Lethal inection

Just this morning sat with my friend whilst her lovely horse was PTS, vet used Somulose, horse was already down so he went very peacefully.

RIP Ollie xx
 
Whilst sat with my friend whose horse went down suddenly with colic yesterday resulting in him being PTS this morning, we discussed how she was giving him her final act of kindness, doing the right thing by him, putting an end to his pain etc etc.

Whilst the drug was taking effect, myself, another friend and the horses owner were all crying / sobbing and i tearfully said to the vet, 'i bet this is the worse part of your job, doing this and having to listen to owners / women / men crying and he said no, the worst part of his job is when owners etc don't give a rat's ass, tell him to get on with it and walk away.

He said my friends horse went with three women telling him what a lovely boy he was, which he reckoned was not a bad thing. His pain is gone, it was not delayed, he was calm and comfortable. Seriously if you could plan your own end of life this is what you would choose.

This was of course sudden, yesterday morning he was fine, it was upsetting yes, we all cried, his owner no doubt will cry for weeks to come but the horses best interest was taken care of.

You will be fine.
 
Thank you. I think this is the hardest thing I have had to do in my life. I have lost three other horses, but all were emergencies and the decision to PTS was a no brainer. Now I am faced with a situation of a mare who is bright and perky in herself. Who greets me every time I walk out of the house with a whinny. Who still plays with me in her stable (she's always nudged me around and nibbled me gently). Who I have owned for 14 years and have an incredible bond with, and who I love more than I can even begin to describe. I could control this laminitis by cutting her feed down even further and box resting her, but she is already on the best diet possible and cutting her down further is unacceptable to me, as is long term box rest. I don't want her ending her days a skinny bag of bones confined to a 12 x 12 stable.

I have taken some of her tail. I don't want to cut it off her dead body. I spoke to the vet yesterday, and I have agreed to keep her in over the weekend in a last ditch attempt to try to stabilize her enough to have heartbar shoes put on. But if there is no improvement Monday, then arrangements will be made to PTS.

It has been so hard to make this decision, especially as she is not ready to go yet in herself. But my head tells me it will only be down hill from now on, as it has been really for the past year. I will not have any regrets about leaving it this long though, as I 100% know she has enjoyed the majority of this last year as the pain has been very low grade. But since coming in for the winter, she has taken a down hill turn.

I am devastated.
 
I think you have made the decision, which is really the hard bit, now you just have to learn to let go. I let my old mare have a summer of an unrestricted diet on old pasture, she lasted until the second week in October with no symptoms and died in the field with her friends doing her favourite thing, eating.
 
Wagtail - I have followed this for some time, and not commented. I think you have made the bravest decision any horse owner can, and now is the time to enjoy your time with your girl. Spoil her, and love her and be secure in the knowledge that she will be going before her life becomes utterly miserable, and will look fantastic - far better to have those memories of her, than of a thin, unhappy horse. You could not have done any more for her than you have, and you should be commended for that. x
 
My old companion horse went to the kennels on Tuesday, I feel awful as he was actually looking pretty good. His owner said 'Why should he suffer so you don't feel guilty?' which is absolutely right. I know that wasn't the point of this thread at all but she isn't agonising about your choices.
 
dunkley said:
Wagtail - I have followed this for some time, and not commented. I think you have made the bravest decision any horse owner can, and now is the time to enjoy your time with your girl. Spoil her, and love her and be secure in the knowledge that she will be going before her life becomes utterly miserable, and will look fantastic - far better to have those memories of her, than of a thin, unhappy horse. You could not have done any more for her than you have, and you should be commended for that. x
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exactly
 
I lost my 32 yo in the summer, in he final day she had a lovely morning in the field, and then it was done, it was quick and peaceful.
Like you I agonised over if I was doing the right thing, as it wasn't an emergency, but the old a week to soon, then a day to late, is comforting.
 
So sorry Wagtail, it is so hard and devastating, but your horse is lucky to have had your love and care, she will not know anything about it. You are right and brave not to let her deteriorate, and the options you mention of less food and staying in are not what any of us want for our horses or ponies.

Sending hugs
 
Thanks, everyone.

Ridefast, I am going to add a tablespoonful in any case. The lethal dose is 300 mg so it should be quite safe, and what can I lose?
 
Oh um I've just remembered a friend earlier in the year had her horse crippled with lami and was about to pts but found something called Bentonite which had made a difference within 48 hours. Might work, unless you've tried that?
 
I think your vet has acted appallingly Wagtail, and made this situation 100 times worse for you.

Make the appointment and do what you know needs to be done.

I feel so, so upset for you - but also terribly angry at the lack of real support given to you by the vet.
 
amymay how do you know the vet has acted appallingly and not actually seeing an animal that does not need to be pts? We can sometimes get overwrought about these things and work ourselves into thinking nothing else can be done-personally I would have heartbars on before I pts and vet has been quite correct about arthritic horse wintering out rather than standing in for 21hours a day so how is that appalling?
 
SusieT said:
amymay how do you know the vet has acted appallingly and not actually seeing an animal that does not need to be pts? We can sometimes get overwrought about these things and work ourselves into thinking nothing else can be done-personally I would have heartbars on before I pts and vet has been quite correct about arthritic horse wintering out rather than standing in for 21hours a day so how is that appalling?
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Agreed I think its unfair to criticize the vet without actually witnessing the conversations or the horse in question.

Wagtail did anyone ever mention trying rubber wedges with normal shoes? I found them amazing for my lami.

If it really is PTS time then good luck and virtual hugs
 
Looking at the invoice from losing my lad last month: Domosedan, Torbugesic and Somulose. I'm so sorry to hear it's come to this, Wagtail. Wish I could think of a miracle cure for you. *hugs*
 
I think the vet in this situation understands how much the horse means, and is suggesting what might extend her life; but I also think that once a horse is repeatedly suffering laminitis/abscesses that it is a downwards spiral and can cause further heartache and worry for the owner by prolonging things.

I do think the arthritic horse will benefit from being out rather than pts at the moment though.

Once an owner has made a firm decision then I think most vets would happily pts, and owner who is indecisive may encourage the vet to suggest alternatives to avoid the owner taking the final step and then turning round and blaming the vet for not trying all options. Not saying that this is what Wagtail would do, but there must be owners out there who would.

We pts our neighbours oldie this summer after he went down in the field, he got up with help, but we knew his time had come. He went happily muching from a bucket of feed and simply drifted off, it was how I'd like all living things to be able to pass over and I have no qualms about helping our friends on their way. I'm sure it will be the same for your mare Wagtail if you decide to go that route. Try not to let the fears of what you think could go wrong make the situation harder for you. xx
 
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Nothing useful to add as I can't find any of the papers for when my pony was pts by lethal injection, but just wanted to say i'm thinking of you Wagtail x
 
Wagtail said:
Which drug do most vets use for this in the UK? Is it barbiturates or succinylcholine? Thanks.
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For horses who are awake, barbiturates will be the most common drugs as they close down the brain first. The other drugs available end the life by other means and aren't normally used unless the horse is already under anaesthetic.

I'm sorry you are going through this tough time Wagtail.
 
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