so sorry.

 

[paddi22]

once they start struggling to get up or get too stiff I PTS. it's the kindest thing to do to the horse. My dad has arthritis and nearly cries in pain some winters with it, I can't even imagine howe it must feel for a horse. I would never forgive myself if I came to a field one day and a horse had been down all night on cold hard ground. it would be terrifying for a prey animal to feel like that as well. it is not a kindness to keep a horse going when it gets to that stage, my vet has a saying that medication is there to help the owners, not the horses sometimes. it's a tough call but quality of life has to be top of the list, it sounds like a much loved horse who has had a great life and is entitled to a peaceful end, tough as it is.

 

[Mister Flynn]

I spent the night blathering and gave my head a shake this morning.

Had a long talk with my daughter who used to share the mare with me, we are going to pick up some metacam today to tide her over and book her in to be PTS over the half term when I have a week off.

 

[BallyRoanBaubles]

I'm really sorry but if it was me I'd be PTS, I dont think pain relief is the way to go if shes struggling to get up. I'm so sorry xxx

 

[Mister Flynn]

At 30 and struggling to get up I would think it might be time. If you are wanting to think of other options so you know you have covered everything, is do you get her seen to regularly by an excellent osteopath or similar? Have you had bloods run (I’ve just found my horse has been chronically vitamin E deficient, which can affect muscle function).

Mine has been having a hard time getting up, so I know a bit of how you feel, you don’t want to leave it too late and get it wrong.

She was being regularly seen by osteo until lock down, not had bloods done as vet and osteo both thought the issue by was arthritis

 

[windand rain]

It is hard had the old boy pts in may he lost condition his skin was awful and he was swaying when he was standing still he had the sun on his back a field full of spring grass and went to meet his maker. My concern was he would either go down and not be able to ge up or he would get cold and wet and be uncomfortable. He had three more years with me as his owner had the choice of 24/7 stabling where he was or 24/7 out with me. He already had a 6 month prognosis but he did 3 years happy. It is painful but we are lucky to have the choice so you are right in making that choice.

 

[tristar]

I spent the night blathering and gave my head a shake this morning.

Had a long talk with my daughter who used to share the mare with me, we are going to pick up some metacam today to tide her over and book her in to be PTS over the half term when I have a week off.

brave and wise decision, i had my pony pts last year, it was not so bad the vet was very kind, very sad and hard decision, so sorry you are going through this

 

[ihatework]

I spent the night blathering and gave my head a shake this morning.

Had a long talk with my daughter who used to share the mare with me, we are going to pick up some metacam today to tide her over and book her in to be PTS over the half term when I have a week off.

Well done, right call however hard and heartbreaking it is

 

[Jeni the dragon]

My sister and I said good bye to our old boy in May this year. He was 31 and had been struggling for the farrier and for a little while had been getting a couple of danilon. But he'd been struggling to get up and we decided it was time. Was horrible at the time and I'm still so sad about losing him, but he'd have been finding it tough on the slippy ground we have just now.

I'm sorry you've had to make such a difficult decision.

 

[MissTyc]

I spent the night blathering and gave my head a shake this morning.

Had a long talk with my daughter who used to share the mare with me, we are going to pick up some metacam today to tide her over and book her in to be PTS over the half term when I have a week off.

Always brings tears to my eyes, but it's the right thing. It breaks my heart when I have to make that call. Equally, I know of two horses that were euthanised in horrific circumstances; in both cases, the signs of the end had been there for quite a long time and the horses were both a beautiful old age like yours. They deserved better, and I still have nightmares about one of them. I doubt his owner sleeps much at night. Now, I tell myself that as much as it breaks my heart when I have to make that call, at least I can sleep at night knowing that I've done the right thing for my horses and that they never knew any pain or suffering from me. My heart goes out to you; it really does xx

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s the right call and she is a lucky horse end her life in her long term home .

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

So sorry you are having to face this - I had almost identical problem with the last horse I had to PTS. He was only 21 but one of the heavy horse breeds so not totally unexpected but his last few months was horrible to watch him struggle. After 3 days stood barely moving in the same corner of the field on 6 bute a day I made the call - To my eternal shame and guilt I made it several days too late, luckily for your old horse you are not letting it get to that stage. Stay strong - and try and concentrate on the happy memories.

 

[paddy555]

my view is exactly the opposite. No way would I PTS before trying bute. (and I know she won't eat it)
The horse is described as bright and well. Pain relief and she could have a good quality of life for a while yet.

I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago except the horse went down in the stable and couldn't get up. It was arthritis type problem (not colic or anything) rang vet. It was out of hours so going to take a while. Horse was lying flat out his head in OH.'s lap. We decided PTS as we couldn't risk this happening again. Hopefully horse would just stay lying there until he could be PTS. This horse wouldn't eat bute so I syringed 3 sachets into him in just to try and make his life easier until the vet could get here.

About 40 minutes later horse climbed to his feet pretty easily from a really dreadfully stuck position.


Vet examined the horse. Apart from this problem he was OK. Then we didn't know what to do. PTS a horse who was quite happily walking around and wanting to eat? we left the decision to the vet so our feelings didn't come into it. Vet decided we could not justify PTS. Horse went onto bute, vet injected bute initially and then started on double dose and worked down to one a day after a week or so. All syringed in. By the time we got to only having to syringe 1 in daily it was really nothing.

Horse had 2 more years of excellent quality life. Excellent was racing around the field, (he was an arab) getting down to roll and back up easily and there was no indication of a repeat performance. He was PTS this summer but it was nothing to do with these issues.

I have never syringed danilon but bute is possible to syringe.

 

[samleigh]

I've always managed to get horses to eat Bute and Antibiotics by buying a bag of the cheapest mix feed, lots of malasses and other things they shouldn't eat ?, a handful is usually enough to mask a sachet of bute.

 

[samleigh]

I've always managed to get horses to eat Bute and Antibiotics by buying a bag of the cheapest mix feed, lots of malasses and other things they shouldn't eat ?, a handful is usually enough to mask a sachet of bute.

But edited to say that I also think you've made the right decision, better a week early than a day late, as I'm sure we've all witnessed.