pts which is best

I had to hold one of the riding school horses while she was PTS by injection...i think this method is less traumatic for the human but when the time came for my own mare to be PTS i opted for the bullet...in saying that, my dad held her, not me. I think it's very much a personal choice, i couldn't bear to be within ear-shot but would always go for the bullet in the future...providing my dad is still around to hold them.
 
I have had to make the decision, and would make the same decision if possible every time. Shot.
 
Shot, always. Some horses panic right after the injection effect, become distressed and it is horrible to watch. Shot - fast and efficient.

Injection may be easier for the owner, I believe shooting is best for the horse.
 
When the time comes for my old girl, I will get the hounds round, with a horn blaring(she adores hunting), and have her shot, by far the quickest, in the right hands.
 
youve all made me cry reading your stories, i guess ile know when the time comes.
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So sad reading these. When I lost my boy injection was the logical thing, as he had been in hospital and already had 3 anaesthetics, so it made sense that they gave him one more but a lethal dose. I wasn't there to see it, but the vets were brilliant and rang us up to say he'd just acted like "oh ok another anaesthetic" and lay down and gone to sleep peacefully.

Normally however I would always choose to shoot - Instant, and if I was with the horse at the time I don't think I could cope with the muscle spasms and stuff people on here have talked about.
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Morbid question, but I always thought the shot was a removable bolt - some people seem to be saying the vets use a bullet, is that correct?
 
it's a personal decision which i think depends a lot on the circumstances under which you are having to make the decision
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my TB broke her leg in the field one night, I got there in the morning to find her lying flat out, in shock with her back cannon snapped in two
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she was so far gone already that there was no way she was going to struggle so the injection just seemed the quietest way to let her go, and seeing her leg so badly broken and twisted I just couldn't bear seeing a hole put in her beautiful head too
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I've seen a couple PTS with injection, one of them being my first horse and would probably opt for this again but very much depends on the horse. I've had several operations under a general anaesthetic so that makes it an easier choice for me.

My mare would let you stick needles in her all day without fuss and when the time came I stayed with her. My vet preferred to use a huge syringe and a whopping needle so it goes into the bloodstream quickly. For this reason he injected a little local aneasthetic around the site and we let her carry on munching for a few minutes. When he injected her she didn't feel anything and went down very quickly. I knew in my mind she was unconcious before she hit the floor and whilst the twitching everyone talks about went on for some time I just held her head in my lap and stroked her face but I knew she was already dead.

I think people love to tell horror stories about the injection but would love to know how many have actually seen it done themselves, not second or third hand
 
I would always choose to shoot, it may not be seen as as humane as an injection, but to see our old mare die with a mouth full of food, which was still in her mouth when she hit the ground told me that she did not suffer at all. You are also in the catchment area of the West Yorkshire pet crematorium. This is run by a woman called Steph Crowther whose father also did the job, she is excellent and good with both horses and owners. She will come out to your yard, or one of her employees will. When we needed them in an emergency they came out with 3/4 of an hour. It made a horrible situation as good as it could be.
 
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Morbid question, but I always thought the shot was a removable bolt - some people seem to be saying the vets use a bullet, is that correct?

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Sorry, i just use the term 'bullet' but you are right in saying it's a bolt.
 
i had my old girl done by injection purley because she was having neurological episodes causing her to toss her head violently at random intervals, no way could we use the gun, one of the farmers cows would have been beef a few months earlier than intended! the injection went smoothly and was over in minutes....
 
My old lad was pts in September after recurrent bouts of colic, he was well in his 30s. He had the injection, grabbed a couple of mouth fulls of grass!!! and died instantly. I was looking him straight in the eye and he was dead before he hit the ground. Vet had never seen one eat after the injection before but that was him through and through, greedy little bloater. Think he died quicker because he was so so old.

Held my friends horse a couple of years ago and he had the injection also. He died peacefully although he did keep blinking for a couple of minutes which i found quite upsetting.
 
I had always said injection, but really, I'd choose the best option for my horse in the circumstances, so if shooting would be best, so be it.

I've had two horses pts by injection, one was a month old foal so as the mare was still with him, injection was the best choice (the mare was sedated and the foals body left with her over night). The other was a 29 year old who was just going downhill. My mum was with her and it was a very peaceful quick ending.
 
a free bullet is generally used now , they use the captive bolt gun in abbatoirs i believe , which can only stun the animal , ive had one mare pts by free bullet and another by injection both of which were quick , many vets prefer not to use guns so they only offer lethal injection
 
Injection. The first injection is a heavy sedation and from that moment the horse is pretty much out of it and beginning to wobble. The second injection, immediately afterwards, is the lethal injection and the horse just falls over and is unconscious before it hits the floor. Death follows almost immediately. The vet will check for the cessation of heart sounds. It is sensible to have a couple of helpers to push the horse onto its side as it starts to sink down. Also - and I say this just to help - I wish I'd had a towel to wrap round Sullivan's eyes. When the horse collapses unconscious, the eyes remain open so one eye is pressed into the mud and cold and it really upset me. There will always be the odd non-typical reaction whether shot or injected but injection is quiet and feels (to me) less violent than being shot. Stupid belief really as the end result is the same. Very personal thing I think. I guess the most sensible thing is to listen to your heart and go with what feels right to YOU because if YOU feel ok, ned will pick up on that. x
 
Florin was shot by a local slauterman. It was like speaking to a funeral undertaker. Florin had psychocological problems and the circumstances which led to it were awful.
I did ask my vet butshe would not let avet near her so he refused and said shooting would be better. She was extremely head shy so i concentrated on strokeing her in that area as i had three days before the deed.
When the slaughterman came i was expecting an evil Fred Elliot. A lovely small man came. Lifted the spirits and was wonderful with Florin. Florin was terrified of people but accepted him, he had a way about him. She was led away from me and i saw after. There was a little sand at her head but i saw no blood. My husband said she was dead before she hit the ground and died with her ears forward. She knew nothing and it was instant.
I was careful who i picked as i heard so many horror stories. The person i chose does it daily.
My sister had her very sick old pony injected. She just went to sleep. It was right for my sister.
The thing i hated about shooting was the noise but i think if it is right for the horse next time i will choose shhoting and wear ear muffs.
It does have to be right for the owner. The horse has gone and knows nothing about it. The owner has to live with it.
 
By choice I always plan to inject when the time comes. The only time I would consider a bullet would literally be if it HAD to be extremely quick as in the horse was in an accident and in great pain or something. I think the injection is just a quieter way to go, the gun shot is just brutal and violent even though I know its probably quicker.

Mine will be buried at the top of our field, with a fence round the spot and a tree planted. Thats how I plan it anyway, who knows if that'll actually happen.
 
all depends on you and the horse i had when pts by injection 2 weeks today the reason i choose to have her injected was i thought if i had her shot that bang would stay in my head and ears forever so i chose the injection she went peacefully in seconds!
 
I had my horse PTS by injection last september.
He was sedated first and then the lethal injection given.
It was very quick and peaceful to watch.
The vet warned he might give a few gasps afterwards but the horse didnt utter a sound.
I have an old pony and I think I would have the injection for her too when the time comes.
I agree with the gun being the quickest option though, and if it had to be done that way for whatever reason then Id have it done.
 
It depends on circumstances but I would choose for them to be shot as it is instant whereas injection although looks better it is not quite so quick for the horse and feels slightly like they are suffocating. A description from my OH when he had to destroy one of my horses - this was a question I had to put to him before choosing!
 
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