I just love my horse to much to

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LauraWheeler

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PTS.
So i'm going to watch it suffer and hope it just dies in the field (a slow, painful, undignified death). :mad:

Sorry I need a rant.

I know a few horses who are realy struggling due to various issues and when trying to discuss with the owner that the kindest thing may be to PTS they seem to respond. "Oh but I love him/her to much to let them go" "It's going to hurt to much saying goodbye"

Now I know how hard this desition is and letting Lucy go dam near killed me (litraly) I had a breakdown and am only just now realy lurning to cope without her and coming to terms with the fact that she is gone. But I knew in my heart of hearts that it was the best thing to do for my Lucy. I couldn't let her suffer. I owed her so much and she owed me nothing. She was my best friend and my soal mate. I loved her to much to let her suffer.
I've always lived by the saying better a month to early than a day to late.

It's obvious these horses have given up and the owners even admit it but still they won't do whats right by the horses.

Sorry to come on here and rant but I needed to let it out. I'm trying to be suportive to the owners while gently pushing them in the right direction. When all the time I want to bang there heads against the wall. :(
 
I agree with you so much Laura. Drives me mad when people can't do the decent thing for their pets at the end. I was always taught by my parents that making that final decision to PTS any animal is the kindest thing to do if there is no hope of recovery.
 
I couldn't agree more. I don't think keeping an animal going, when its clearly not in their interest, is because you really love it at all, that's putting your needs above the animals, which isn't my idea of love, its just being selfish imo.
 
Difficult situation! Couldn't agree more too!

There was an owner a few years ago who had her horse on 4mg of bute due to a poor knee due to advanced osteoarthritis, 5 years of untreated ringbone and bone chips in the fetlock. This didn't cover his lameness and he was visibly unhappy. She was very defensive if anyone mentioned that he looked very uncomfortable in the field (he was often standing there being bullied despite being a big horse) She moved him and only spoke to a handful of people about him. It took months to bring her around to actually seeing his state (Interestingly enough, it began when she was angry about someone else letting their aged horse declined)

I felt very sorry for her because she had very good intentions, but he was everything to her. In his final week she spent a lot of time grooming him, and realised that he was very unhappy and grumpy, which only upset her more. She now feels regret at letting him go on so far. I know from personal experience of losing horses that having such a guilt hanging over me would be crippling.

I suppose all you can do is keep nudging them to see reason. :(
 
I also agree. I watched a "friend" let her poor little lami pony suffer for months. He was so sore, he just lived in a stable on minimum food. He was a Sec A, in a horses stable. He couldn't even see over the door and it was a lone stable at the end of a dark barn. Pony was basically in a prison of pain and starvation but " she loved him too much to kill him"

Eventually the poor little mite foundered and the vet told her quite sternly that treating the pony any further was not in his best interests, so she did put him to sleep. He'd been suffering for about 7 months :(

I physically couldn't watch my pony suffer. I'd go as far as to say I'd seriously consider whether colic surgery was in his best interests. He is a definite outdoor horse and hates being stabled so anything that involved a long period of box rest I'd have to have a serious think about. I love him too much to watch him in pain xx
 
LauraWheeler said:
PTS.
So i'm going to watch it suffer and hope it just dies in the field (a slow, painful, undignified death). :mad:

Sorry I need a rant.

I know a few horses who are realy struggling due to various issues and when trying to discuss with the owner that the kindest thing may be to PTS they seem to respond. "Oh but I love him/her to much to let them go" "It's going to hurt to much saying goodbye"

Now I know how hard this desition is and letting Lucy go dam near killed me (litraly) I had a breakdown and am only just now realy lurning to cope without her and coming to terms with the fact that she is gone. But I knew in my heart of hearts that it was the best thing to do for my Lucy. I couldn't let her suffer. I owed her so much and she owed me nothing. She was my best friend and my soal mate. I loved her to much to let her suffer.
I've always lived by the saying better a month to early than a day to late.

It's obvious these horses have given up and the owners even admit it but still they won't do whats right by the horses.

Sorry to come on here and rant but I needed to let it out. I'm trying to be suportive to the owners while gently pushing them in the right direction. When all the time I want to bang there heads against the wall. :(
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I agree, and did the same as you, as much as it hurt, I knew my horse and the suffering being felt, so the second time it happened PTS, at home, quickly and kindly. Hurt me much, much more than the horse, but again soulmate and owed me nothing, it was the last kind act that I could do.

Also, prolonging it is actually worse for the owner, who much know or be able to see, especially if they have known the horse for a long time Why prolong the inevitable, when the horse isn't going to get any better, because each day you'd be torturing yourself thinkling is this the day?
 
Couldn't agree more!! Had my mare pts after breaking hind leg (kick). As heartbreaking as it was to lose her, was far more horrific to me to see her in agony. By the time the vet arrived I was actually pleased to see him to stop her suffering.
 
Knowing the right time to PTS can be an easy or difficult decision depending on the circumstances. I don't think anyone would hesitate to PTS if a horse was fatally wounded. However, when a horse slowly goes down hill and has some good days as well as bad, then that decision can be much harder to make. But I agree, some people just never know when they should call it a day for the sake of their much loved animal. Often outsiders can see things much more clearly. Personally, I think too many vets are not assertive enough when they think they should PTS. I think that if they were, then there would be less of a problem.
 
I couldn't agree more.

One of my horses I am/was so incredibly attached to that I knew making that decision would be very difficult.

I've actually sent the horse away to retire, and part of the reason for that was so that I can detach myself a little and make the right decision when the time comes.
 
I totally agree, I had a horse PTS with ringbone just over 2 years ago. I'd only owned him for 11 months. His old owner went ballistic called me a murderer, said I was evil and had killed her horse. The day he was PTS he couldn't stand and we struggled to get him from the field. I knew I'd done the right thing for him. She would have kept him suffering for herself. I wasn't prepared to do that. And it was worth all the threats and nastiness aimed at me to know that my boy wasn't going to suffer a moment longer :(
 
Black_Horse_White thats awful. :( I did get some abuse about Lucy. People told me I was mad to go ahead with her treatment when she was diagnosed then when I had her PTS the very same people said I was wrong to put her down and should have continued with her treatment till she was skin and bone and her back legs had given up compleatly. I loved my mare to much to let her suffer at all. I let her go when she still looked relitively ok ish. I didn't want her to go down in the field and be unable to get up and that moment was fast approaching. Lucy deserved better.

As others have said as hard as it was to let Lucy go I think I would have felt even worse had she been allowed to suffer.

HaffiesRock It's horses for courses. Lucy went through alot in her life. She fought back from the worst Laminitas my vets had ever seen. She had rotation in all four feet. Any other horse I would have PTS but I knew Lucy was a fighter and she wasn't ready to give up. I was told even if she pulled through I would never ride her again but she came back stronger that ever.

Wagtail I know what you mean. But what makes me mad is the owners have even said they know the horse should be PTS but they just can't do it. Also the vets don't help at all. "Lets just try this expencive treatment, It may help" "Just keep buying the bute" :mad: I thought they had some moral code or something, well not round here. :(
 
And yet, if they were a human, they are made to suffer on as long as possible and die a lingering death....we humans really are bizzare aren't we?

(thinking of someone in a wheelchair who knows life is going downhill from now on and wonders where it will end for her)
 
Dubsie said:
And yet, if they were a human, they are made to suffer on as long as possible and die a lingering death....we humans really are bizzare aren't we?

(thinking of someone in a wheelchair who knows life is going downhill from now on and wonders where it will end for her)
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Thats a whole nother can of worms. :(
My views are the same for people but unfortunatly the law is the law :(
 
Dubsie said:
And yet, if they were a human, they are made to suffer on as long as possible and die a lingering death....we humans really are bizzare aren't we?

(thinking of someone in a wheelchair who knows life is going downhill from now on and wonders where it will end for her)
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I always think this and I always say that my poor Grandmother was left alive for far too long. My Mum even said if PTS was an option, both her and my Nan would have wanted that. She was bed ridden and suffered daily until she finally died months after becoming sick.

My other Grandmother (I only just learned about this recently) actually killed herself while she was still able. She asked Mum and Dad to go up to Scotland to see her. They stayed for a week and it was during that time it happened. She just wanted to see them one last time :(

It's very hard to tell with animals. I knew it was Holly's time to go, even though the vet had told us she was still ok. She wasn't. I knew my cat and I knew it was her time to go. I wish they had done it when we first took her, I had made my peace with it, but to do it a 2nd time...I'll never forget how much it hurt.

I really hope Annie goes in her sleep. I don't want her to die, but it was so hard seeing the cat die, I would rather she went peacefully in the night.
 
LauraWheeler said:
Thats a whole nother can of worms. :(
My views are the same for people but unfortunatly the law is the law :(
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Couldn't agree more with everything you've said!

With regards to having a horse PTS, fortunately I've never been in the position to have to make that decision, but as heartbreaking as it is, it's our responsibility as a horse owner to do right by them. I've seen many horses suffer because the owner has not wanted to PTS.

Different situation, but before our dog (13 year old Rottweiller - good age considering they usually live for around 8 years) my mum had this discussion with our then vet, knowing that the time to make the decision was coming soon. The vet advised to PTS when her quality of life deteriorated - which is what we did.

Just after my now husband and I moved in together, we rehomed a 13 year old house cat, she wasn't in brilliant health when we had her, she was blind in one eye and epileptic, and the older she got the more frequently she would have a fit. It was distressing for us to watch her having a fit, and I'd imagine it was very distressing for her too as it took her a long time to recover from it. When she was 15 she started to get very poorly, so we took her to the vets and I prepared for the worse. After being checked over by the vet, the vet found lumps in her bowels and suspected cancer. She gave us the option of treatment, but recommended she be PTS. My (fluffy bunny) hubby wasn't in total agreement with me, but I made the decision to PTS, he wanted to give her a chance, but it wasn't fair on her. Hubby was quite upset about the whole ordeal, but he did come to terms with it eventually and now agrees that it was the right thing to do.

With regards to humans, I believe that if a person is terminally ill, either they, or their spouse, next of kin etc should be allowed to euthanize if they so wish. Think it would be much nicer for somebody to peacefully drift away rather then suffer.
 
Several of mine were a case of there & then. Over the years I've had two pts because of colic. Another had seriously dislocated or broken her hip, I found her about 8 in the morning and she was pts within an hour. Our shire we couldn't get her up in her stable, finally managed and knew we couldn't risk the same thing happening again although once she was up she seemed perfectly ok. The hardest was my 27 yo childhood pony. He was arthritic in one knee but was doing really well. Suddenly when the mud and wet hit he struggled for a day or so and I knew again it was only going to get worse. Luckily they all made it to a good age but I couldn't allow any of them to suffer.
 
Making the decision to have my boy pts a few weeks ago is one of the hardest things I've ever done. He'd suffered from arthritis for a number of years but up until around this time last year he'd been doing very well managed with bute (after trying tildren initially), plenty of turnout and exercise. Initially just whacked his bute dose up and restricted him to lots of turnout and inhand walks only, which worked for a few months but then he deteriorated again. Then tried steroid injection which again worked for a few months and even managed to get him back in work for a bit but then started having to supplement with bute again at an ever increasing dose. Eventually we got to the stage where he was on a high bute dose but was still lame in walk, very lame in trot and I don't think really capable of cantering. Was also dropping weight and spent most of time in field just stood not doing a right lot, although was still bright and happy when stood in eating and still trying to be naughty. It was very borderline as up until he last time he saw him vet thought there was still a chance hock joints may fuse in future if we could keep him comfortable until then and I think there are some people who might have kept him going in the hope of that. I still play "what if" every day and wonder if I called time too early but he never was one to be content taking things slow and couldn't stand seeing him in pain. I do understand how sometimes people can keep putting it off though. A few days beforehand he really picked up in terms of attitude and some people may have taken that as a sign of him not being ready when realistically it's because they were spending less time out due to the snow so naturally he was a little bit more bored of his stable than normal and feeling more like looking for naughty things to do. Still miss him like mad and wish he was still here for me to force cuddles on (he never gave them willingly!) but could not stand by and watch him suffer. He was 18.

The dog on the other hand made it easy as pie. She was an old girl (13) and her already dodgy back legs had been getting a lot worse over the last few months of her life and she became more and more resistant to being walked. She started to become more picky about food over a period of about a week until she all she would eat was fresh grilled chicken (previously she had been a walking dustbin and serial food thief). We had it done the next day.
 
To be honest, I think it's a very personal thing. I have had a horse PTS so I know how earth shatteringly difficult it is. I have seen horses who I would personally had PTS & I have seen others PTS when I might not have. At the end of the day it's up to the owner & vet to make a judgement call together. I would never criticise as we can only do what *we think** is best for our horses.
 
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