Put down or rehome??? Anyone help?

TopTotty

TopTotty

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Hi,
Can anyone help. I have a 17.2hh 9 year old BWB gelding. He came to me earlier this year as he was going to be put down due to being diagnosed with a loose meniscus in his near hind stifle. He needed 3 months box rest and had a 50% chance of coming sound. I said that I would give him a chance. However he is not sound and Leahurst have said that he won't come sound now. He could be hacked gently abut is not good in heavy traffic so it would need to be quiet hacking. He is an absolute babe and just like having a big dog around....no trouble and a personality to die for!
I cannot keep him and need to either find him a home or have him PTS. I wondered what you thought and if anyone knew of someone who may be able to take him.
I did have a home lined up but they have let me down and I ahve contacted various retirement / rest homes who have advised me to send him to heaven. It would break my heart to have to do this.
Please help me if you can.
Thanks
 
Sorry to say this but I think the responsible thing to do would be to PTS. If he isn't good in traffic then the hacking he can do is limited and at his age, he is very young to be retired. I doubt anyone would take on such a young field ornament and you can't guarantee that he isn't eventually sold on to someone who tries to do more with him, possibly having dosed him up on pain killers.

I would PTS, it's better than the possible alternatives that could end up happening
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((hugs))
 
I have a friend who has a 17.2hh 14 year gelding with the same injury, he had micro surgery on it and a year off work, he is back in gentle work and is sound (although he does rest it a lot) he will never be able to hunt again but he can be hacked and he is happy.

So if there is someone out there who just wants a to hack a couple of times a week he would be suitable.
 
Sorry, I agree with CC completely that it is the responsible thing to do unless you can find him someone in the likes of the Highlands, Exmoor and the like and even then I would have my doubts. I would personally want to know his welfare wasn't compromised at all and would do the decent thing.
 
I must say I agree with cc - I'd be very worried he'd get passed from pillar to post if you can't keep him & I'd be more upset to perhaps see or hear about him in the future crippled lame or being worked on painkillers than the bite the bullet now and pts.
 
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Sorry to say this but I think the responsible thing to do would be to PTS

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I totally agree.
 
I think unless you can find a suitable home for him to loan him to so you keep control so that he doesn't get passed about PTS is a sensible option
 
It's a really difficult position to be in.

If you sell him, no matter how hard you try to find him the best home he could get passed on and someone could try to make a quick buck off him by lying about his history.

You can always try to loan him so that you can keep control, but it might be difficult to find him the right home with the hacking limitations and also he may be returned at any time for whatever reason so you would need to have somewhere suitable for him.

Otherwise it might have to be PTS I am afraid.
 
Saddly for the boy pts is the sensible thing to do in my opinion. I know its not a nice thing to think about but I always worry that they will end up in the wrong hands and then come to worse harm. I know you can vet homes but even the best homes at the time of vetting can turn out to be a nightmare (voice of experience there).

Good luck with what ever you decide xxx
 
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If you sell him, no matter how hard you try to find him the best home he could get passed on and someone could try to make a quick buck off him by lying about his history.

You can always try to loan him so that you can keep control, but it might be difficult to find him the right home with the hacking limitations and also he may be returned at any time for whatever reason so you would need to have somewhere suitable for him.



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I agree. You would need to loan him so you have control over his future. If you sold him (not that hes worth anything, but in principle) someone someday will not have his best intentions and bute and a quick profit making sale is highly likely.

Unfortunately if the horse is not sound then he is in pain. I know you say he could hack but if he is in pain is that fair? IVery few people would take on such a big horse as a companion. Unfortunately PTS, although very difficult for you, is probably the fairest option for the horse. Unless you can offer him a retirement home in a field
 
Totally agree with the above, sorry. It is heartbreaking that he is so young and a nice nature, but you gave him a chance and now the thing is for him to have a nice end.

I can see that he could easily fall into unscrupulous hands - after all a 9 year old WB sounds pretty nice and too many horses go to "good loan homes" and get sold on in days and the previous owner loses track, and what about the poor buyer.

If he was a dead quiet hack then you might have a chance for a good home, but if he would just be a field ornament, then you are going to be very lucky to find someone to have him, especially when there are loads of smaller animals that can do a similar job.

It is sad, but you have given him every chance and have done your b est for him.
 
Just wrote a long reply and then lost it so I'll start again!

What exactly is a loose meniscus and what does it mean? Not being a vet I am unsure - does it mean the horse is in pain, is it degenerative or does it just mean he is more mechanically lame? How did you come to have him?

You say you got him earlier this year but we are only in July so that's 7 months - how long has he had the problem for?

Obviously it all depends on your personal circumstances but it appears you took him on knowing he was lame? (please correct me if I'm wrong). 7 mths isn't an awful long time to determine whether a 9 yo horse will ever be sound again. many a time a vet has been proved wrong (but again, as I said i don't know the ins and outs of the specific condition)

Personally, if was mine I would not be rushing to have him PTS as the only option but then I am lucky enough we have our own land we can just turn a horse away on. Unless the horse is visibly in a lot of pain and would not cope turned out then I would go down that route first, see how he goes.

In the meantime try maybe going down the loan route - it's worth a try isn't it? Not all loanees are the devil incarnate! Many people live in areas where you can hack without meeting a lot of traffic and, if his only problem is large traffic then I think there is hope for him.

I would want to know I'd exhausted all the options first to be honest.

Shame he's probably a little bit large for the likes of RDA etc as if he's quiet and well behaved then he'd probably be ideal for toddling about and getting lots of attention!
 
When you took him on, you gave him an extra chance, to see if he came sound. He hasn't come sound, so now is the time to do the responsible thing and pts, knowing that you did the best you could for him. IMO, the only alternative would be for you to keep him as a field ornament, if you could keep him painfree but it is not worth the risk of letting him move on.
 
Sorry to hear he hasnt come sound.

If it was one of mine, i think i would try and find a suitable loan home, maybe a farmers wife who just wants to ride around the farmland (they do exist as i had enquires from a few when i advertised one of mine a few years ago).
I'd maybe give yourself a time limit though, and if no home can be found with light work/as a companion, then you may have to look at the other option. At least you would know that you tried (by giving him a chance in the 1st place) and then by trying to rehome.

Another idea - what about a trekking centre? they may find a large horse useful for every now and then? Very often they do rides that are for novices so it wouldnt involve cantering etc?
 
IME trekking centre horses work hours and hours each day with unbalanced riders over rough ground.....not the most suitable environment for a lame horse.

I agree with the majority, sad as it is, have him PTS now and save him an uncertain future. He has had a second chance with you and its not worked. Do the right thing for him now.
 
i would say at least try the loaning route first, providing of course he is not in constant pain. Our old 15hh cob had arthiritus that made him lame and i know this is different but he went to live at our friends house hes basically just a big pet, her kids groom him, pet him and ocassionally he goes for a bit of a hack around the country lanes and their fields. If he is not an expensive horse to keep then a free loan to someone in a quiet country area who wants an occasional hack but really more of an pet would be great.
I wouldnt sell him though as cheap horses sold as companions can often get people tempted into being sold on again while on lots of bute as horses to be in more work than they can cope.

As said in a previous post i also agree 7 months isnt long to see if the lameness wont end. I have known horses that have had over a year off and then gone back into regular work.

However if he is on constant pain that cant be helped at all by medication then PTS is the fair thing to do, but try the other options first.

Btw: just another thing i dont know if you have thought about trying but see if there are any equine centres or big vet centres near by you that have an equine hydrotherapy spa (google it!) they have been found to be incredibly helpful for lameness (same as swimming for horses). Just an alternative treatment to look into.

http://equinespa.com/Rehab%20Centres%20uk%20&%20Europe.html
http://www.natural-animal-health.co.uk/find-therapists.htm
 
very difficult, as said above if u sell him will he end up in a much worse state??also with the current market i think u will find it extremely hard to sell with his lameness and not being able to ride in traffic.what about loaning him to keep something else company??that way he isnt doing any work but can be loved and cared for, however if he is going to get worse, is in alot of pain or is on huge amounts of meds to keep the pain at bay then i would say to pts as its his quality of life, welfare and happiness that matters.good luck in whatever you decide to do im sure you will do the right thing for him
 
I feel for you, not a nice decision, but for his sake I would PTS, loaning can be really really hazardous and a trecking centre is out of the question, those horses have to earn a living plus the riders they get tend to be very novicey.

You gave him a chance which is more than anyone else did, sadly it has not worked out and maybe you have to let him go.
 
Not often that I am tempted to put finger to keypad , but in this case I feel that I have to .. The menisus is part of the cartiledge in the knee . or in the horses case , the stifle . We have a large ID X TB who has a sliding and locking patella due to loose meniscus and 6 months rest on anti inflamatories and then gentle hacking on level ground ( no circles ) has seen the fella come sound , and yes he is now jumping and competeing . We have to be careful and the number one priority is to keep him fit and not fat .
I appreciate that you haven`t given all the details and I am sure that the vets have been through ( not in my experience though !)
At the age of 9 I would have to give this fella a chance , he has only just stopped growing and developing , as warmbloods are very slow to fully mature . A second case belonging to a friend , has just had microsurgery (keyhole ) and her prognosis is very good as she is expected to make a full recovery and resume her dressage career .
All cases are individual and with out the full facts and a second vetinary opinion it is diffcult for anyone to guide you .
Best of luck and keep us informed of any progress .
 
I HONESTLY think CERTAIN trekking centres could be ideal!

I know a lady with one in Yorkshire and the horses are more so pets with the odd ride every now and then. I know a vet who has her horse there being used who is blind....

Not all trekking centres are going up and down hills, a number of times a day! Its just about finding the right one.

It IS possible to rehome larger horses with issues. I did it last year - despite numerous HHOs saying i should let her be PTS (a very chunky 17.2 aged shire). The mare now has a lovely owner as is as happy as ever. The right people are out there.

Its very easy for people on forums to comment, but you, as his owner are the ONLY one on here (unless you have real life friends etc on here) who knows how this horse really is.

Trust your instincts, and your vet.
 
Thanks so much for all your replies. He has had keyhole investigative surgery at Leahurst Equine Hospital and she couldn't do anything for him except prescribe box rest. The vet said that after 3 months box rest, if he was not sound he would not come sound.
I will continue to look for a loan home for him but totally understand where everyone on here is coming from.
Thanks again for all your support.
Jeni
 
Where I am lucky enough to live, heavy traffic is more than one car! Your horse would have suited me down to the ground when I was horse-hunting. I would keep looking for a good loan home for as long as you can, as they do exist for light hacks/companions/cuddly horses! Good luck!
 
I feel for you Toptotty, but if Leahurst have said he won't come sound it isn't as if it is just the opinion of a maybe inexperienced vet
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By all means try to loan him as a companion/gentle hack, but if a suitable home doesn't turn up I am afraid pts would be the route I would take.
 
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