Fair to keep very lame horse on painkillers?

[eowenith]

Last year, 2 months after the pandemic started (the jerk haha), my 21y/o mare came up VERY lame a day after a normal ride (refusing to even stand for a bit). The first vet thought it was an abcess. Never saw anything but I don't know a ton about abscesses as she's never had one! She slowly got better with stall rest and we returned to light work with the vet's approval. Very soon after starting, she came up VERY lame again during a ride. Called my old vet this time and she found it was a suspensory injury and diagnosed her with DSLD. I mourned the loss of our riding days being over and retired her (she earned it after 15 years of toting me around!). The vet and I got her on a routine of previcox and she seemed pretty comfortable. Still a bit lame, but gets around the pasture fine. It's been about a year.

Recently she came up VERY lame again. She wasn't down this time but lame at the walk and seemingly on all feet. I couldn't get her out of the pasture to brush her. My barn manager had been on vacation and the caretaker had missed giving her the previcox for a few days (I don't blame the barn manager at all! Honest mistake and she really needed a vaca). The vet did xrays and she's got chronic arthritis in both her fronts now, too. The vet thinks this is from leaning so much on her fronts to get off the hind.

Now seeing (inadvertently) how bad she is off the painkillers I'm beginning to wonder if it's fair to keep her on them. She is so incredibly sore without it and she's so quickly deteriorating I wonder if I am being selfish. The vet says we might be able to get her pasture sound but she'll need to go to a different barn where we can monitor her diet better (24/7 turnout with 8 other horses at her current barn). It will be a game of upping her painkillers as she deteriorates. She loves her buddies at her current barn, I'd hate to separate her (she'll also hate the diet, ha).

Anyways, mostly just cathartic to write this — ha! But what would you do? Looking for all different opinions so I can have an even harder choice

 

[SEL]

I've got one I maintain on bute but I watch him closely. I'm ok with pain relief if they can live a happy comfortable life on it - but when he deteriorates i will cry buckets and call the vet. If yours is heading downhill fast then I'd brace myself for making that final call. So sorry you're in this position - it's hard.

 

[millikins]

I wouldn't want to put an elderly, settled horse through the stress of moving and establishing herself in a new herd, and I'd be thinking hard about putting her through another winter if she could potentially go down and not be able to get up again.
Sorry it's a tough call but she's had a fairly long life, been well cared for and it would be a perfectly reasonable decision to PTS.

 

[ycbm]

I think you are looking for approval to put her to sleep? I would absolutely agree with you ensuring she is never in pain again.
.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Given what is wrong with her and that it is only going to get worse then personally I would call it a day and pts.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

While the painkiller is working, it's fine to keep a horse on them, imho. We had one horse on bute for several years both ridden and retired. However I wouldn't put an elderly settled horse through all the stress of moving to a different herd and location. I am not really sure why your horse can't stay where she is and be given the meds routinely but if she really can't I would think very seriously about pts, as being in her best interests..

 

[Goldenstar]

I think exactly as above .

 

[Apizz2019]

Last year, 2 months after the pandemic started (the jerk haha), my 21y/o mare came up VERY lame a day after a normal ride (refusing to even stand for a bit). The first vet thought it was an abcess. Never saw anything but I don't know a ton about abscesses as she's never had one! She slowly got better with stall rest and we returned to light work with the vet's approval. Very soon after starting, she came up VERY lame again during a ride. Called my old vet this time and she found it was a suspensory injury and diagnosed her with DSLD. I mourned the loss of our riding days being over and retired her (she earned it after 15 years of toting me around!). The vet and I got her on a routine of previcox and she seemed pretty comfortable. Still a bit lame, but gets around the pasture fine. It's been about a year.

Recently she came up VERY lame again. She wasn't down this time but lame at the walk and seemingly on all feet. I couldn't get her out of the pasture to brush her. My barn manager had been on vacation and the caretaker had missed giving her the previcox for a few days (I don't blame the barn manager at all! Honest mistake and she really needed a vaca). The vet did xrays and she's got chronic arthritis in both her fronts now, too. The vet thinks this is from leaning so much on her fronts to get off the hind.

Now seeing (inadvertently) how bad she is off the painkillers I'm beginning to wonder if it's fair to keep her on them. She is so incredibly sore without it and she's so quickly deteriorating I wonder if I am being selfish. The vet says we might be able to get her pasture sound but she'll need to go to a different barn where we can monitor her diet better (24/7 turnout with 8 other horses at her current barn). It will be a game of upping her painkillers as she deteriorates. She loves her buddies at her current barn, I'd hate to separate her (she'll also hate the diet, ha).

Anyways, mostly just cathartic to write this — ha! But what would you do? Looking for all different opinions so I can have an even harder choice

Our 19 year old loan pony had dsld and went downhill very quickly.

I wanted to retire him but my vet, a very straight talking vet, shook his head and advised me not to.

Ours was affected on both hinds and the vet said it would be better to pts in a controlled and planned way, than have an emergency in the field or stable where he couldn't get up.

It was very hard as our pony was full of life but deep down, when I look back at pictures and videos, I think he, as are many equines, was very stoic and did a great job of hiding the pain and discomfort he was in.

We did bute him for a few days in the run up to him being pts (I wanted my then 9 year old to have time to come to terms with him leaving us) but for me, being on long term painkillers and running the risk of an emergency pts situation, was enough to comfort me that we were making the right decision.

Only you know what is the right thing to do but know that you're not alone in making what is a gut wrenching and soul destroying decision, which is, more often than not, a million percent the right one.

Sending strength and love.

 

[deb_l222]

While the painkiller is working, it's fine to keep a horse on them, imho. We had one horse on bute for several years both ridden and retired. However I wouldn't put an elderly settled horse through all the stress of moving to a different herd and location. I am not really sure why your horse can't stay where she is and be given the meds routinely but if she really can't I would think very seriously about pts, as being in her best interests..

This ^^ but wanted to add, why can’t you attend to the medication rather than relying on other people?

You say you don’t blame the yard manager but I would be seriously annoyed that medication wasn’t covered in their absence.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My mare was still profoundly lame on 2X bute a day; she had other issues including trigeminal nerve headshaking, laminitis, EMS, etc.

She had started being aggressive not only to other members of the herd but also humans too.

We made the decision to PTS. She was unhappy & miserable and even though she was only 10yo we felt her quality of life was going to be severely affected not just in the immediate future but for the rest of her life as well.

Sorry can't be more positive OP but suspect you know deep within your heart what decision you need to make; personally I would be looking to make any decision before winter proper sets in.

So sorry.

 

[splashgirl45]

i think you have almost decided, but as you have asked i would PTS rather than move her to another yard with new companions. IMO thats not fair at her age.. so sorry but you sound like a caring owner and you know your horse so you need to think of what is best for her,

 

[eowenith]

Thank you all, it helps hearing other's opinions. I do think I was looking for affirmation that PTS is not the wrong choice. It harder talking to people at the barn who are closer to her about this — she's a very sweet horse and everyone loves her. Leaning towards keeping her where she is and PTS before winter sets in. Last winter was rough on her (her hind heel bulbs got very raw and sore from tucking them under her on the packed snow).

Trying to remain positive. We had a good 15 years <3

 

[splashgirl45]

sounds like a good plan, dont worry about other people, you know what will be right for her, its the worst decision but the right one by the sound of how bad she is....hugs xx

 

[View]

OP, quality of life every time.

PTS is much kinder than the stress of moving her from her settled herd. Also, when you have made the decision, I’m not sure that waiting until before the winter is helpful. Summer can be just as unkind to older horses, and you would have more time to be upset by others interfering.

PTS is not a welfare issue - but delaying it can become a welfare issue. Your mare has no concept of tomorrow, so please don’t torture yourself that sooner rather than later is depriving her of time.