pts which is best

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kazs

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i know many of you have had to make this heartbreaking decision recently, my condolences to all.
when the time comes for me to make this decision (which i hope is many years away yet) which method did you choose and was it the right choice for you, i dont know which i would choose, thats why im doing this thread. i know it may be an upsetting post for some and i do appologise.
 
my personal choice would be the injection..
as my vet was there and i had to make the decision there and then.

i personally would not ever get one of mine shot..

but i suppose different circumstances and situations
and opinions are different in every case.
 
i really hope i never have to make the decision
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i would have to say my choice would totally depend on the horse. we had a youngster with wobbler type symptoms, long story but he was an absolute nightmare to inject into his vein, so if he had been PTS, being shot would have been the easier less stressful option for him. thankfully it never came to that tho
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Mine would always be shot if I had the choice. I grew up knowing that this was how big animals were killed (cattle mainly) and this has coloured my view obviously as I saw it so many times. My old boy was shot a few years ago, it was so quick, he was dead before he reached the ground. The bang is loud and a bit of a shock and I totally understand why it is seen as brutal by so many. I believe it is the quickest, least stressful way for the horse though. However, I also believe it is important that the method chosen is one that the individual owner is happy with so that the experience is as stress free to deal with as possible. In the end, as long as the horse dies quickly with minimal stress I don't think it matters which way it is done.
 
i had to have my youngster pts and i would only let the vet use the injection. the first thing i asked was about how she was going to be pts as there is no way i was going to let the vet shoot her :-( she was already sedated so was helped gently to the ground for the vet to adminster the injection and i stayed with her to the end, she went very quickly.
 
Both are totally humane - with either there can be very rare problems. My head says shot as it is so fast and unreliant on any of the horses systems, my heart says injection as it is peaceful and clean. The important thing is making the decision at the right time and basing the decision on availability (if it is an emergency I'd use whatever was available first, surroundings - shooting may not be practical if there are lots of people and horses about and the horse itself. If the horse had needle phobia I'd never inject, if the horse was headshy I'd not use the gun. It is a hard decision either way but don't be put off either method by the horror stories you are bound to be told - they are very rare indeed. I have seen many horses PTS by both methods and either way the horse knows nothing.
 
I would choose the bullet EVERY time.
For a couple of reasons I chose to have my mare PTS by injection, rather than the bullet, and I wish I had stayed with my gut instinct.
Her death was horrific
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[ QUOTE ]
However, I also believe it is important that the method chosen is one that the individual owner is happy with so that the experience is as stress free to deal with as possible. In the end, as long as the horse dies quickly with minimal stress I don't think it matters which way it is done.

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I totally agree with this. It is hard enough to deal with having it done. If the person having it done knows its the right way for them, then that's all that matters.

Me personally i have had both of mine pts with the injection. That's my choice, but if for any reason for them to be shot was the quickest way i would not hesitate to have it done.
 
If the horse is very sick, injection is not really an option. The drug works by rapidly being carried through the system and if for any reason blood pressure is reduced it may not work as fast or effectively as it can. For the same reason I'd not have a horse sedated prior to the injection whereas I would for the gun. My own horse was PTS by injection and it was very fast.
 
Sorry to ask - but is there much mess with a gunshot?

and Bounty - if it isn't too painful - could you possibly tell us more about what went wrong with your mares injection?
 
I've never had to PTS any of my own but I've held them for other people. 1 was shot, three were injection. IMO unless specifically adivsed by a vet to go for the injection I would always choose shooting. I won't go into details as I don't want to upset anyone but if you want to know why you can pm me.
 
She was heavily sedated prior to 'the' injection, and had literally as much as she could cope with whilst still standing. She was then given the Lethal injection - to which she reacted violently, flipping over backwards and smashing her head. It took ages for her to go (I listened on the stethoscope), and she died with blood pouring from her nose.
Never again
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[ QUOTE ]
Sorry to ask - but is there much mess with a gunshot?


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With my old boy there was little blood, probably half a teacupful?? I've never seen an animal shot where there was lots of blood. The wound itself was neatly covered by his forelock so not gruesome at all. In fact as I was sat with him afterwards a rambler came over to me (a long way from the footpath grrrr) and asked ' is the horse ok? I said,'Oh yes, he's fine'. Rambler wandered off quite happy - he didn't notice the blood at all.
 
[ QUOTE ]
She was heavily sedated prior to 'the' injection, and had literally as much as she could cope with whilst still standing. She was then given the Lethal injection - to which she reacted violently, flipping over backwards and smashing her head. It took ages for her to go (I listened on the stethoscope), and she died with blood pouring from her nose.
Never again
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thats horrible what a terrible way to go
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I was with a friend when she had her welsh sec D injected. He went down nice and calm and peaceful.I don't like the noise the gun makes so when a while later another friend asked me to stay with her when hers was injected, I said ok, it would be a blessing for a lingering sick horse.
It was horrific, this horse was an ex racer and she struggled and struggled for a full 20 minutes.was awful. the vet was a good vet and experienced....don't know why it went so badly.so now, always the gun here.
 
IMO the fastest and surest way to kill any large animal is to shoot it. If it came to it with my horses this is what I would go for every time.

I can see how it seems brutal to some though.
 
I've only seen one horse shot and there was masses of blood from the wound. His death was instant though. My old RS had a horse PTS by injection and he fought it for ages, apparently it took 3 injections to kill him. He was a massive horse and I wondered if they'd got the dosage right. Personally I would choose the gun as my horse is the type to fight everything.
 
ive had to have one of mine PTS, i chose to have him shot although it may seem brutal it is the quickest way for the horse to go in my opinion.
I had to stand with my eldest horse (i chose to have her injected) and i was there for 30 mins before she finally went i wont go into details but i have NEVER gotten over what happened to my poor girl
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so my choice will now always be the bullet
 
I had to have a horse put to sleep by injection because he broke his leg while out on a hack. The vet came straight away and had no alternative but to give him a lethal dose. It all happened fairly quickly, he just flopped to the ground and lay there twitching a bit and then it was over. He looked like he was asleep. I know this is what I'm going to do for my oldster when his time comes.
I hear what people say about shooting being quicker but I don't think I could bring myself to get someone along to do it. The vet knows me and my horse and I would rather it end with people I know and it just doesn't seem so 'violent'.
Maybe if I belonged to a hunt and knew the people involved I would feel differently about it.
I hate having to think about these things.
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I had the misfortune to have to pts both my mares exactly 3 weeks apart
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I made no definate decision regarding method with the first one, my vet always sedates before he shoots and so we started with sedation but she was fighting it and not going down. By this time she was so far out of it I surprised myself by asking my vet just to finish it. By that point it seemed immaterial how it was done, just that it was as quickly and painlessly as possible. I gave her a hug, turned away and he shot her. I didn't want to see any of the thrashing I had been warned about so the vet just tapped me on the shoulder when it was ok to look. The pistol had a silencer so not much noise really. The wound was tiny, smaller than a drawing pin head. There was an awful lot of blood unfortunately, mostly from the nostrils and mouth I think, but this could have been because she was young and physically well.

I found my second mare down in the field three weeks later. We think she probably had a stroke. We tried twice to persuade her to get up and she was not interested in the slightest. As she was 30 and arthritic we decided to let her go, the most heartwrenching decision I have ever had to make.

The same vet injected her and she was dead within seconds of the needle being removed. He said he had never seen a horse so ready to go.

I believe both deaths were peaceful and I have swayed away from my definately injection plan. I don't think either method should be ruled out categorically, each has their place and ultimately I believe you should be guided by your vet bearing in mind the imminent needs of your horse.

Jo x
 
I think it's a personal decision really and you have to do what's best for horse. My old boy broke his leg in his prime and this was years ago when injections weren't always as reliable as they are now. My vet advised us to have him shot as his leg was completely shattered and he said he'd go down on the bad leg and the last thing he would feel was pain.

We asked him to give him a large dose of antibiotics so he couldn't be used for meat and had him shot. I was only 11 so I wasn't there (my parents wouldn't let me) but i'm not sure it's something I could witness even now.

My choice would be injection as I'd want to be with them at the end and I'm not sure I would be strong enough for them if they were shot.

It's all personal choice though imho.
 
My experience with injection was similar to Bounty's.
Shadow had been sedated and when the final injection was administered he reared up - vet was prepared and managed to stop him going over backwards but it was extremely distressing for me and him! It seemed to take forever for him to go.
I've had two that were shot. I was only present for the first one and it was less distressing for both me and the horse. There was a fair amount of blood but as I'd been with her when she went I knew she hadn't suffered so it didn't affect me as much.

I'm now definite I'd never opt for the injection again.
 
When my ex racer died I chose the injection.

He went down slowly and I held his head in my lap while he died, but he did take a long time to die. I was starting to panic that he was still in pain (very sudden of twisted gut) but the vet assured me he wasn't. However his eyes started rolling back and he started scraping the concrete floor with his teeth until his mouth bled. The vet had to inject him again and he absolutely fought to the bitter end. It took a long time. It broke my heart.

I can obviously never know if he were still in pain or not, or if he had any comfort knowing I was there. Little things he did made me know he knew I was there.

Argh I'm crying now.
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I'd opt for the bullet next time. Personally I may want the injection to have time to say goodbye but I think the fairest thing for a horse is the bullet.
 
my mums friends horse got put to sleep with an injection however, this was horrific, the horse ripped all the plaster of the stable wall and took a fair while to go. all of ours have had the gun, one last year, pads started his life hunting and he finished his life surrounded by the hunt pups and that buzzing atmosphere! he was a horse of a lifetime, with a grand old age of 27 however, it was the good leg that went not the bad. Hannah.
 
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