Logistics of having a horse PTS with the injection?

I had my companion pony put down in December. I was dreading it.

My vet practise organised the knackerman for me. He arrived before the vet as he had been held up. The knackerman talked me through what would happen.

My girl was sedated in the stable and taken on to the drive. The vet injected her and the knackerman held her but I was there talking to her.

As she went down the vet and knackerman lowered her front end carefully to the ground, she was a small pony.

The vet listened to her heart after a few minutes and said she had 'gone'.

It was very peaceful and dignified.

They sent me away while they loaded her, saying I really didn't need to see it.

When I need to do the same thing for my boy it will be heartbreaking but the fear of dealing with it will be much easier.

Thinking of you at this awful time.

Jane
 
Hello everyone. Thank you all so so much this post has been really helpful. Sorry I dissapeared last night, I gave up with sleeping and went for a drive.
I will definitley be there when it happens. There has never been any doubt in my mind about that, despite a lot of people around me telling me I shouldn't be there but I know I need to be there. I will leave for when her body is loaded on, like someone said, that isn't her anymore and I don't want to remember my beautiful girl like that.
Thank you for the links to crematoriums, I will have a look in a second, I haven't had a chance just yet. And Thistle thank you for letting me know whos around my area to do it, that really is helpful. I am off to feed her again now, so thank you all.
 
Really relieved to hear you won't stay to see her body taken away. Please don't change your mind about that. Hope everything gets sorted soon (in a way)
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Danni please try not to worry too much about it. The thought is far worse than the actual event. Equine vets are completely used to putting horses to sleep by injection and will be able to help you with the arrangements for collection and cremation. It is generally very quiet and peaceful as if they are going to sleep, you should remember that the reason they go down is because they have lost consciousness so as soon as she starts to go down she is unaware of what is happening.

Enjoy the time you have with her, she is a lucky girl.
 
Having had two put down by injection and held others for friends it was all very peaceful. My vet organised the cremation and the chap was there with me and the vet and although I held them, he took the rope from me as they started to go down and made sure that they went down gently. He took of the headcoller after and did me a plait of tail. I had Leaps individually cremated and he returned the ashes and his shoes cleaned and polished. He really was a lovely man and made the process so much easier for me. I can't remember his name at the moment but if you want I will find it as I think I still have his invoice, I really do recommend him.
 
I've had two horses PTS by two local vets and they were both very professional and knew what they were doing. My most recent was in November. I stayed with him till the end, it was peaceful and dignified. I chose not to see his body being taken away.
I organised with my local cremation services to be there at the same time so they could come and take him straight away. They are used to dealing with this kind of thing and were very professional.
I'm so sorry you are having to go through this, I know how awful it is. I remember phoning up the vets and cremation services and being unable to speak about it I was so upset. When the actual time came though it was a relief that I could end his pain and that it was all over.
 
So sad hun. Don't forget to snip a length of tail off to keep. Curl it up in a plastic bag and pop it under your pillow for a few weeks. Every time I opened the bag a trace scent of Sullivan drifted up. I'd echo stay with your horse while the injections are done but then leave immediately afterwards. And try not to cry until she's gone or she will pick up your anxiety. You might want to bring an old sweater to pop over her eyes as the sedative takes hold. As the horse quietly and peacefully sinks to the ground when the lethal injection is given, the eyes stay open and I was so upset that Sullivan's eye was open and pressed into the mud. It isn't scary at all. Very peaceful and as dignified as something like this can be. The vets know exactly what they're doing. The 1st injection is a heavy sedative and your horse will start to wobble at the knees and hang her head low. She will be pretty much out of it at that point. Then the lethal injection is administered and she will fall to the floor. A friend would be helpful because she will need to be gently pushed away from you so she falls on her side. The vet will then listen for a heart beat and declare her safely out of pain and misery. If the hunt kennels won't take her and you can't bury her where she lies, contact one of the many horse crematorium services. The bigger ones are nationwide and will return her ashes in a box. Be aware that if you have all her ashes returned, it's a huge amount. Some people choose to have just a small box returned with a horse shoe.

You are doing her this last great kindness so don't feel bad xxx
 
All will be fine, trust me. The vet who put ours to sleep in January said injection is the only way to be sure and have an easy passing. I can't add anything more by way of reassurance than the others who have posted above, as all have said it exactly as it happens, except our little old lady wasn't sedated. At 12 hands maybe it wasn't necessary. She went quickly and easily and though it broke our hearts to say goodbye, the knowledge we were doing the ONLY thing which was right for her gave us the strength to carry it through. Once you have done everything possible for them there comes a point where you can't do anything more, other than let them go.

These final days will be the hardest to bear; the relentless ticking away of her time with you. Overload her with love and never forget this service is your repayment for her friendship and kindness to you, however hard it may be to follow through. Your debts will be settled in full. Be proud of the way you have carried out your ownership of her. She has been a very, very lucky girl to have a mum like you - and she knows it.

I wish you well, Dani, and please give her a hug from me x
 
Cambridge Pet crem (Duxford) do indivudual cremations, they are not far from me and I have used them for cats/dogs, and they are very good. One of my friends knew someone who used to work there as well, preparing the animals if people wanted to come and see them before they were cremated. Have a look on their website as you can arrange it in advance. Enjoy the time you have left with each other.
 
It's always sad regardless of which method you choose, and I feel for you.

I've had horses put down via both methods and can't really say now that one is better than the other. The vet will sedate Gem and she will be very dopey before the final injection is made. She will gently fall down, the vet will keep checking to see when she finally reaching her resting place. It's all very calm normally and the horse just looks like it is sleeping.

Try to keep your emotions under control until she has gone and if she has a good friend who you think may pine for her, then it is helpful to the other horse to be brought in to sniff the body.

I tend to linger over the body for a while, I don't know why. I always know they have gone, but I guess it's my time for telling the horse how much I thought of them, and as a clarification that they really are dead. I personally never arrange for collection until at least an hour after the horse has died. I always wait till the horse has been loaded up, but as many have said, it can be upsetting to watch this if you have never seen it before. It doesn't bother me as by that time, I am content the horse has moved on to pastures new, and that is not my horse lying there, just a shell.

Horse and Hound advertise cremation services and your vet will have all the info you need.

I have always taken a lock of hair and plaited it, but to be honest, it has never given me any comfort, so I have a number of plaits lying about the place. I prefer to look at photos of the horse to remind me of all the good times we had together. Everyone is individual with how they deal with it though.

I hope everything goes smoothly and that you have some lovely days with her beforehand. Sending you my kindest wishes and a kiss on the muzzle for lovely Gem.

Tia x
 
I'm so sorry that you are having to have Gem PTS
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I had my boy PTS by injection as my vet recommended it to be the quickest way these days and I trust my vet totally. I led him to the back of the barn and then the vet's assistant took him (Donnegan had known her for the last 6 years) He was already sedated by the time we got to the back of the barn and it was very quick.
I went to see him afterwards
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The one thing I wasn't prepared for is the amount of blood from D's nose when I went to see him after he had gone
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So just be prepared.
I also had him individually cremated, although I wouldn't recommend the person who did it as they lost D's shoes after saying they would take them off. I would of got the farrier to do it if I'd of known
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My vet organised the cremation so maybe there is a company that your vet uses. If not I would get a good friend to organise it for you. My friend organised everything as I found it so difficult not to start crying. Nearly one year on and I'm still crying now
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On the day I spent all morning with him, letting him eat whatever he wanted really. He managed to demolish 2 likits that morning. He then spent some time sharing a haynet with his best friend
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Make sure you take some of her mane and tail if you want some. In the weeks leading up to it I spent a lot of time sat in the field just watching him
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He is now on my windowsil in the most gorgeous box with his name engraved on the top and his age
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and thats where he will stay
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I hope everything goes well and I am so sorry you have had to make this decision.

Feel free to pm me if you want to know anymore
 
Quite frankly, anyone who criticises you for how you put your beloved horse to sleep needs shooting themselves. You don't need that right now *hugs*
Enjoy your last days with Gem, and I hope it goes as well as it can.
 
I'm sorry for your situation but well done for making a firm decision, it's never easy.
The injection is quick and painless, some vets will sedate first others wont. It's best to do it somewhere quiet and remember you're going to need to get a wagon very close. Your vets will have details of cremation companies and you should look into which one you want to use beforehand. There's a lot of people out there who will tell you horror stories, most are completely untrue. An experienced vet will slowly inject the drug, your horse will become more sedated and drop to the ground, they are unconcious before they hit the ground although they may move or even breath or blink for several minutes afterwards they are not aware of any of it.
Please use this link to find the pet bereavement support service.
http://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/site/AboutUs/PetBereavement/PBSSIntro.asp
 
What ever you do stick with the the injection, it is better for the horses, my old boy had to be shot because the injestion didn't work but it didn't work because he was very old and his vein colapsed, the shotting was horrid but he had to go, he would walk or sit up.

I had my other boy cremated, he also has the injesction, it was £150 to colect the body and have his aches.
 
I am very sorry to hear this, but thank you for making this very hard decision for your horses' benefit. I had one of mine put down yesterday and was actually discussing with the vet the two options. He explained some of the reasons and circumstance you may chose one method over the other. he ageed that mine yesterday would have been wrong to try to inject, I had chosen for her to be shot anyhow. For anyone to criticise your decision is wrong.

As others have said, there is no need to worry about a vet doing this by injection, they are trained and perctly capable (mostly).

I wish you all the best.
 
i am so very sorry. i had my girl pts by injection they put a catherter into her neck put the the sumulose into that and she fell to the ground within seconds they checked her heart beat and within minutes she was gone very peacefully i stayed the whole time even that it killed me i knew i had to be there for her this one last time if you ask your vet for a creamition place they usually have one who they work with very closly thats how i got mine done. And yes vets are very exsperienced at given the injection!xxx
 
We've had two PTS by injection, all very peaceful. They will take some 'breaths' after they have gone but that is just the air coming out of the lungs they are not physically doing it.

There was no blood with ours and we had them buried - the vet said this was ok nowadays due to changes in the vaccine. A local farmer buried them for us and we did not see them removed.

It is a sad decision however you decide but noone should feel they can criticise your decision. The end result is the same.
 
I cant think of anything to add to what others have said but please have someone with you, horsey or non, just as you will be there for Gem someone needs to be there for you too x
 
So sorry it's come to this, but good for you for being strong enough to make the decision
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I'm sure my experience isn't much different from most of the replies on here, but I'm sure right now you can't hear enough of "It's ok". I didn't have so long to plan this as you, but the couple of days before were, of course, devastating. But I could see the light had gone out of my boy's eyes, and I knew it was the right thing. Mine was buried at my Dad's house. We took both my horses as they were close pals. I let him have loads of lovely grass while waiting for the vet. He offered my mum the choice and she went for injection - for me, because she didn't want the sound of the shot being in my memory. But again that's a personal choice. I insisted on being with him. I stood right by him, as he was my best friend and there was no way he was leaving with anyone but me by my side. The vet explained what was going to happen. It was very peaceful. The only bit that surprised me was just as he started to buckle, the vet grabbed the lead rope and pulled his head forward. I presume this was just the logistics to help ease them down, but I wasn't expecting it and had a momentary scare that something had gone wrong. Other than this though it was pretty much as I was expecting. As someone else said, the vet will check their heart a few times and it's not instantaneous, although they are not aware of what's going on. Remember about the "sigh" too. That's just the reflex but could be a surprise if you don't know about it.

I had thought that my parents would have to drag me kicking and screaming away from him. But strangely, after he was gone, I went and took my other horse over to sniff him. This he did, he then made me laugh by taking a bite of grass right next to him! I gave Ernie one last kiss, in my favourite spot, the little dimple behind his ear, and walked away. This wasn't him anymore. I already felt better as I knew he was at peace. Sounds cliched, but the planning and anticipation is worse than the actual event, and I felt like an enormous weight had been lifted.

As others have said, I was nowhere near him being buried, my poor Dad had to do that
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The one thing for me that went wrong was back at the yard. I had mentioned to the YO that I wouldn't feel up to mucking him out straight away. Poor guy thought he was doing me a favour and had cleared the stable out completely by the time I arrived back with the other horse, and hung his stable rug outside to air. This is probably the bit that haunts me the most, so make sure if you are sentimental about these sorts of things that everyone knows what you want.

Sending you both lots of hugs for when the time comes
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so sorry to hear that Gems situation has come to this. i've often read your posts and been so torn apart i just can't reply, sorry
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i lost my girl nearly a year ago now, she was an older lady having just turned 28, but it wasn't her age that got her, she picked up a virus and in the end we just couldn't save her. utterly heart breaking
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the vet PTS by injection, it was relatively peaceful and she slipped away quickly. you have probably been told about the twitching of ears and gasps of breathes. i've heard they really freak people out, for some reason it didn't freak me out, it actually made me smile ("you just can't leave things alone can you?!"). the vet gave me the option of the hunt doing a group crem or a private one. i wasn't really thinking and he booked the hunt. about 15 mins before they were due to pick him up it hit home and i ran to phone the vet to change it. for some reason i just couldn't accept that and i HAD to give her as much dignity as i could offer, so she went off for a private crem. it was pricey but i'm glad i did it, it would have plagued me if i didn't. i used the people below, and they were amazing, they pick up from all over so it might be worth giving them a call, i don't know where you're based
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http://www.dignitypetcrem.co.uk/

good luck hunni, we're all here when you need us xx
 
Danni I am so sorry, It really will be fine she will be so dopey she wont know what is happening. I am very cross at the people giving you a hard time about this.

Its your decision and yours alone tell them its all been arranged the way you want it Big hugs my lovely & Gem is very lucky to have such a loving and caring owner xx
 
Good grief! You have enough to contend with without ill-informed scaremongering and criticism! Having a horse pts with an injection is normally a peaceful procedure. The hunt won't take your horse if it is pts this way, but as you want an individual cremation (and you are not alone in that, or the service would not be offered) that is irrelevant anyway. There is bound to be someone in your area who will transport her when the time comes; ask the vet, I am sure they will recommend someone in your area. I absolutely agree with the advice not to see her being collected, as it is not all that pretty. However, if you want to, just do some research first and find out how the horse is transferred onto the lorry.
 
When I had my old boy PTS about 10 years ago, it was due to a problem with his hoof which despite various treatments, left him constantly lame. He had spent a very long period of time on Box rest and didn't improve so we took the decision to let him go.

He had 2 days turned out and then had the biggest bucket of feed that he had ever seen (he was a total food monster!) Someone said to me 'you will give him colic with that much food' when the vet was on his way up the drive - stupid people!

We took him to a quiet corner where a pickup could easily happen and a friend of mine held him. I was with him. It was very quiet, and he went without any problems.

The one thing that I remember is that he pood himself, which I suppose is just a sign of everything relaxing.

It wasn't as bad as I expected and although a few tears were shed, I didn't feel bad about the decision, it was the right thing to do.
 
Hello, I just wanted to say I'm very sorry. I recently had my beautiful mare pts. I've read all post and it seems everyone knows what you're going through and is offering moral support.

I think everyone has covered things well. Remove rugs and have a very accessible area. I also totally agree that you should NOT be there after your horse has gone to sleep. It is undignified and it is better to be elsewhere.

I think both methods of euthanasia are humane and it very much depends on your and your horse's circumstances.

My mare was pts last wednesday. I spent Tuesday with her, sun was shining and she seemed very happy funnily enough. I tried to block all sad pictures from my mind as they're such sensitive souls. I think the H&H forum was my saving grace in the final days. I just love the people on here.

Its reassuring to hear how much support is out there for you; even if its only via here at 2am! When I read your post I realised that I've started healing already. I went for days/weeks sleep deprived, worrying, scared, sad.........be kind to yourself and just know that you're being a responsible loving owner.

Have a good friend with you (I had a brill friend with me who drove me home!).

Lastly, well done for making one of the most painful decisions ever and being a true horse lover.

xx
 
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