How is this vet allowed to conduct themselves like this online?

[HopOnTrot]

Although the timing is off, I don't see that post as too bad, who's to say the owner hasn't given permission or is unlikley to be on social media, something I shall pretend SV has taken into account....

 

[suestowford]

She is correct that planning every stage will make for a smoother experience for all involved. I think it's a good idea for all horse owners to have a think about how they will deal with euthanasia, when the time comes. And to do it before it becomes a necessary thing as you do not want to have to be making big decisions when you are distressed, if you end up in an emergency situation. I don't mean details like where people will park, I mean how you want it done, who you'd like to do the euthanasia, and what you will do with the remains.
My ponies are old and therefore likely to be needing help out of this world soon. One has already gone, that was a desperate emergency and I was glad I didn't have to think too hard about methods etc. at the time as I had already thought about it before. Having a vague plan made a difficult day less impossible.

 

[Fieldlife]

This post in isolation actually makes me quite like her

I agree with this. I think it is quite well put.

Though I have my horses shot and taken away by a fallen stock person, assuming that it is a planned departure. I do not use lethal injection, nor vet and nor cremate. I assume she would massively dislike me for this.

I think we owe our horses, a quick, stress free, clean death (when PTS is the best choice) but there are several ways to achieve this.

 

[Fieldlife]

I as just about to write exactly that. Yes a piece about the emotional impact of euthanasia on vets. But it is grossly inappopriate to link it to a specific horse, identifiable by the owner.

Unless the owner was happy with it and found it comforting, knowing how much her vet cared, and that her vet fully supported the PTS.

 

[Apizz2019]

The issue I have is that she's done this before. Go back to 2022 and there are numerous posts written about euthanasia, one in a very similar vein to today's post.

Cynical me believes these grand gestures are for her benefit, and hers alone, not because she has genuine empathy.

It's all about likes and attention. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Reminds me of my ex-husband - a narcissist.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

And when exactly is she meant to have had that discussion with the owners? Where in the week of diagnosis/pain trial/decision/plan was it appropriate to say 'I'd like to write about this on my page, is that ok with you?' I assume she DID have permission but how could the owners have been in the headspace to make an informed decision about that?

I think parts are well written but I also do not believe that linking it to a euthanasia literally that day was appropriate. Or necessary. She could easily have written a generic piece about the emotions of it, and the care taken to prepare well to enusre a smooth and stress free process. That would be an interesting and perhaps comforting read. But then it wouldn't be about HER - as in here's a picture of me today traumatised by this job that I've been up all night worrying about. As for the: 'I'm saving details for my book' - words fail me. She is just so tone deaf, it's bizarre.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Exactly, I'm blocked so can't see her earlier pieces anymore but I think before the whole Harry debacle she did actually write a well balanced piece on euthanasia

We then had the Harry situation. As AE said, if she'd just written a generic piece about how she prepares for doing a euthanasia it would be far better, and interesting to get an insight from a different perspective

Wonder how much plugging her book will get, Wonder what the title will be, definitely should have shouty vet in it

 

[meleeka]

Somebody has commented "never easy for the owners too" and she's replied with "What a very strange comment".

 

[Apizz2019]

Somebody has commented "never easy for the owners too" and she's replied with "What a very strange comment".

Just saw that.

It's strange because it's not a about her.

 

[Fieldlife]

As an owner, you already feel enough guilt about doing 'the right thing'.

You already feel the need for forgiveness for what you're doing/have done, even though it's 'the right thing'.

You don't need the one main person who can give you that feeling of forgiveness to make you feel guilty for making them suffer emotionally too. You don't need the focal point to be how the vet feels. Of COURSE that is important, but the owner's focal point should be the horse and then themselves, with others on the close periphery. Afterwards, the client should be able to grieve, not feel guilty for ruining someone else's day.

A vet is a person, but they are there to do a professional job and take the extra emotional guilt away from their client. Not make it about them because they cannot be selfless. Don't feel able to cope doing euthanasias? Don't be a vet in general practice. That SV has no professionally-based emotional support is evident - THAT is where her comfort for things like this should come from, and from close friends, not from her clients or members of the public or the internet at large.

Every post like this simply screams to me that she is not coping emotionally with life and has no appropriate support system in place.

'I honestly don’t know how any other vet feels/thinks'. Well maybe you should reach out to some for support then - that would help you alot. If only you didn't think you were above everyone else.

ETA: I have always apologised when asking for, before and after having a horse put down. Of COURSE the vet is important. But they are not the MOST important. Like others, I can't believe anyone would use someone else's terrible day as a way to gain likes and responses for themselves. SV I think you really need to reach out to your professional body for support. It's not fair to guilt trip others into feeling sorry for you. It's really emotionally unhealthy because it is not solving your problem. It's actually making your problem feel more like a positive thing, and that will make it worse.

I wonder if there are some mental health issues, and if she is on one of the spectrums (not sure this is the right term or PC term) but maybe she has a bit of empathy and awareness lacking and doesn't directly impact on her being a vet, but does come across a bit strange the way and what she choses to communicate.

 

[PurpleSpots]

I wonder if there are some mental health issues, and if she is on one of the spectrums (not sure this is the right term or PC term) but maybe she has a bit of empathy and awareness lacking and doesn't directly impact on her being a vet, but does come across a bit strange the way and what she choses to communicate.

That absolutely may well be true, but the trouble is it DOES impact on her being a vet - both to her own clients and people remotely. And it affects all the horses cared for by those people too.

Another aspect of this is that it is already hard enough to make the call for a horse. Many people will put it off if they can, even when others looking in can see it's probably time. Now factor in that person feeling it will cause such emotional distress to their vet. Yet another reason to delay making the call, and all the while the horse suffers.

Making the call and at what point is a very personal thing, but this sort of emotional projection can only serve to delay the necessary call being made at the 'right' time. It really isn't good, and it does not uphold the duty of care to prevent suffering in my opinion.

 

[JenJ]

What the hell are "Cordelias"???

(Or "Cordelia's" in her word )

 

[Dustygirl]

I would respect that piece so much more if it didn’t have the ridiculous sad selfie. Absolutely no need for that.

 

[Apizz2019]

What the hell are "Cordelias"???

(Or "Cordelia's" in her word )

Classier version of Karen?

 

[lizziebell]

The latest rant is only nervous low level riders need trainers to help them warm up at competitions

 

[Cloball]

What the hell are "Cordelias"???

(Or "Cordelia's" in her word )

Maybe she's a Buffy fan...

 

[ester]

The latest rant is only nervous low level riders need trainers to help them warm up at competitions

yeah, no pros ever use a headset to be shouted at during their warm ups. . .

 

[PurpleSpots]

What on Earth has it got to do with her anyway? Everyone is different, what works for one may not work for everyone. And vice versa.

Is she just trying to institutionalize every aspect of the whole horsey world everywhere because she cannot bear variety and cannot accept that it is ok for other people to have different approaches to life?!


In another thought - I wonder if it is Mabel's left hock with the x-rayed bony change, given the recent video of her loose in the field . If not, I wonder what hurt.

 

[teapot]

Am fairly sure Chris Bartle's in the warm up for every 5* event... Must tell Ros and co to do their training at home

 

[ester]

Number of times Pammy used to leave badminton radio to go do some, I remember posting Boyd's warm up audio on fb when he shared it because it was really interesting quite how much he was getting told by Silva, found it

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=964997144995884

 

[Cloball]

Doesn't seem like she has any trainer at any point, because you know, she knows everything after producing yadayadaya

 

[SEL]

The latest rant is only nervous low level riders need trainers to help them warm up at competitions

This low level rider would love a trainer to help warm up! I thought it was solely for high levels / more money than me.

Obviously I was wrong!

 

[EventingMum]

Just seen today's post "without wanting to sound arrogant, it was a subtle change that most riders wouldn't have even noticed". It must be hard being so superior to most other people

 

[JenJ]

Just seen today's post "without wanting to sound arrogant, it was a subtle change that most riders wouldn't have even noticed". It must be hard being so superior to most other people

This bothered me as well, "it was a subtle change that most riders wouldn't have even noticed" was fine, it didn't sound arrogant to me. But by adding the arrogant bit, it just made her sound arrogant...

 

[cauda equina]

She's very defensive isn't she - 'no stupid comments about this being the cause of her drama and rodeos'

She has my sympathy though, it's so awful when your horse goes wrong

 

[dixie]

If this is the horse that was stopping coming into combinations recently, she missed a huge clue right there.

 

[GT_02]

Someone has just suggested that she could always breed from her, if she doesn't come right

 

[meleeka]

This bothered me as well, "it was a subtle change that most riders wouldn't have even noticed" was fine, it didn't sound arrogant to me. But by adding the arrogant bit, it just made her sound arrogant...

'A subtle change that many riders wouldn't notice' sounds better, but she wasn't going to miss an opportunity to let everyone know how great she is once again

 

[PurpleSpots]

As much as I feel for anyone whose horse isn't right, it's seemed like a fairly straightforward progression:

Horse evasive under saddle, showing clearly she is physically or emotionally overwhelmed, or both.
Horse made to 'work through' her protests. (This according to SV took 2 years.)
Horse shows hind limb abnormality (arthritis on x-rays).
Horse still displays emotional/training issues at times.
Horse starts loading onto front feet, and now front feet are showing a bilateral issue.

From her history, it's hard to see how it's not all linked, though in the opposite way to how SV is defending against.

Mabel looked clearly lame behind in a recent video loose in the field - no wonder she is loading her front end if this is how uncomfortable she is routinely, and no wonder she has developed a front end issue.

The horse is never wrong. Had her 'attitude' been heeded in the beginning, and her work made agreeable to her rather than her being made obedient to the work, I wonder if things would have played out this way still.

 

[lizziebell]

As much as I feel for anyone whose horse isn't right, it's seemed like a fairly straightforward progression:

Horse evasive under saddle, showing clearly she is physically or emotionally overwhelmed, or both.
Horse made to 'work through' her protests. (This according to SV took 2 years.)
Horse shows hind limb abnormality (arthritis on x-rays).
Horse still displays emotional/training issues at times.
Horse starts loading onto front feet, and now front feet are showing a bilateral issue.

From her history, it's hard to see how it's not all linked, though in the opposite way to how SV is defending against.

Mabel looked clearly lame behind in a recent video loose in the field - no wonder she is loading her front end if this is how uncomfortable she is routinely, and no wonder she has developed a front end issue.

The horse is never wrong. Had her 'attitude' been heeded in the beginning, and her work made agreeable to her rather than her being made obedient to the work, I wonder if things would have played out this way still.

Exactly this. I’m not an expert, but Mabel’s behaviour was extreme. SVs solution was to strap her down and kick with spurs. The poor mare has been forced to comply and to not complain. We all saw this coming ….. except the so called vet !