Never, ever again. Update on last night

It doesnt always mean its a botched job tbh - some animals can be very resistant to the drug. One of our dogs who was 15 took ages to go, and had 3 times the normal dose in the end.

A friends horse broke its shoulder in the field, had already had some sedation before he was able to examine her and she fought it too. I think its their survival instinct feeling control slipping away and doing what nature tells them to do which is fight to live.

Her tail twitches several times and her head appeared to move as the neck muscles relaxed - not nice for the owner.

Ive held a couple to be shot and not had a problem there - good huntsman who knew his damn job!
 
Been there had that experiance , so sorry it happened to you there's not really any thing I can think of to say except time does make it, better keep busy and look after yourselves.
 
I am so so sorry :( I had a similar experience with my horse being pts by injection and vowed never to use that way again. Please don't blame yourself. She's is at peace now and had a wonderful life with you. I felt guilty for a long long time, but like you I was just trying to do the best for my horse. RIP Little one xxxx <3
 
Thanks for the messages everyone, it really does help.

Just to clarify for a couple of posters, we aren't talking about a case of some twitching and movements here. She was conscious and standing for over an hour after the canula and drugs went in. Staggering and going down a few times but immediately getting back up. A high level of awareness. While waiting for the vet to return, I would say for the final 15 minutes she started to show signs of sedation and finally went down for good for the last 5 minutes, while her breathing slowed. However she was still blinking and looking at me, and the only way I could keep her down in a fairly comfortable position was to lie with her and stroke her face. As soon as I moved an inch she tried to get back up.

Unfortunately the vet then had to pull her back into a sitting position to shoot. Basically what I'm saying is I have seen sedated horses many times, and seen dead ones after a bullet, with agonal breaths, twitching, etc. This was worlds apart. An hour and a half from canula/drugs in until bullet is serious.

I will call the practice tomorrow, if I'm able to discuss it in a sane manner. I understand the vet never intended this but looking back it was one catastrophe after another and I cannot help feeling that if it had been one of the two vets I trust, this would never have happened. I don't want to make a big fuss with them but it's not right. I think the hardest thing to deal with is knowing I can never go back and make it right, and make it up to her. I just have to believe, as I have been told, that she wouldn't have felt the same distress and fear that I did.
 
I have heard of similar experiences, but I really can't understand how it can happen. It is an overdose of anaesthetic, and I have never heard of an animal fighting a GA. Maybe it should be given at the GA dose to begin with then more added as they are out of it? I'd be interested in any vet's opinion - I have always felt shooting was too violent for my liking so preference would be inject.
 
So very sorry to hear your experience you must feel devastated but you were doing the right thing by your girl. Unfortunately very occasionally these things can go badly wrong.

Exactly the same thing happened with our much loved mare. She was already down in the stable but the drugs just sent her into a deep sleep, so much so that she was snoring. This lasted for well over an hour while the young Vet spoke to her Senior Colleagues and kept reinjecting. Eventually the injection straight into the heart worked. By that time I was on the phone arranging for her to be shot as a matter of urgency.

It was the most traumatic evening we have ever been through. I wrote to the Senior Partner afterwards and received a very detailed handwritten letter confirming that our girl would have been completely out of it and relaxed which did give us a bit of reassurance. That was four years ago and time does heal the pain.

WE have since had another pts but opted for the gun and that will always be my choice for the future. We have had two others pts by injection before, one slipped away quietly, the other tried to get up when we thought it was all over but sank down again and was gone instantly.

Tbh, I think both methods have their place and we and yourself were just very unlucky that ours did not go smoothly. The Senior Partner did explain that it was her preferred method and cases like ours are rare.
 
I am so sorry you both had to go through what you did. I've had 2 PTS by injection and they went quick and peaceful. I was a wreck at that so god knows how you felt seeing your horse go through that. You did your best for your girl, sadly it sounds like it was the vet who let her and yourself down x
 
Nudibranch said:
I will call the practice tomorrow, if I'm able to discuss it in a sane manner. I understand the vet never intended this but looking back it was one catastrophe after another and I cannot help feeling that if it had been one of the two vets I trust, this would never have happened. I don't want to make a big fuss with them but it's not right. I think the hardest thing to deal with is knowing I can never go back and make it right, and make it up to her. I just have to believe, as I have been told, that she wouldn't have felt the same distress and fear that I did.
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There's nothing that I can say that will make this any better for you, other than that I am really sorry that this happened. This is not your fault though, absolutely not, and you must remember that. Ring the vets, when you are ready, they owe you a full explanation but please look after yourself and do this only when you feel ready. My thoughts really are with you xx
 
TigerTail said:
It doesnt always mean its a botched job tbh - some animals can be very resistant to the drug. One of our dogs who was 15 took ages to go, and had 3 times the normal dose in the end.

Following on from my previous post I do not think ours was actually a botched job.

Sadly some animal do have quite a resistance to the drugs but it is very very rare. Our young Vet had never seen a prolonged euthasia although she had dealt with dozens routinely. Friends who have gone down the injection route have reported complete calmness and speedy despatch. We were just unlucky, our mare was a tough old bird, bless her.
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so sorry you and your pony had to go through that. I think i would be asking a few questions of the practice manager. it is traumatic enough without having to go through something like that. I cannot imagine how you must have felt.
 
no it's not right, it sounds like the cannula was not in the vein at all, hence why she sedated after an hour when the drugs got into the system-if you need any help with what questions you need to ask feel free to ask as sounds completely shambolic and i would be rexpecting an unreserved apology, no charges and a written explanation of what happened!
 
TigerTail said:
It doesnt always mean its a botched job tbh - some animals can be very resistant to the drug. One of our dogs who was 15 took ages to go, and had 3 times the normal dose in the end.
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I've had the same happen with dogs and cats but a very wise vet, whom I trusted implicitly, explained that it was because the heart was struggling to pump the blood round the body. it can aslo be in very ill anials that it is difficult to raise the vein to inject. That should not be the case in a horse which is pts because of arthritits or a broken bone.

When I have the choice, I always prefer to have horses shot either by a huntsman or a knackerman, rather than a vet, who doesn't get the opportunity to hone the skill. I cetainly prefer a bullet to an injection. It has always been much quicker than either time I've seen pts by injection.

Although your horse was obviously conscious to a degree, if she reacted to your moving away from her, I think you have to take comfort from the fact that she obviously had had enough of the drug to sedate her, she knew that you were there and she wouldn't have realised what the final outcome was going to be.
 
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So very sorry to read what you and your beloved girl went through. You did everything you possibly could under the circumstances for her- take some time now to look after yourself.

It sounds like you have hundreds of good memories to treasure- try to focus on those.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss and that things went that way for you both. Can't imagine how you must be feeling but you really can't blame yourself. You did everything you possibly could and stayed with her til the end, nobody could ask more than that.

Remember your girl as she was and keep her in your heart. Xx
 
I am so very sorry that you and your dear pony had to go through this. But you were with her right to the end, you are a very caring and brave person, please do not be too hard on yourself it was not your fault. Good Night and Godbless dear girl now at peace.
 
Nudibranch said:
Thanks for the messages everyone, it really does help.

Just to clarify for a couple of posters, we aren't talking about a case of some twitching and movements here. She was conscious and standing for over an hour after the canula and drugs went in. .
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Think you have the wrong end of the stick Nudibranch. I wasn't suggesting that your experience was the same as mine, it was obvious from reading your post that it wasn't.

I just wanted to add to your experience by sharing with my experience of agonal gasping, etc to warn people that when having horses pts by whatever method these things can happen.

I am very sorry for your loss.
 
I think something went very wrong here, and that it was with the application not the injection. My girl was put down by injection 4 weeks ago. The vet talked me through everything before we started (I knew the drill anyway) and also as we went along. My mare was sedated first and once he was satisfied that she was well away with the fairies, we moved her to the final position and he administered the lethal injections. She went down gently and easily about 20 seconds after he said he was starting, he monitored her heart rate over the next 3 or 4 minutes, warned me that she might twitch or breath out (she did neither) and then confirmed that her heart had stopped and she was gone. It was all calm, peaceful and exactly how I wanted it to be for her. I did take the precaution of asking for a larger dose than would be normal for her size as she had been on barbiturates for 14 years (drug company confirmed that it wouldn't be a problem). It certainly isn't an instantaneous process, but I quite liked that as once she started to go down, she was completely unconscious and just faded away. I've seen other horses put down by the needle just as easily over the years. It sounds like the vet in this case hadn't got the cannula in properly and the drugs largely just went into the surrounding tissues. The trouble is, I think they only carry enough for one job so he probably couldn't have just wacked another load in anyway.

Sometimes, sadly I think things just do go wrong. I personally know of two cases where a horse had to be shot more than once (one had to be caught again after it took off across the field :( ) and someone told me just recently he once witnessed a case where the horse was shot 4 times. I wonder if that was a bolt gun though.

No-one should be put off by hearing the downside of whatever method they choose. After all, we all go into hospital for operations at some time or another, knowing full well that things don't always go according to plan.

OP, my girl will add your little pony to her collection, I'm sure. She couldn't resist the old, young or small.
 
Black_Horse_White said:
I am so sorry you both had to go through what you did. I've had 2 PTS by injection and they went quick and peaceful. I was a wreck at that so god knows how you felt seeing your horse go through that. You did your best for your girl, sadly it sounds like it was the vet who let her and yourself down x
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same here...

my vet explained everything which would happen and he was great. Unfortunately my horse did kick off a little on the sedation which was a bit traumatic for me and her....(she hated vets and needles)...but once sedated she was peaceful.

*hugs* to you OP it sounded horrific :(
 
Oh my lord I am so sorry to read this it has brought tears to my eyes reading it :(

I am little stunned how it could go wrong, I had my lad PTS with injection, he was sedated first head was low... and was ready then the injection went in and down he went (and only he could go so awkwardly too as he went down he twisted himself) so typical of him ha ha I do laugh at that cos it was just him and the fact he had a mouth stuffed with straw...for a lami and COPD horse he wasn't allowed it.

I am sorry that it didn't work out well but take comfort that you were with her when she needed you the most and she knew how much she was loved by you and is now resting in peace.

Big Hugs
 
I know they can fight it, when my rabbit was pts by injection she ended up having 3 injections. And enough to take down a lab! She didn't go for a good 30 mins.

Had 2 horses pts by injection and both went smoothly. But my old pony was horrible to knock out, even for his teeth to be done. He was 13 hh. Had enough to take down 17.2hh.

Sorry it went badly. Deff talk to vet. Hugs. Xxxx
 
I would be expecting a full explanation, no charges and ways they will ensure this doesn't happen in the future.

Gun in the car for all PTS even if not originally wanted seems like an obvious one.

I'm so sorry for you loss. When Hen was PTS by the huntsman, although a bit bloody and loud my comforting memory is that he was dead before he hit the ground or heard the shot. I'm sorry this couldn't be the way for you :(
 
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