PTS and other horses

hobgoblin

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After a long and tearful conversation with my vet a few days ago I think that I am going to have my horse pts at the end of the summer :(
I'm not 100% certain what to do at the moment but I am now worried about what to do with my other horse on the day, they are incredibly good friends :(
I do have a pony as a companion when I take either one of them out so he will not be on his own, do I take the other horses away or let them see my old boy when he's gone?
Was going to speak to the vet but I'm to tearful to speak about it at the mo so thought it was easier to write down and ask you guys x
 

CrazyMare

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Closely bonded horses have been sedated - both horses, then the one to be PTS has been, the other has been allowed to stay with the body and realise what has happened.

Not so close horses have been allowed to see the body. They very quickly understand the other horse has gone, and usually move away fairly soon. Once they have moved away, the horse has been collected.
 

dunthing

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We had a very nervous rescue pony who was very attached to my daughter's TB. When he was PTS by the hunt, she and my highland actually stood and watched. They wandered off together afterwards and she stayed friends with him instead. She seemed to understand what had happened and accepted it much better than we expected. I think it helps the ones who are left, to comes to terms with the situation. A very hard decision and you have my deepest sympathy.
 

Brownmare

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When I had my mare pts she was injected by the field gate with the other horses watching. Not my choice but she had broken a leg and it would have been cruel to move her further away and she would have been distressed if the others had been taken away from her.

It was actually surprisingly peaceful and the other horses didn't seem disturbed by it. Her body was left there for a couple of hours until it could be collected so the others could see / sniff if they wanted to. However, I couldn't bear to see her lying there so I don't know if they did or not.

When my mum's mare was pts from colic she shut the companion pony in the stable then let him out to sniff the body but he just walked past and started grazing!

On a dressage yard I worked at as a groom, when a horse was pts in his stable the 2 neighbouring horses were taken out hacking and the other horses had their top doors shut. One horse was very distressed and refused to put her head out of her stable for the rest of the day.

I think each situation is different so just do what feels right for you. *hugs*
 

toffeeyummy

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I too have decided to have our elderly mare pts at the end of the summer. Such a tough decision but really not fair to put her through another winter. I'm dreading it :(
 

applecart14

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After a long and tearful conversation with my vet a few days ago I think that I am going to have my horse pts at the end of the summer :(
I'm not 100% certain what to do at the moment but I am now worried about what to do with my other horse on the day, they are incredibly good friends :(
I do have a pony as a companion when I take either one of them out so he will not be on his own, do I take the other horses away or let them see my old boy when he's gone?
Was going to speak to the vet but I'm to tearful to speak about it at the mo so thought it was easier to write down and ask you guys x

Please allow him to see the body afterwards. This will help him come to terms with his loss. Allow him to paw it or bite it, as this is normal horse behaviour. Do not intervene if he does this.

Also put the surviving horse on Star of Bethlehem which is a holistic tonic by Dr Bach's remedies. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Star-of-Bethlehem-Bach-Flower-Remedy-10ml-/260293132393 (I am not endorsing this particular vendor, just a link to a random seller) It is really beneficial for bereavement issues. You put a few drops in the water bucket, to be honest its better on the tongue or in his feed as its too diluted in a water bucket, and half of it woudl be thrown away.

my friend didn't let her gelding view her mare when it died and they shared a stable with a low partitiion and a paddock together for about 15 years. It pined and spent its day running up and down the fence line desparately calling for her. Don't let this happen to your horse please.

I am sorry for your inpending loss and hope it all goes smoothly on the day x
 

Cocorules

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I have and would not let them see it happen but let them see the body. I think that lets them see their friend has gone but without you having to worry whether seeing it happen has an adverse impact.
 

turkana

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I had to have a horse put down recently, she was too badly injured to move so the vet did it by injection, in the field with her mates near by.

None of them were bothered by what happened, the hunt couldn't come out to collect the body for a couple of hours so she was left in the field with them which also didn't bother them.

I've also had a horse that couldn't be moved shot in the field with other horses, which also didn't cause any distress to the others.

I would do it where ever your horse is most comfortable, even if that means doing it in the presence of his friends, in my experience they're not scarred for life by it.

Sorry you are having to go through this but it is a good idea to plan ahead.
 

Sven

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I sedated them both and when my companion pony was pts, brought the other out to see the body and he totally lost the plot (apparently there is a 1 in 10 chance this will happen) he was quickly returned to the stable and given more sedation, whilst new companion was collected and introduced. He accepted situation once new pony arrived.

I guess I am saying there are no hard and fast rules, and be prepared for an adverse reaction.

Good luck, I feel for you x
 

Brightbay

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How very sad for you :(

The most successful I've seen was the old "herd leader" who came down with an acute attack of Cushings related laminitis. The herd lived out 24/7. We made an electric tape pen, brought him in, and the others all lined up and watched while the vet sedated and then euthanized. The very sensitive mare nickered to the old boy as he went down (which made us all bawl crying), then once owner had had a few mins with the old lad, we just took the tape away and the herd all said their goodbyes. New herd leader nipped his ear, and when he didn't respond, they all took it in turns to sniff him and grazed around him for about half an hour and then gradually wandered off.

They did all come back to the spot where he'd laid about once a day for the next week or so, but they all seemed to understand he'd gone. Nobody called for him (which they would have if he'd been taken out of the field). It was sad, but it felt the right thing to do.
 

Spring Feather

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When I have horses put down I always do it next to their friends and let them sniff the body afterwards. They never hang around for long with the body; generally a quick sniff and then they quietly move on. It gives them closure and having done it this way loads of times I wouldn't entertain doing it any other way.
 

mavandkaz

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I have just been through this last week. I had 2 shetlands, mother and daughter, both in their 20´s. The daughter had to be be pts quite suddenly late at night. mum was able to watch it all happen, and actually went off to graze before it was all over, this all happened in the field shelter. Due to the timing, the body had to stay there til the morning morning so she had plenty of time to say goodbye. The remaining shetland has been by herself since and is coping well.
New companion should be turning up this weekend.

They definitely need to see the body and say goodbye as it were.
 

Missmac

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When I had my mare pts she was injected by the field gate with the other horses watching. Not my choice but she had broken a leg and it would have been cruel to move her further away and she would have been distressed if the others had been taken away from her.

This is exactly what happened with my boy a couple of months ago.

His best friend was watching (from the otherside of electric fence) and I refused to leave Charlies side to take her away whilst it was done.

As he went down she went up like a rocket, came through the tape, circled him, the vet and myself twice then stopped. She came over to where we were and started licking his face. after a while I left her alone with him and she happily grazed around him.

after an hour I boxed her up and took her to my friends yard as it was only the two of them at home. Whilst I was settling her in, my Brother in law came and buried Charlie.

She took a couple of weeks to settle properly but is fine now.

My situation was unplanned and everything seemed to happen very quickly but I hope my experience helps you in someway.
 

honetpot

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When the PTS is planned I establish a routine weeks before that they are fed on their own in the field while the others have there food and have introduced another companion well before it was done. They have just gone away and grazed with no reaction.
I had to have one PTs suddenly recently, because he was un well the ponies had already started to ignore him and when he was PTS they were more interested in their food. Because of the snow the carcass was there for two days and they just ignored it.
I think my old girl will be PTS in September, already the companion, a young pony has been introduced.
 

cob&onion

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I had my mare PTS last summer. There was only her and my cob together in the field as colt was seperated somewhere else. I actually told my cob the day before, i know it sounds odd. The day it happened i went down to see them both, gave the mare a big hug and kiss and then left. My vet did the rest. She was PTS in front of the cob, this way cob could except and see that she had gone and didnt just disappear from the field. When it was done and mare taken away i came back to a very chilled cob who did seem a bit sad. She followed me all round the field, we had hugs and a few tears where shed. The lady in the next field put her horse out so she wasn't completely alone. Cob excepted she had gone and was very calm. Normally when i took mare out of field away from cob, cob would get upset and run about. To me it was important that she understood whah had happened.
Year on and cob is happy living with the then colt, now a gelding :)

Sorry your having to face this OP, sending hugs - i know how hard the decision is.
 

texas

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When I had to have a weaned foal pts last year at 6 months old after a day of unsuccessful treatment, I brought his friend in to the stable to see the body. She wasn't interested in the body and called for him when she was back in her stable. I don't think she understood, heartbreaking. I would still do this again though.
 

Superhot

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So sorry to read several of you are facing the hardest decision in a few months time... I agree with others on here who have let the companions say goodbye. Far better than them pacing and looking for their friend,. In the end, it is a very personal decision and you must go with your heart and do what is best for your horse (and you of course).
 

circuit dancer

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When my boy was pts at the vets it was even harder when I got home n his best friend was callin for him for weeks.

I wish If I'd have know it would have been the end I would have kept him home so his friend could understand

But I wasn't going to move a poorly horse.

He knew after a few weeks n stopped calling. So heartbreaking to see
 

Pearlsasinger

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Horses in the wild do not spend time mourning their companions, as elephants do. They move away in case the body attracts predators.
We always have ours pts at home, within sight of the herd. We usually have them shot but have also had them pts by injection, the horse to be pts is in the yard, the others in the field within sight of the yard. They often stand quietly, knowing that something different is happening but have never made any sort of fuss.
When we had 2 very close friends who had been together for 20 yrs in adjoining stables, one had a stroke in her stable and deteriorated overnight, the hunt came in the morning and shot her in situ and then removed the body. Her best friend just accepted what had happened and carried on as normal. She did have other companions that she had been with for years.
A few weeks ago we had our 31 yr old pts, when her health deteriorated rapidly. We did notice that her two companions were rather distant with us for about a week, we realised that the old lady had been around for almost every other pts we had had. She was a very matter of fact character and we think that she had influenced the others in the past and made then just get on with life, without fussing.
 

Ceriann

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I had my mare PTS almost a year ago now (year on Saturday). I took her companion out with her (she was stabled at the time) when she was PTS (1) to avoid my poorly mare getting distressed being on her own and she followed her companion to where we had the injection done very quietly; and (2) to allow the companion to realise what had happened. It was all very peaceful and once it was all done my other mare was good to walk away and leave the body. It didnt prevent her calling when we got her to a field (we sorted some temporary companions for her that day) but she did settle quite quickly afterwards. I dont think they are traumatised by seeing it happen but I do think that the one you are having PTS can be affected if the routine changes prior to PTS i.e left alone if usually with companions.
 

dunkley

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Firstly, I am so sorry you are having to go through this - it is never easy :( Secondly, well done for thinking about the one left behind. Last year we had to have a youngster put down, who had had a new 'friend' in the field for a week. I thought that there would have been no real bonding after such a short period, and didn't take the one left to see the body. She stood at the gate and called for a whole week, and I felt dreadful :( A few weeks ago, we had a pony put down, who had shared a field with his buddy for nine years. After he was put down, we took the other horse out to see, and sniff if he wanted. He walked out, grew to about 18 hands and was obviously very unsettled/distressed. He didn't want to go near. We took him straight back into his box, and he settled very quickly, just a bit subdued for a couple of days. I am glad we gave him the opportunity, as there was no doubt whatsoever that he knew what had happened, but he decided that he didn't need to go any closer. I just remembered the first horse last year, yelling and being very confused as to where her friend had gone, and would now always give the one left behind the chance to say 'goodbye' :(
 

moana

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Allow your other two to /smell the deceased horse, as this lets them know that their friend has not just disappeared, but has died. Horses understand this and it is part of their nature, to accept and move on. If they don't know they can fret.

I am very sorry you have had to make this decision, but I appreciate anybody who does this for their horse regardless of the pain to themselves. You have my sympathy and respect.
 

BlackRider

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When I lost Misty (3weeks tomorrow), I took Apache over to see her when she'd gone, he was lovely with her and nuzzled her mane and head.
 
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