LankyDoodle
Well-Known Member
Some people here did follow Lanky's progress since his op (and subsequent poor prognosis) for OCD last summer. He was turned out finally in December and initially things didn't look too bad, despite the very poor prognosis we had been given. It wasn't long before things went downhill again, and last week we had him reassessed another time, where the vet said there was more fluid in and around the joint (the one where meniscus had been completely removed) and he was very lame; the joint was degenerating further and he was overcompensating by bearing extra weight on the other leg which also had OCD but to a lesser degree. This overcompensating was causing problems for the other leg as well. He had a nice shine to his coat but looked poor in terms of weight despite us upping his feed and the grass being a lot better (bearing in mind this horse is a good doer in summer).
So the decision was made that in view of the fact he was on 2-3 bute a day and showing signs of getting worse not better, the fact he was a rising 9 year old with severe sweet itch and feet that crumble like shortbread in the summer (so not great for the welfare of a field ornament!), drops considerable weight in the winter, and the fact our very sensible vet could only see us having to up and up the painkillers over the course of his life (which could have been another 10-15 years!) in order to keep pain to a manageable level, to have Lanky put to sleep. This decision was made last Tuesday and we spent the rest of the week and the weekend arranging things and deliberating over what has been a heartbreaking decision for us. The insurer was never going to pay out on this because to them the horse was not suffering enough; but we were living this and seeing this horse deteriorate, suffer and WE weren't getting any enjoyment from that, so we decided to say sod it to the insurance and make the decision based on common sense and what was fair to the horse (which is what we have tried to do all along). Lots of tears and 'are we doing the right thing?' moments, and on Monday Lanky was PTS.
It was bloody horrendous to be totally honest with you because Lanky had a bad reaction after the injection. I'm surprised my vet lived to tell the tale. I wasn't there when my mare was PTS, but my husband was and she went peacefully - down on front legs then on her back legs then slowly over to the side and she was gone. Lanky was a massive horse and the vet says with bigger horses it all just takes longer to get round their entire system so these reactions do happen. The vet had taken the lead rope from us as he wanted some control in case there was any reaction; Lanky had had a pre-med so was sleepy anyway, but after the injection was administered his breaths started to get slower and heavier and his head started to drop. I'd closed my eyes because I was finding it incredibly sad and all of a sudden I heard a lot of banging around and fuss and Lanky was trying to rear up, run backwards, spin, had a 'fear' look on his face. His back legs were not up to much and they just fell from under him but he kept pushing his front legs into the ground. It seemed to go on forever but in reality it was probably over in less than a minute. The vet managed to hold onto him and Lanky fell to the ground with a complete thud and in such dramatic style. Nothing peaceful about it. I wish I hadn't been there to see that, but nevertheless I was so I will just have to deal with it and move on.
It was the best decision in the end. Now we just have George. I've just had a baby so I think we will be sticking to just George for now.
So the decision was made that in view of the fact he was on 2-3 bute a day and showing signs of getting worse not better, the fact he was a rising 9 year old with severe sweet itch and feet that crumble like shortbread in the summer (so not great for the welfare of a field ornament!), drops considerable weight in the winter, and the fact our very sensible vet could only see us having to up and up the painkillers over the course of his life (which could have been another 10-15 years!) in order to keep pain to a manageable level, to have Lanky put to sleep. This decision was made last Tuesday and we spent the rest of the week and the weekend arranging things and deliberating over what has been a heartbreaking decision for us. The insurer was never going to pay out on this because to them the horse was not suffering enough; but we were living this and seeing this horse deteriorate, suffer and WE weren't getting any enjoyment from that, so we decided to say sod it to the insurance and make the decision based on common sense and what was fair to the horse (which is what we have tried to do all along). Lots of tears and 'are we doing the right thing?' moments, and on Monday Lanky was PTS.
It was bloody horrendous to be totally honest with you because Lanky had a bad reaction after the injection. I'm surprised my vet lived to tell the tale.
I wasn't there when my mare was PTS, but my husband was and she went peacefully - down on front legs then on her back legs then slowly over to the side and she was gone. Lanky was a massive horse and the vet says with bigger horses it all just takes longer to get round their entire system so these reactions do happen. The vet had taken the lead rope from us as he wanted some control in case there was any reaction; Lanky had had a pre-med so was sleepy anyway, but after the injection was administered his breaths started to get slower and heavier and his head started to drop. I'd closed my eyes because I was finding it incredibly sad and all of a sudden I heard a lot of banging around and fuss and Lanky was trying to rear up, run backwards, spin, had a 'fear' look on his face. His back legs were not up to much and they just fell from under him but he kept pushing his front legs into the ground. It seemed to go on forever but in reality it was probably over in less than a minute. The vet managed to hold onto him and Lanky fell to the ground with a complete thud and in such dramatic style. Nothing peaceful about it. I wish I hadn't been there to see that, but nevertheless I was so I will just have to deal with it and move on.It was the best decision in the end. Now we just have George. I've just had a baby so I think we will be sticking to just George for now.
Last edited:
