sorry morbid post about PTS

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Jericho

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Seems a sad day today for some of us as I am sitting here contemplating my big lads future (cant be ridden, very poor doer, constant worrier and in discomfort) and have started the process (mostly in my head) about THAT decision.

Its been on my mind for a year ever since I retired him at 12 yrs old but after a year off and attempts to bring him back into work proving utterly unsuccessfully (both physically and mentally) I have spoken to the vets etc and think I know which method to use but I just wanted to ask a question regarding my other horses. I have a mare and hopefully before he goes, a companion for the mare. Do I shut them in a stable with doors closed so they cant see or shall I just let them be in the field in full view? It will be bad enough for me but I dont want to cause them any distress too. They are kept at home, so just them.

Sorry for horrible topic - i just need to get my head around what is going to happen
 
My mare was put down at home by the huntsman,the other mare was shut in a stable but no top door,she needed to be out of the way for the removal process;later that day a companion was in with her,no problems afterward.Huntsman putting her down was easily the best solution,very quietly and quickly done,no premonition and no blood either.That way a horse gets to "hunt again" if used as hound food.
 
If the mare and gelding have been together for a long time i think it is only fair to let her see the body (as horrible as that sounds) they do have feelings and form bonds just like we do, they also grieve sometimes to the point of starvation and death eventually..they just give up its not nice.

It the most difficult and brave decision to make to have an animal pts, my thoughts are with you
 
Firstly, I'm very sorry you're having to make this decision.

A lot of how you deal with your others will depend on their personalities and the method you chose.

I pesonally wouldn't shut them (i.e with top doors shut) in as that is most likely to cause more distress. I personally would try to keep the routine as normal as possible and perhaps alow them to investigate the body once it is done as it may help them understand and grieve. If you don't think this is apropriate for you or them that is fine too.
 
I would certainly have the other horses out of the way - dangerous perhaps not to.

But they don't need to be shut in (top doors closed) just in.
 
If they know each other, they HAVE to be able to see the body afterwards or they'll probably fret, may whinny and get agitated and this may well upset you further.

We had our old pony PTS in the field while her best friend (and the one who would have worried the most) was grazing quite nearby. Afterwards, she came over to see her little pal and whatever anyone else tells you, they do understand the implications and she never once gave it another thought. This mare will whinny and fret and boxwalk if any of the others wander through the barn when she thinks they shouldn't so we are talking 'worrier'. On the other hand, my dozy gelding who hoons about couldn't be let loose in the field with them that day and had to be taken up later, on the leadrope. He wouldn't give proper attention to the situation so after a few minutes, we gave up trying to get him to pay attention and see for himself that his friend was gone. Result - for three nights he stared out to the top field in silence looking and listening for her - he knew she was there and his silly brain couldn't just figure it. That was almost harder to see than her empty box.

It is not horrible for their friends - but the sudden disappearance of a herd member definitely is. Let them see.

ETS - I have seen two PTS in a field with friends around. The injections went perfectly and no traumatic scene. There was no alarm from the fieldmates, either. Obviously PTS by gun would be a different matter.
 
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My old mare was PTS in her field with her favourite companion and her daughters munching piles of hay nearby. I did not want to stress her by removing her friends. It was all over in a second, I thought her daughters would call but they didn't, they were very quiet and seemed to accept she had gone.

I'm sorry to hear about your boy.
 
If they know each other, they HAVE to be able to see the body afterwards or they'll probably fret, may whinny and get agitated and this may well upset you further.
Click to expand...

Mmmm not sure I can agree with that. Not one field mate of any horse I have seen put down has exhibited any of the above behaviour.

Does your horse get agitated if one of its field mates leaves the field for any reason?? Unlikely.
 
My young horse was upset at a horse he hardly knew dying naturally of old in an adjoining field, he was upset and others were too even when the lorry came to take the body away if i knew i would have taken him away off the yard , i suppose you can never predict how they will act but my horse knew and knew when the lorry came .A earlier incident we hacked past a trailer outside a livery yard with a tarpulin over it he used to shake and spook and stand and refuse to go forward , i found out a month later a little shetland had died and they had left it there for collection on the trailer and they had watched my boy struggle going past.He knew .It depends on horse .
 
From my experience you need to let the others see the body for their grief, even if they're not nearby when the deed is done.

When I was 11 my dad's old hunter was taken to the kennels to be put down (before he suffered with arthritis through another winter). He'd not been off the property in 2 years so the others knew something was up. That night the weather turned and we put them in the most sheltered field we have. We don't really know what happened, but we couldn't find them easily the next morning. All 4 had crossed the stream for the first and only time in 20 years and we found them (an hour later) hanging over a neighbours fence eating his gooseberry bushes. We think that they'd gone looking for him. We put them in a different field once we'd caught them, and they all mooched round the outside of the field looking and calling out. after about an hour of this they all settled down and that was that. That whole morning was about as difficult as loosing Guiness in the first place.
 
I would arrange it so the other horses can see the body, although try to keep the routine as normal as possible. I have always thought that just like a mare with a dead foal, they should be able to see so that they can accept it. A mare at work has had 2 dead foals. The first foal was taken away straight after birth even before the mare had a chance to look at it, she became depressed and wouldn't eat and was fed by a drip for a couple of weeks. The second foal we allowed to lie in the stable for a while for the mare to realize and accept it and she was fine.

Obviously a mare and foal bond is slightly different than companions, and I have known instances where keeping the other horses away completely has been fine, but I guess you never know how your horses will react in either situation.

So sorry you are having to make this decision :(
 
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I had a mare and gelding that were close friends, field mates and stables next door to each other. She had acute cushings as a 4 year old and had to be put down as a semi emergency (Lying on the floor groaning) and we didn't let the gelding see her body. BIG mistake. He looked for her for about 2 weeks. Now he was always a sensitive soul but I truly believe if he knew she'd 'gone' then he'd have settled quicker.

Blitz
 
Sorry to hear that you are having to go through this.
We had to have one pts in the field, he had been kicked and his scapula was broken, we took one of the horses out and kept the mare there, she had a headcollar on and was held near so he could see her and therefore she saw it all too. Really so he wasn't left on his own in the final minutes she seemed OK with it, and it gave one of us something to do, that was helpful.
I personally wouldn't shut them in completely, it may make them more stressed xxx
 
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