Humane destruction by shooting

Holly Hocks said:
I hope you never have to see a suicide then where someone has shot themself
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So do I.
Completely different to a horse (with much denser bone than a human skull) being shot with the appropriate weapon by an experienced practitioner. I explained myself more clearly in a subsequent post - and based my answers on the reaction of a friend who was here earlier, and knows about both weapons and horses - he's an army vet.
 
My old friend went this afternoon.
I always have them shot by the vet because if necessary they can have a little bit of sedation.
The Hunt kennels then pick them up.
I saw many horses pts when I was welfare officer personally I think shooting is easier on the horse.
I have never heard of that sort disaster happening with a hunt servant before they take a pride in the quiet calm way they do this difficult thing . the person concerned will mortified.
If the horse is large and a bit head shy a small amount of sedation helps all round.
I feel crap at the moment My old boy was such a gent and I will miss him so much.
 
Having had or seen four PTS, I would go for the humane killer every time, done properly it is instantaneous and immediate, which is the best we can all hope for.
 
Plus, if you have them shot you have more options to dispose of the body rather than being limited due to the fact that they're full of drugs.

Sorry you lost your boy, Goldenstar!
 
Happened out hunting. Horse wasn't shot properly , horrendous...I have always got the vet to PTS mine at home with injection-didn't know anything about it - very quiet and dignified end.

However, I have seen other horses PTS with gun and it was very quick and horses didn't know anything about it.
 
So can we all agree?... Done properly, for the vast majority of horses, both methods are quick and humane, and entail no suffering whatsoever.

Because if that isn't right, and one method fails - i.e. causes the horse to suffer - significantly more often than the other, wouldn't the vet profession be obliged to alter the guidelines for equine euthanasia? Obviously, in a small number of cases, one or other method may be unsuitable for medical or practical reasons; and in a larger number of cases may be preferred for personal or practical (but not medical) reasons.
 
and one other thing - vets have strong preferences as well so some will only inject, some will only shoot and if you have very strong feelings then it is best to talk to your vet first. Might seem obvious but I have known people caught out by this. My old boy was injected although I had always planned for a bullet. The reason being that when his time came he was very poor and we had had a day of trying to get him back up. He went immediately. However, if it had been when he was younger and fitter, he would have fought the sedation ( I can say this having watched him undergo colic surgery - 6 hours and he fought the sedation all the way).

I have held friends horses who have been shot and its been very very quick. It has been a long time since I have had to consider this and hope it will still be a long time off still.
 
I always choose shooting - I thinks it's worse for the owner but better for the horse as death is instant, whereas the injection takes a few seconds.

A friend of mine had hers put down by injection, she didn't want to be there so her husband stayed with the horse, he struggled & fought against the sedation; the husband told me what happened, he said it was the worse thing he'd ever seen & he found it very upsetting. He was a real macho man, so for him to admit to being upset it must have been bad. He swore me to secrecy so she was never told.

I've heard a few horror stories about horses waking up after the injection as well, so when my old mare needed putting down with a twisted gut I chose shooting; when the man from the Grafton came for her there were already 2 dead horses in the back of his van, the thought of her waking up in a lorry with 2 dead bodies doesn't bare thinking about so I'm glad there was no chance of that happening.

At the end of the day it's a personal choice, we have to do what seems best at the time; although the injection is not for me; if others decide it's what they want, that's fair enough.
 
Well its a horrible subject and thing to go through - no matter what

I think its good to have a plan in the back of your mind to stop sheer panic

I know my father was seriously affected when he had to shoot his own horse. This was in the case of 1 hour for the hunt, 45 mins for the vet and was in the case where the floor in an ifor trailer had gone and basically severed both back legs. He couldn't let his horse stay in that state for that long so took the decision to shoot with a shotgun whilst his poor boy was in shock.

I am not sure I could do that, but it was the best decision for the horses sake (Ifor paid up as it was a fault with their trailers)
 
The hunt came out to shoot my riding instructors elderly pony, they made such an appalling hash of it her and her husband vowed they'd never have them set foot in their yard again.

In the past we've used the local slaughterman who was very very efficient and in most recent times the vet who uses the injection. No bad experiences with either method, i think it's down to the efficiency of the person doing it.
 
My shetland was shot by the vet. I fed her a carrot. bang. she was instantly dead, still standing up (the life went out of her eyes) and she fell to the floor lifeless. Man who came to take her body away said the carrot was still between her teeth.
She knew absolutely nothing about it.
There was some blood from her (mouth or nose) but that's to be expected with a bullet.

I was so "impressed" (if that's the right word), that I've got on my horse-sitter's notes that should either of my current horses need killing, please can they try to get the same vet with his gun if possible in timely fashion. But if not, then another vet and an injection.
 
In an emergency and the horse was in pain, I'd go with whoever could get to me the quickest! If I made the decision to have one of mine PTS due to old age or a long term medical decision which wouldn't improve and the horse had no quality of life and it wasn't an emergency but planned, I would have the injection as none of mine mind needles but they can be funny about things being hidden from them, constantly suspicious (I think they would think it was a wormer coming!!!). I'v never seen a horse be shot but I'm presuming they put the gun behind their back as they approach the horse? See this would freak my horses, both can be a bit headshy (one is bolshy and I think previous owner used to whack across face to teach him and other is a touchy tb!!). So I wouldn't rule out either, it just depends on the situation!
 
bumblelion said:
I'v never seen a horse be shot but I'm presuming they put the gun behind their back as they approach the horse? See this would freak my horses, both can be a bit headshy (one is bolshy and I think previous owner used to whack across face to teach him and other is a touchy tb!!). So I wouldn't rule out either, it just depends on the situation!
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The knackermen that I've always used have a handgun with a free bullet that they keep in their pocket until they need it - they stroke and talk to the horse and then just bring the gun up, hidden in their hand IYSWIM.

My preference is always for the gun if at all possible - very quick and we are lucky enough to have very quick to arrive and efficient knackermen locally (Martins of Great Notley, Essex - I'd recommend them to anyone) who are also great horsemen. I've had them out late on Christmas Eve when a horse broke his leg and they were there within the hour and were very patient about waiting until we could get the body to their lorry as it was 3 fields away from the road...tbh, I was expecting them to say that they would collect after Christmas as they had more than done their duty by putting him out of misery.

I've held horses that have been PTS by injection but it seems so slow to me, not a logical reaction I know.
 
My old boy was put down by a family friend (mark chambers) and spemt a lpng tome allpwong my friend to eat all hos favourote things. Then he was shot. No panic no mess and very professional goodbye to my old man. Would recommend mark any day
 
Well you see here, I think I've learnt reading all replies that it's not what you do, it's the way that you do it.

I'm still not convinced I'd shoot my best mate... but if it was quick and the most painless given the circumstance in the future, I may draw upon the experience of others and make up my mind.

Right now, I'll sit on the fence.
 
there is no way i would ever have my animals any of them shot. I think its disgusting and a degrading way to die. To point a gun and pull the trigger is to kill, not to PTS as some like to say, but to Kill. What a way to die - after your animal has served you so well, a decent and dignified death is not seen fit - Yet a shooting is.

This is my personal opinion and in no doubt certain people will jump on and disagree.
 
Dancing Queen said:
there is no way i would ever have my animals any of them shot. I think its disgusting and a degrading way to die. To point a gun and pull the trigger is to kill, not to PTS as some like to say, but to Kill. What a way to die - after your animal has served you so well, a decent and dignified death is not seen fit - Yet a shooting is.

This is my personal opinion and in no doubt certain people will jump on and disagree.
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Yup I disagree. :) However when it comes to this it is very much a case of each to their own.

My personal preference is for the bullet. It's instant and the horse knows nothing - they do not see a gun and think 'oh no, it's a gun!'. Yes it is more distressing for the humans, but the horse really doesn't associate guns with death.

However my old mare was put down by injection. She was on the fast lane of the M5 and it simply was not practical to wait for a knackerman. The vet arrived and had the necessary medication and that was it. I wasn't with her but they told me she didn't fight it at all (not that she could, but that's another story). However with a horse that is wary of vets I can see why the injection may not be a good option.

At the end of the day, no matter what we call it, you are ending a horse's life. Euthanasia, put down, put to sleep, kill, it is all the same outcome and the main thing to me is that it is as quick and painless to the horse as possible - THAT is a dignified death, not being kept alive because the owner cannot bare to make the necessary decision.
 
I had my mare PTS on Monday after a horrific accident, have always said the hunt would do it but in a panic i called the vet (don’t even know my local hunt as fairly new to the area etc) Vet PTS with sedative, then canulated the vein in case she moved and then gave the injection, quick and professional. Only problem was that the vet took a hour and a half to arrive due to traffic!!! It was a true emergency situation! Horse had nearly bled out by the time she arrived so was worried there would be no blood pressure for injection to work but it did and quickly, only problem is that vet also (kindly at the time) arranged collection by a fallen stock agency no 1. Insurance company have asked for a post mortem and body has been disposed of (Cause is obvious vet photographed it all so hoping to avoid this!!!). 2. no one seems to know the cost! So a bit annoyed i might be landed with a £900 bill just for cremation when the hunt would have done the whole lot for about £200. Overall considering the circumstances a good experience, my lesson from this is that i will be moving vets to a more local one in case i ever have another emergency especially if it was life and death not just to PTS!!!
 
HingeFarm said:
I had my mare PTS on Monday after a horrific accident, have always said the hunt would do it but in a panic i called the vet (don’t even know my local hunt as fairly new to the area etc) Vet PTS with sedative, then canulated the vein in case she moved and then gave the injection, quick and professional. Only problem was that the vet took a hour and a half to arrive due to traffic!!! It was a true emergency situation! Horse had nearly bled out by the time she arrived so was worried there would be no blood pressure for injection to work but it did and quickly, only problem is that vet also (kindly at the time) arranged collection by a fallen stock agency no 1. Insurance company have asked for a post mortem and body has been disposed of (Cause is obvious vet photographed it all so hoping to avoid this!!!). 2. no one seems to know the cost! So a bit annoyed i might be landed with a £900 bill just for cremation when the hunt would have done the whole lot for about £200. Overall considering the circumstances a good experience, my lesson from this is that i will be moving vets to a more local one in case i ever have another emergency especially if it was life and death not just to PTS!!!
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Sorry you lost your horse. I was in a very similar situation with my old mare - collection was not arranged by me and it took me over 24 hours to find out who had collected her, by which time she had alread been cremated. I had no idea of the cost until the bill was sent to me after I made contact with the chap who collected her - I think it was about £300 from my recollection. I too was worried about the insurance company wanting post mortem but they were very understanding and as it was obvious what her cause of death had been they said it was not necessary. I hope your insurance company does the same for you (I was with Petplan at the time).
 
miss_c said:
Sorry you lost your horse. I was in a very similar situation with my old mare - collection was not arranged by me and it took me over 24 hours to find out who had collected her, by which time she had alread been cremated. I had no idea of the cost until the bill was sent to me after I made contact with the chap who collected her - I think it was about £300 from my recollection. I too was worried about the insurance company wanting post mortem but they were very understanding and as it was obvious what her cause of death had been they said it was not necessary. I hope your insurance company does the same for you (I was with Petplan at the time).
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Good to hear im not the only one, Im a nurse currently working on a Trauma ward at a hospital and im socked with how badly i handled the whole horse situation! Really felt like i was losing my child (i have children so its not an empty statement) could not even remember my address on the phone to the vet! I know the company that collected her but not the cremation method apparently there are 3! 1. Group cremation, 2. Group cremation with token ashes and 3. Sole cremation with return of sole ashes. I am meant to have ticked a box but if i did i dont remember - i was not there at collection as i had said my goodbyes and sat with her for a while but could not load the body. I am with KBIS and they have been great so far got the necessary forms 2 days after my call with a nice (standard im sure) covering letter and will send to the vets to complete tomorrow. Sorry you have been through the same .
 
My last two horses were put to sleep by lethal injection, administered by an experienced horse vet. There was no stress or fuss - it went smoothly and quickly, and the end was peaceful for them. This is the method I personally would always use when the time comes.
 
I really don't care how it is done, as long as it is quick.

I was in a situation recently where my mare broke her hindleg horrifically and we had to wait for the vet to put her down.

Don't get me wrong, the vet was pretty quick arriving, but if I had a gun I would have shot her myself just to end it :(
 
I have always ben a jab person myself. Having had 2 put down by injection with no problems, and having seen a ewe shot 4 times before we were sure she was dead (a dog attack had broken her back) I cant honestly say I would want my animals shot. However in an emergency, where the vet was unable to get to any of mine and they were bleeding out/had a compound fracture etc, I would not hesitate to shoot.
My vet is 10 mins from me, my local hunt over half an hour....although it is illegal (god knows why) my OH is a good shot and so are several other people I know.

I think when one is covered in blood with a clearly distressed animal, you would do whateverr is nessesary to put the animal out of pain.
 
A mare local to me was involved in a RTA late one Sunday evening, having escaped from her field. The poor thing was horrifically injured. The only person who could get there in decent time was the local rabbit-shooter. He despatched the mare asap. The knacker then collected her about an hour later. No-one seemed to be able to get hold of a vet who was near enough to come out.
 
I am lucky and haven't ever had to make this decision for any of mine. I'd opt for the bullet given the choice though. We had a couple at work shot and they were dead instantly. I don't think animals like being hazy very much. Nitty hates being sedated, you can see she really struggles to compute why she is so spacey. I wouldn't want that to be the last thing they experienced. Obviously, in an emergency, anyone who could do it quickly and efficiently would do though.
 
Sounds very unfortunate but our local hunt very good and whilst eating a carrot.... bang dead!

Have heard injection can take a while etc. But very unfortunate for your friend and the horse.

I have no idea whats the best method overall
 
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