getting a horse up if its lying down in stable and cant get up ..

[gothdolly]

Hi there

Can anyone tell me what do you do if a horse is down in the stable and cant get up? I mean, before you call the vet. This morning we had an old very arthritic mare down and we did eventually get her up (shouting and pulling her headcollar!). She had been down for a while I think because there was a big pile of poo by her back end

Obviously if that had not worked we would have rung the vet but is there anything else that we could have tried? Im thinking propping up with haybales or something?
I have seen a horse hoisted up with help of a tractor in the field, but this was in a stable.

Once she was up she was fine... just gave us all a big scare.
Thanks in advance.

 

[AmyMay]

Gosh, I wonder if a discussion with the vet should be had regardless.

Sounds pretty dire............

 

[gothdolly]

Sorry, should have said, its not my horse, just another livery on the yard (Im only a livery not a groom or anything). I just happened to be the only person other than the owner (who was of course very upset) around at that time. The (devoted) owner is going to ring the vet today- the horse was seen by the vet because she was struggling with arthritis a couple of weeks ago so I am sure the vet is aware of the situation by now. But obviously at that time in the morning we would have been calling the vet as an emergency if we had not been able to get her up - thats what I meant.

I just wondered if anyone had any techniques for getting them up..... and I mean, if they dont get up, and you have to get the vet, what do they do?? How do you remove a horse from a stable if its lying down? I just cant imagine. This is just in case I have to face the situation on my own one day.

 

[amandathepanda]

When I was vet nursing we had a 17 hand shire come in with back problems that meant everytime he lay down he got stuck because he didnt seem to be able to push with his hind legs. I managed to get him up on my own a couple of times but pulling him forward with his headcollar so that his bodyweight was shifted forward enough for him to be able to scramble up. Really not easy to do and the more people around to help the better. After I nearly slipped a disk myself pulling him up, we ended up cross tying him in the stable to prevent him from getting down in the first place while we investigated his problems which eventually proved to be neurological. Definitely one for the vet I'm afraid.

 

[gothdolly]

Thanks... I am sure the vet will be out today as his owner was really distraught. If she was mine I would certainly be on the phone. So its really a case of man/woman power then

No clever tricks I have not thought of.

Do you think its the beginning of the end if they start to do this? Shes 25+ and very arthritic.

 

[Stinkbomb]

Sorry but if my pony got to the point that if it got down it couldnt get up, it would be the vet and the big horsey heaven in the sky... sorry

 

[MurphysMinder]

I have to agree, that I think perhaps the time has come for this pony. When our old arthritic pony started to struggle to get up (she never needed help but the day wasn't too far off) I made the decision to have her pts. It was very sad but the best for her. Hopefully the vet will convey this to the owner of this horse,. Don't want to seem morbid but if she goes down again and can't get up and has to be pts in the stable it would be very difficult to remove the body

Hugs to the owner, I know how difficult it is when you have an oldie.

 

[JulieL]

Do you think its the beginning of the end if they start to do this? Shes 25+ and very arthritic

I do. I have a golden oldie who I absolutely adore, but if she were in this kinda of state, there's no dignity in it for her, I would give serious consideration about the eventual inevitable

On a little brighter note, the warmer weather is nearly here and this might (hopefully) make her feel a little brighter and her old joints feel not so bad.

Give the old lady a hug from me. Ta LBx

 

[Stinkbomb]

Hmm yes... I had to make the devestating decision to have my horse PTS in the stable. I had no choice he had horiffic colic and had got himself so stuck we couldnt get him up. He was removed by the cremators but i wont describe how they got him out......

I would not like some one else to go through this

 

[MurphysMinder]

So sorry to hear about your horse. This happened to a friends horse, and I know how horrific it was.

 

[Orangehorse]

When it comes to the point where they can't get up and down easily, that is really the time to say goodbye. It is very distressing for a horse to be stuck on the ground, not able to get up because they are "prey" and feel very vulnerable.

I was told this by some dealers who had some old family favourites that lived well into their 30s and the oldest pony was 45.

It is not as if they have an injury say, that will get better, and they need a bit of help until it is healed, but if it is a continuing condition that can only get worse with time.

It is very sad for the owner, but some horses just age faster than others.

 

[squirtlysmum]

I agree that once the horse can't get up on their own its time to say goodbye. I lost my mare at 21 and I see other horses who appear to be going on forever at 25+ and feel I was robbed but as orangehorse says some just age faster than others.

 

[Hornby]

This happened to my old horse at Christmas - went to check him at night, couldn't get up, he tried but the back legs wouldn't do the final push. He wasn't distressed or colicing just couldn't make it. Tried a few times, the strabbling took him out of the stable and across the yard but still not managing it. Called vet, he tried to feel for spinal probs, or heart but said that the best thing was to PTS. I was so sad but glad we did. It was one hour from me going out to him to the final moments. The vet said he might have got him up with a massive pain killing injection but the risk of it being worse if he went down again could mean a worse problem next time. Although I took the decision quickly I was glad that I did the right thing by my horse - he was 26 and had a great life with me and I wanted to make the right decision before he suffered - not afterwards. Hugs to your friend but she needs to have a good think about it all.

 

[imafluffybunny]

My 25 year old gelding was becoming very stiff and he was found in the field a few times struggling to get up, this is when we made the decision to have him pts, he was a cruelty case and we got him when he was 19 so he had a good last 6 years of his life, after finding him struggling in the field we buted him up (which he then became a youngster!) the day the vet came to put him to sleep he bounced out of the stable, ate a whole packet of polo's, and we walked him up the field where he was pts and he was buried where he lay.
Thinking back, he had a horrible life before he came to us and we ended his life before he suffered, (i am crying writing this!) I am glad we did it when we did as i would never have forgiven myself if he had suffered.
I think our main job as animal owners is to provide a loving home and to know when to end their life, for their sake not our own.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Fluffybun - such wonderful compassion and common sense. Your ned was so lucky to have found you. Had to make much the same decision re my old lad and I've never had a moments doubt it was the right time and the right thing to do. If you're a rainbow bridge believer, your ned is thundering round the fields even now, keeping an eye out for when he sees his mum again. Take care - he'll probably knock you over with delight! xxxxx

 

[Happy Horse]

I have to agree if a horse really can't get up comfortably in my mind the time has come to be PTS. It must be very distressing for an animal not to be able to stand. I have seen hoists and winches used in cases where the injury is treatable but it is a big ordeal and I'd not recommend it in the case of a degenerative condition. I just wish we could offer the same dignity to people in the same state who wanted it.

 

[traceyf]

I have seen/dealt with this a couple of times. You must always remember your safety comes first... if this is not you horse, you are at serious risk of getting hurt!!!

The vet will not be able to get them up without help, so ringing them is an option but they cant do it alone!!

If possible they need their front legs stretched out in front and space to stand up - dont stand in front as the head and neck can move violently in attempts to get up and you are likely to get headbutted! Also be aware of space around the horse. If it is unsteady once up, it may well fall back down - dont get trapped between it and the wall!!

If it is not too big, it is sometimes possible to roll it onto a rug, it may then be dragged to a better spot or it can be used to lift it (need a strong rug - old canvas nz is good) thread the rug under by girth area just behind elbow and get people on both sides to hoist. You may need to stay on each side to support it and help it stay upright especially if it has been down for sometime.

Despite everything - I think with an elderly horse you need to make the right choice and i think PTS before it happens again. I would hate to think my horse died after being distressed. I would like to think i could make the right decision for him when appropriate and not keep him alive for my sake

 

[Angelbones]

One of my golden oldies had this problem and it happened a couple of times in the field towards the start of summer and I had to do all sorts of distressing (for us and him) things to get him up (plastic sacks, banging on metals etc) and it was horrific but we just kept on with the 'let him have one last summer' thing as we couldn't contemplate the alternative. Then he went down in the stable and we couldn't get him up, called the kennels, got a jcb around which had to pull off the back of the stables and then he got himself up, so cancelled the kennels and had to really take stock. I promised that if it happened again he would have to go. We had the last summer and he really was happy but every day I'd feel sick inside if I couldn't see him standing in the field, and I would dread bringing him in in case it happened again in the stable. Then one day it did, in the stable. I just couldn't go through it again even if he had been able to cope. I called the kennels, sat with his head on my lap, got a damp sponge and cleaned his face gently, brushed the shavings out of his forelock and said my goodbyes. It was desperate but absolutely the right thing to do. You could easily say that we should have done it sooner, but it's very hard to do when you still hang on to the hope that it won't happen again. It's different when you can look at them and see, without any doubt, that they need to be let go. And to be totally honest I had had enough, I couldn't live with the 'dreading the day'. I needed it to be over and sad as it was the relief I felt was profound. Getting him out was a nightmare, once again dismantling the stable around him, jcb, hoist, getting him across the field to the wagon etc. The huntsmen were amazing and he was afte rall my mother's MFH horse so it was fitting.

If I had a horse doing this again, I'd take the decision much sooner.

 

[gothdolly]

Thanks for your replies. Im crying reading some of them! Lots of useful ideas I can pass on to the horse's owner..... its also helped me to think through what would happen and what I would do if it was one of my horses in that situation.

xxx

 

[christine48]

When it gets to that stage the kindest thing is to have her PTS. It is hard to come to the decision, but we owe our animals a kind and dignified end

 

[Shilasdair]

I agree that when an old horse's back end gets weak like this, it tends to be the beginning of the end.
If this horse's owner is not quite ready mentally...you could persuade her to turn the mare out 24/7 in a field with a steep hill if you have any. Old horses find it much easier to lie down and get up again on a hill. This is obviously not a solution to the old horse's problems, but might make life bearable for both owner and horse if the former needs a few weeks to bring herself to the decision.
S