practical advice on sad situation - putting mare to sleep :(

cob&onion

cob&onion

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After debating and thinking carefully i have decided that its time for my tb mare, very sad at 7 yrs old - she has KS and as a result it has affected her hind legs so shes lame despite the bute. I went to see to her today and now shes lame on her front leg also :( the vet is coming out tomorrow morning and i want her PTS as i believe she is suffering - something i don't want for her. She has deteriorated rapidly over the past week.
I have to be practical about it and want to know the process - ie the organization of taking her away after the vet has done her job - what is the cost of taking her away? is this separate to the vets bill? do you pay on the day? can i bury my horse on our land or is it now illegal??
etc.....
Thanks :(
 
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I don't know the answers to your questions but I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you are in this situation. It must be very tough for both yourself and the mare, but I totally agree with you, once the horse is suffering - then it is time.
 
Hi. Sorry to hear this first of all and a brave decision from you with your horses best interests before your own.
When I lost my old boy that was a pre arranged visit. I got vet and removal at the same time but didn't stay whilst they took him. My good friends saw to him then as I was too upset.
For me it was seperate. The removal was about 250 but I had his individual ashes returned in a casket (still got him!)
The fee for the vet was around 250 too so best part of 500 quid.
Sorry hun
 
So sorry you are having to deal with this, but you are doing the right thing by her if you think it is time, so very sad though at that age.

Your vet will sort out the collection etc (if you want that) for you, I don't know about cost though.

You can bury them on your own land if they are pets, I think you would need to speak to your local authority though first.
 
If your horse is a pet then as long as it is away from water sources can bury meant to inform defer I think, but as these things happen suddenly just bury responsibly that's what we have done.
 
Also I think your horse has to be buried a certain amount away from a river not sure how far but it's not huge. If you have your own land and are not near to a river who is going to know tbh? Just make sure the grave is deep enough for nothing to try and dig her up. Also you'll be amazed at the amount of flies so removal or burial needs to be quick. Horrible I know but practical things people don't think about x
 
to be taken away and cremated around £500 but your insurance can cover that, you dont usually pay on the day and burying on own land is illegal because of the water board but i have known a few people to do it anyway. you vet will know someone to take her away depends on whether it is injection or not really

im so sorry it has come to this all i can say is that you are making the right decition, you know your horse and if the time has come then its better to let her rest. hope everything goes as smoothly as possible
 
Nothing to add on the advice but just wanted to offer my condolences. Such a hard decision and it's very commendable as an owner to make it.

Will be thinking of you tomorrow x
 
My old mare was pts last summer, the vets arranged collection and I just got one bill. My other old mare was pts 6 years ago (different area so different vets etc), that time I just got the crematorium phone number from the vet and arranged collection myself so there were 2 separate bills that time. Both times the total cost was around £600.
 
So very sorry to read your post. Always especially sad when it is a young horse. My mare was pts recently. The vet did it by injection - that cost around £160, payable under normal vets billing process. Then a local company came to take her body - that was £240 for collection and cremation, paid on the day (my friend actually paid it for me and I paid her back, so not sure if it was cash or cheque). I didn't have her ashes back. I really don't know what the rules are re burial, your local council may be able to help. Sending lots of love and hugs to you and your mare at this terribly sad time. xxxx
 
So sorry you have to make this decision, take heart from it being the right one.
There are different ways and budgets depending on your preference, but please choose an easily accessible spot for removal.
A friend stood with her horse while he went by injection,he was then cremated and his ashes returned, along with a plait of his tail, everything done very professionally, I think it cost in total around £800
Our horse died in his stable during colic,we phoned the fallen stockman and had to dismantle one side of the stable to give access, cost £200 just for removal, the stockman would also pts as will the hunt but I don't know the costs involved.
Most people stay for the deed then leave the removal people to do their bit.
Will be thinking of you
 
So sorry to read your sad news :(
Last month I buried my mare at home. As previous poster said, you can bury pets at in your garden. My horse was my pet and my fields are my garden. I chose an area where I know there are no water courses, had a local man come and dig a very large and very deep hole. I did not watch the removal to the grave, but was able to see her laid to rest before it was filled in. If you are overlooked, it is advisable to wait until twilight to move the horse.
BTW it cost £75 for the digger and man.
 
Your vet should be able to advise you regarding disposal/cremation. We have no large animal cremation facilities here and have to use a fallen stock type service.
My old Ted is buried in his paddock, exactly where he used to stand. YO had Defra permission for so many bodies, in a few locations, so that the water course wasn't affected. A friend, who has her own yard, wanted to bury her old mare there and it was fine as she was classed as a pet.
 
£600 locally for removal, individual cremation and return of cremated remains..

£900-1600 nationally as above..

Neither includes pts which as already stated is usually £120-150 ish..

I'm sorry about your mare.. I did the same for my lad a week ago xx
 
i had my boy PTS in sept of last year, the vet rang me on the night before to give me test results and after a long discussion we agreed the PTS was the best option for my boy, the vet organised everything, he came early the next morning, the guy arrived to collect the body before the vet had finished packing eveything back into his car, he was PTS via injection and was taken away for cremation, i didnt want his ashes as personally i think its best to just let go, total bill for the last call out, injection and collection+disposal was £398.75
 
If you can not afford injection the local hunt may do it for a fee. They of course are very experienced and they dispose of the body. They are usually alot cheaper £100 upwards.
I had my old boy injected, because it was a weekday and planned, vet and cremation was just over £500, the vet organised it all.
 
When my girl's time had come my vet arranged everything to the minute. We picked the day, he arrived dead on time, and about 4 minutes after she'd gone the disposal van came to take her body away. The disposal company even charged through the vet so it was all very simple. The vet discussed everything with me and was extremely helpful, so it might be best to speak to yours to get an idea of services in your local area.

I'm very sorry for you. This is never an easy time.
 
It's a horrible decision, I sympathise. We had our young horse (7) PTS earlier this year, not my land so couldn't bury him, the hunt charged £190 to do the deed in his paddock and for removal of his body. They were on the dot on time and I was with him.
 
I have had 2 of my own PTS. Both were sedated & then shot by my Vet. I arranged for the Hunt to collect them about an hour later. Hunt charged £150. The Hunt would have done the whole job for the same price, but I prefer to sit with them a short while afterwards. I find that it's all a bit quick otherwise from them standing there to totally gone. Just my preference & I know some people prefer it that way.
 
hairycob said:
I have had 2 of my own PTS. Both were sedated & then shot by my Vet. I arranged for the Hunt to collect them about an hour later. Hunt charged £150. The Hunt would have done the whole job for the same price, but I prefer to sit with them a short while afterwards. I find that it's all a bit quick otherwise from them standing there to totally gone. Just my preference & I know some people prefer it that way.
Click to expand...

I also get hunt to pickup after the vet has shot because I can't bare the thought of the hunt truck arriving while they are still alive.
 
I haven't read all the replies so sorry if I repeat.

I've always had my horses put down by the hunt. They then take the body away, and either cremate or 'use' - providing no drugs in the system.

Costs vary, but it's about £200 if the body is not cremated.

Really sorry to read your post, and my thoughts are with you.
 
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Its definitely not illegal to bury a horse in the UK tho it may be elsewhere in Europe because of the horse being part of the human food chain there and not here, it is a partial derogation from the EU rules, but it is always provided certain conditions are met.

It is not permitted to bury any agricultural species incl all cattle sheep goats and geese (even if you regard them as pets).

For England horse burial the conditions are as below:

Horse owners must comply with all stipulations made by their local authority regarding the burial site. The authority is likely to state that it must be:

at least 250m away from any well borehole or spring that supplies water
at least 30m from any other spring or watercourse, and at least 10m from a field drain
have at least 1m of subsoil below the bottom of the burial pit, allowing a hole deep enough for at least 1m of soil to cover the carcass
when first dug, the bottom of the hole must be free of water
However, each authority may have its own separate guidelines.

Horse owners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should consult their respective non-agricultural departments for advice.

The other option is a hunt or to join (about £10 plus vat) the national fallen stock scheme who will then collect the horse and take it away (even if injected but you need to tell them that they have had injection as they cant then use it). The fee for a horse in our area is normally £150 (nto sure if +VAT)
 
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So sorry, but you are doing the right thing, its a hard decision I know only to well, as for buriel, as long as its your own land and the site is no where near a water course, than that should be ok, but ask your local council to make sure, or you could perhaps phone your local hunt kennels to take her, however I just hope everything goes ok for you, be brave :)
 
Regarding collection if you join the fallen stock scheme for free then they will send you a list of suitable companies and services that they offer including prices. You then pay for the service you use by direct debit fourteen days later. There is a link here:- http://www.nfsco.co.uk/about-the-scheme.php#

So sorry that you are having to do this. x
 
So sorry for you.
I'll be saying goodbye to my old boy tomorrow. I'm heartbroken. My YO has been fantastic and has arranged everything for me and a local man is taking him away for £120. Not sure how much the vet will be but I think she said about £300. I'm not having the ashes. He's a beautiful white grey - I can't see him as ashes :(
xxxxxxxxx
 
So sorry you have had to make this decision, you can bury your horse in your field, three of mine have been buried in my fields. You cannot bury near a water course and they have to buried a certain debth, not sure what that is but can find out from the farmer that buried mine if you want.
 
Nothing helpful to add but just want you to know my thoughts are with you. We had to have our boy pts on Saturday, he was 12. Still in shock really and very upset. They dealt with it all at the vets for us which i was really glad of as i'm not sure how our other horse would have been had it been done at home.

Thinking of you, its such a hard decision but always the right one if they are in pain. (((hugs)))
 
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