Euthanasia options, cost-wise?

Nudibranch

Nudibranch

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Sorry to be depressing but just wanted to check my options for having horses PTS. Had a bit of a scare yesterday with my old cushings mare, luckily turned out to be "nothing more" than a touch of colic following a break out into a neighbours corn field! Anyway it made me think, I should be ready in case of emergency really given her age and declining health. I want her to be shot, don't agree with injecting at all. Assuming I can bury her, is it better to get the hunt, knackerman or vet? If I can't bury her, again who is best? I'm thinking cost wise and experience wise here. Can anybody give a ballpark figure for each?
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lat time I used the hunt I think it was about £25 (it's been a little while) to pts and remove to kennels - only an option if the horse is not currently on any medicaation that would cause a problem, I assume if they needed to incinerate the cost would go up.
the vet will charge the call out - assuming you can find one who is prepared to shoot, then you will have to pay again to dispose of the body if you find you can't bury.
 
mine was injected when it she was pts done by vet so call out and cost of injection app £90 then she was collected and created app £170 post is on page ten.a private cremation can be £400 or five i believe
 
Just had another look, Socksnblaze, as I'd been following it but lost it somewhere. Shilasdairs' links were very useful... Am thinking the hunt kennels or knackerman as the field is surrounded by streams and a river so burial may be an issue.
 
I had Cat cremated without the ashes being returned & that was £300 including him being collected from the vet's.

I think that was prob group cremation which is cheaper. It sounds cold to have that & no ashes, but just personally I preferred to remember him alive.

You may feel differently so should do what's right for you.
 
Our oldies have all been taken to the kennels and shot there; they're all had hunting histories, and were fit to travel, so there was nothing unfamiliar about the scent when they got there. Our little pony mare - skinny, dejected and ready to go - actually came alive when the kennelman led her down the ramp; at 34, she thought she was off hunting again! Last thing I remember were her little pricked ears as she went round the corner, a quick shot, and then it was all over. Our old boy was collected from us by the hunt as we had no transport at the time; they charged £100, and that was 3 years ago. If you are not too worried about 'getting her back' when she has gone, then the hunt route is painless, efficient and much cheaper.
 
I'm glad there is someone like me out there snowbomb! I have absolutely nothing against people asking the hunt to dispose of a carcass but I found it much easier to deal with losing my horse when I had him privately cremated and the ashes returned. I then scattered his ashes in his paddock. The cremation cost about £550.
 
I had both mine individually cremated. it was roughly £600 per horse and then you paid the vet bill on top obviously. About £ 100 each if I remember rightly.

I have got a slightly funny story about their ashes being returned though.

I order an awful lot of stuff online and we always get the same parcelforce guy. Very chirpy chappy, generally nice bloke. He always ribs me about ordering stuff for the horses and started to do the same the day he turned up with a large cardboard box. He said "I don't know more stuff for those horses blah, blah" I said "That is my horse" He laughed, he read the label, he looked embarrassed, he hugged me.

Three weeks later my other horse was unexpectedly pts. Same routine etc. He turned up at my door with another large box and a bunch of flowers! He said he just couldn't believe it when he saw the same label again!

Nine months later he turned up at the house with another box, "You got another one then!"

What a nice postman.

Jo x
 
My mare was PTS by injection and then collected and cremated by a local pet cemetary. I couldn't have considered any other option, total cost about £500.

There are restrictions about burial, it has to be proved that the animal is a pet and the local council have to agree but if you have your own land I don't know how anyone would find out about it.
 
Two of mine were PTS by the knackerman and he took them away. Cost £150-200 each. I had one PTS by injection, the cost was £60 for the vet plus £250 for the knackerman to take her away and incinerate. If you want to go for the shooting option, I would suggest you use a knackerman recommended by your vet. Knackermen do it all the time and are excellent and professional. All of mine were PTS at home and knew nothing about it.
 
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It's illegal to bury horses now, isn't it?

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Not totally, but if you do want to bury at home you must get permission. It will depend on exactly where you want to bury, and must be away from water courses and such like. If you would like to bury at home, get permission before the inevitable happens.
You will probably need to hire a JCB to do it, down here it is about £40 with driver per hour
 
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