Stories of putting your horse down without it being due to old age?

Immy

Immy

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Very dismal post, so apologies in advance!!!
Read a lot of posts on here lately with regards to owners having to make the hard decision of putting their horses down, so would love to hear your stories of how you made the time you had worthwhile with your horse?

My 6 year old ex-racehorse raced 4 times as a 2yo and had 2 years off so has not had a long start to her retraining. After x-rays, we discovered she has osteoarthritis (bone spavin) which is thought to be caused by a bone cyst. The cyst can’t be treated, so all we can do is use Tildren to try and slow down the process.

The vet believes things may get the better of her by the age 12 providing treatment is a success… Now I know this is a long time away, but obviously it’s been heartbreaking that she won’t be around and make it to being an old fogie :( !!!

We may have to knock our ideas with all the future competitions, dressage and showjumping on the head, but no matter what... She will remain with me till the end. But boy does she know how to look sorry for herself! Probably doesn’t help having such a tearful owner around her at the moment.

Anyone want to share their stories of situations where they have had to put their horse down long before the time they may have hoped for?
 
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Sadly yes. Two years ago we had to have our beloved pony pts due to allergies. It was so hard as through winter she was 100% ok but come summer her suffering was awful to watch. She showed severe asthma like symptoms to the point she once lay/collapsed and couldnt get up, I thought she'd die there and then.
We tried everything we could. Steroids gave relief along with Ventipulmin but when they stopped being effective i had to call it a day.
Once the the decision was made it was arranged and done quickly so not to prolong her suffering. It was done in early summer before she got too bad again.
The one feeling i had as she went down was huge huge relief and i knew it was the right thing.
 
I havent had too yet, they have all been pretty old or went suddenly, but i will have to make the decision for my big lad sooner rather than later, hes only 19 but has quite a lot of leg issues which have made him unridable for the last 3 years.
I take each summer as his last and try to make it the best possible summer for him, lots of grass, lots of time spent grooming him and taking him walks when possible xx
 
I had my dream pony PTS last year due to a lameness that no vet could explain, she also suffered on an extreme level with Sweet Itch. She was 15 but she was my life.

We had a post mortem done which revealed a huge hole in her tendon and severely damaged suspensory branch.
A year previous I'd actually sold her to someone who then sold her on and it was in that home that she suffered these injuries, their vet said it was a "tweaked tendon" and now, the same vet has diagnosed their other horse with it. God help them.

It upsets me and angers me to think if she'd have just had box rest she would still be here today :/
 
I had to have my 3 1/2 year old gelding pts last year due to acute grass sickness.
I got him at 6 months old and he was my best friend. I am still struggling coming to terms with losing him and struggle to understand why it happened to my beautiful boy :(
 
I lost Maje last week as I keep seeming to be telling everyone.. I first clapped eyes on him late at night on my last page of horsemart to look at for the night and I knew he was the one.. Rising 4, unbacked, big lump of a thing that wouldn't do anything for his previous owner, even trot up, without a bucket of carrots under his nose.. In hindsight explains a lot.. I went to meet him and he instantly decided it was the best thing in the world to talk to me and follow me round, no bribes.. I agreed to take him subject to vetting, but I believe he'd have come home with me anyway.. Backed him myself.. We hacked for miles, schooled, did some jumpies, rescued bolting mares and plunged through the woods neighing whilst I tried to take a phone call from a bereaved gentleman about some funeral flowers.. We had some great times.. Fast times, slow times and quiet times.. We especially loved the quiet times together.. He was a comedy genius too.. He loved dropping water on my head and once broke off where he was tied up to trot down the yard and interrupt a fight between liveries.. One had a pitchfork, the other a shovel, me a very red face.. This horse is the centre of my world, alive or dead, and I will miss him all the days of my life.. He was 12 last month..

I lost his sister to colic on 26 July 2010.. My horses all had the farrier in the morning.. I left at 12.30 to put washing on at home, came back at 15.30 and she was down.. Vet came straight out and we fought for what seemed an hour.. She was found at a sale in Wales by my friend, a CB breeder, who'd actually gone to sell a horse.. She was painfully underweight, covered in rainscald, high worm burden, horrendous teeth.. She'd had two foals and was left to rot.. I came along a few months later.. I wanted to meet her as she was my lad's sister.. I brought her home.. She was 6.. I got her well, started working with her and the weekend she died we had been teaching her to jump.. She had a lot of promise for competing, fab mare and so, so very sweet.. And they were so close.. Maje stood with her until they came to collect her.. The vet was fantastic and said she looked like she'd been in great health and couldn't believe she was the same mare he first met.. She was just 9..

I lost my herd leader and novice BD horse 28 July 2011.. Talk about anniversaries.. Never ever sick or sorry.. Fine the Wednesday night.. Next morning 6am he was extremely sick.. Vet kept trying to put me off the callout.. An hour later he dropped down dead in front of her.. He had toxic shock due to a bowel rupture.. He was on the yard Maje first came home to.. Very misunderstood horse with a dangerous label.. Totally unfounded the whole time we were together.. Him and the other two were inseparable.. He was like a big puppy dog.. I took him hacking at the age of 15 for the first time.. We did common rides, schooled, messed about and he nannied my mare, along with her brother, when I backed her.. He was a lovely boy.. Anxious when left alone and very up on his herd instincts but I got my friend riding him.. Taught her loads and loads in and out the saddle and was a big, goofy, loving presence in my life.. He was 18 so not the youngest but he'd never ever been sick as I said already and it was a shock..

They all should have grown old with me.. And I miss them all every single day..

I have other horses.. I treasure every second with them and are making new memories every day to smile back on in time..
 
I had to at 11:25am today. But if I am honest........I made my mind up in the early hours of this morning. I think both he and I knew.

On Monday he started displaying drunk like symptoms, vet diagnosed Colic. He was not better on Tues so called vet out again who said its deffo neurological...........and to try to treat. I wasnt 100% sure that was best option, but I went with it instead of saying no just PTS now if very likely to never be back to normal/manageable.

This morning, I call the vets to pay the fees and for his tablets he is to take.....then as Sharer is on the way to get the tablets she gets call he is down in the field, and despite trying and trying they cannot get him up. So she goes into the vets and tells them and they send one out.

Its clear though when I arrive that this is it. No effort to get up. We do give it a last try. but not happening and decide just to do it.
I had been so so composed up until I said those 4 words - they honestly tore my throat to say them - but I KNEW it was best. I had to stop it now.

I had just an hour earlier been thinking how I was going to go up tomorrow with OH, give him a groom and then ask for him to be taken down to my parents and make the arrangements.

I am sad he is gone. I am sad that he was down but I also feel a relief that he took that decision away from me.

I am glad we are in the digital age...............I have a folder full of pics of him, and videos and then there are all the people who love him and whos lives he has touched and been a part of. No one forgets the Beauster!
He was my horse of a lifetime. Even when he scared me witless and broke my bones :). I am happy that I had him for the time that I did.
 
Apart from oldies, theres been a shattered hock, so no option but PTS Not really sure what you mean by 'how you made the time you had worthwhile with your horse?' If you mean time spent with the horse after you know PTS is inevitable or what...but there was no time to do anything special or different to spend time and say goodbye.
Second one was a foal, again, there was no special time, there was only stress and treatments and more treatments, and then the end.
 
My 2 1/2 yr old was put down due to an infection in his coffin joint following surgery for removal of a keratoma. I bought him as a foal to eventually do dressage with. He was by Dancier and was a lovely chap. He was to take over from my old lady who is now retired after being with me 22 years. Never thought I would be saying goodbye to my baby before her :-(
 
my horse was PTS 13 weeks ago following a suspected fall. He was 21 & had been suffering from arthritis in his hocks so was living the royal life, ie not a lot of work & being spoilt rotten, we think he fell in the field & vet said he had probably fractured his pelvis anyway got the back lady out for a second opinion as he was unable to walk in a straight line, was constantly going round in circles unless he got himself up against the barn wall next to the hay rack, back lady said she had seen this type of thing before (but not as bad!) & said he could have damaged his sacroiliac bone & said there was nothing in her opinion that could be done so he was PTS. a very hard decision but for the best even though I expected him to go on for years!!

RIP Cheval xx:)
 
I've had to have 2 PTS very close together. Taz was the first one, he was 15yrs old. He started to have breathing difficulties, after being scoped they found a lump on his larynx, after antibiotics not helping it's was removed. Only a couple months later it returned, sadly this time it was inoperable, I didn't get the chance to come to terms with it, he was PTS because he would have suffocated had it grown anymore. I wish I could have given him time to go out and pig out on some lush grass, as he was a lamintic so was on restricted grazing. I miss him everyday and would give anything to have him back with me.

Then I bought Murphy, he was the perfect horse for me. I had him on trial for a couple of weeks, had him vetted. After a couple of months he went lame, we thought it was bruising as he'd trodden on a stone out riding. After a rest and bute he was sound. But kept going intermittently lame on hard ground, he had x-ray diagnosis was ringbone. After joint injections and bute he was getting worse and had to be PTS as he couldn't even walk from the field. I'd had him 11 months and he was aged 11.
 
Three times in very young horses :(
First was Rascal who broke his leg in a the field aged 6 months. Vet said it would have eventually mended, but even with painkillers he was uncomfortable, so 2 days later he was PTS. He was the first foal off my favorite mare, so I was (and still am!) devastated, even though we have 4 more from her now.

Another was a yearling who broke his pelvis (my second to do this, bad luck around here clearly) in such way vet said it would never heal with any real degree of soundness, so made that sad decision again. We breed and sell eventers, without soundness he'd have ended up passed around from pillar to post, so it was the kinder thing to do.

And then a 2 year old who had some sort of neurological difficulty - he'd be fine then snap. Again, we could have passed him on to an unsuspecting customer and they'd be none the wiser for a little while, then pass him on when they worked it out.
 
EmmasMummy said:
I had to at 11:25am today. But if I am honest........I made my mind up in the early hours of this morning. I think both he and I knew.

On Monday he started displaying drunk like symptoms, vet diagnosed Colic. He was not better on Tues so called vet out again who said its deffo neurological...........and to try to treat. I wasnt 100% sure that was best option, but I went with it instead of saying no just PTS now if very likely to never be back to normal/manageable.

This morning, I call the vets to pay the fees and for his tablets he is to take.....then as Sharer is on the way to get the tablets she gets call he is down in the field, and despite trying and trying they cannot get him up. So she goes into the vets and tells them and they send one out.

Its clear though when I arrive that this is it. No effort to get up. We do give it a last try. but not happening and decide just to do it.
I had been so so composed up until I said those 4 words - they honestly tore my throat to say them - but I KNEW it was best. I had to stop it now.

I had just an hour earlier been thinking how I was going to go up tomorrow with OH, give him a groom and then ask for him to be taken down to my parents and make the arrangements.

I am sad he is gone. I am sad that he was down but I also feel a relief that he took that decision away from me.

I am glad we are in the digital age...............I have a folder full of pics of him, and videos and then there are all the people who love him and whos lives he has touched and been a part of. No one forgets the Beauster!
He was my horse of a lifetime. Even when he scared me witless and broke my bones :). I am happy that I had him for the time that I did.
Click to expand...

Big hugs to you - i had my girl PTS yesterday xxxxx
 
I lost my TB Dillon after 6 years together when I was 17
He fell when we were hacking and severed his near side fore leg on a bridleway.
He managed to get up and my friend literally went flat out to the nearest village and dialled 999 from the payphone (no mobiles in those days).The operator sent out an emergency vet and he was shot there and then. That was 21 years ago and I will never ever forget. I loved him with a passion. I cycled 12 miles every day to look after him before and after school. I still miss him and the guilt ate me up for years. We were only cantering in a field - he slipped and fell. The vet said it was just an unfortunate landing that tore his leg away. I however was left totally traumatised.
He was 14

Last August I lost my darling Henesy to Wobblers. I won't say too much on here because I will cry. He was my horse of a lifetime and not a day goes by when I don't think of him. I would do anything to have just another 5 minutes with my lad. He was pts by injection and I stayed with him until the end.
He was 13
 
Sadly, yes. Two of my own (one broke her leg in the field and the other had dreadful colic), but the really scary one was my fatyher's horse, years ago.

Charlie was a young, bautiful middleweight hunter. He was hunting beautifully, and had started to win prizes showing. Then he seemed to just be 'not right'. The vet couldn't put his finger on what was wrong. A very famous vet, an old friend of our vet, was coming up from Yorkshire to look at a horse a few miles away, and suggested Charlie be taken for a second opinion.

He was boxed over, with my pony for company. Charlie was the first to be unloaded from the wagon. As his feet touched the ground he went beserk. He attacked everything in sight - the vet, the stud groom of our host, the wagon - he even tried to get back up the ramp and attack my pony and me (we were standing at the top of the ramp, horrorstruck).One of the stable lads tried to climb a dovecote-on-a-pole thing - I can still see it all these years on.

Then suddenly Charlie's back legs collapsed, and down he went. All the time my father, who was in his late 60s, had somehow held on to him - and he was the one person C. didn't attack. We were led away, and the vet started to examine Charlie, who was comatose on the ground. We thought he was dead. but 10 minutes later the vet came in and said "Your horse is on his feet. I'm certain he has a brain tumour though. He's highly dangerous". So of course my father said he must be put down.

Poor poor Charlie; he was only 6 and had such a wonderful life ahead of him. I remember coming back in the wagon we had hired - it was snowing, my father and I were crying and even the wagon driver was sniffing. I was 9, and couldn't stop shaking.
 
My horse is getting PTS next week. I have owned him 9 years, got him as a yearling. He was a scrawny 13.hh yearling when i bought him from the sales. I didnot go looking to buy a horse but he was in such bad condition i could not leave him there. His back legs were twisted and bent from the hock down, his pasterns were flat on the floor, starved full of ringworm i bought him to take him home to die. Nine years later he is a whopping 18hh plus, beautiful bright bay with appalosa white and black spots on his rump, pink muzzle and striped hooves. He is beautiful. I have never rode him due to his deformity s but he is such a character. I have been told he is a Knabstrupper he is so beautiful. His legs have got worse over the years and last year he got laminitis which really threw him. Every year has been a bonus because i didnot think he would last 3 weeks when i got him. The vet came yesterday and told me it was time to have him pts. I love you Calico i am going to miss you like crazy
 
I have put one horse down to old age/arthritis, and one due to lameness - tendon issue.

That was a long time ago - almost 30 years ago.

I would put a horse down if it was unable to be sold, and I was unable to keep and financially or physically (facilities etc) maintain it. I have 7 horses at the moment. If the kids stop riding some will be sold/rehomed, others will not (age and suitability) and will need to make a decision as time comes. Hopefully they will have many years with us yet.

Would it bother me to put an animal down - yes, but I would rather do that than not be able to afford to look after it, allow it to be neglected, or pass it on to someone else.

Having said that I would rehome, sell/find a home for a healthy aged or not otherwise 100% fir for my purpose horse/pony, if I felt that it was fit or useful, for someone else. I do not feel I am the only home for my horses (in most instances) and that they could not be useful elsewhere.
 
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