The topic of PTS

Wagtail said:
I am getting really puzzled, and quite upset by the number of people who say how bad the injection is. All three that I witnessed were very quick and peaceful. But now I'm worried that my chosen method may not be so peaceful when it comes to having my mare PTS. A horse that I love more than any other I have known. I couldn't bear to have a hole put through her beautiful head and have heard horror stories of it going wrong and them having to shoot the horse a second time. But equally, I don't want a struggle with the injection. I think all these horror stories do no good. Both methods, when done correctly, are quick. I just hope I have my mare for a good while yet, but she is having one problem after another. I just find posts telling of bad experiences with either method upsetting.
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Wagtail everyone will have had different experiences and as always we are far more likely to hear the bad ones than the good. everything you do carries as risk, you are unlikely to have a bad experience either way with whatever you choose when the time comes. speak to your vet and ask which they prefer and what they would do for their horses when the time comes. also ask them 'why?', the will be happy to share their knowledge with you and would rather it was discussed way before the time comes so you can make a decision in a calm and thoughtful manner, without panic and raw emotion getting in the way. you can also have your preference put on your horses notes at your registered vets.
TBH when the time comes the deed has to be done and both ways have the end result so don't stress over it
 
Never pts. One go down naturally, very sudden so no vet necessary.

I'd have shot (only by shooter I knew and trusted as have heard horror stories from OH). I know some are funny about meat going to hunt, but if possible (obviously by them) I'd always choose this option. Not for price but for the cheesy thing of carrying the 'circle of life' on :o Always just seemed right to me.
 
Goldenstar said:
Brevity does have the right effect on second reading of my last comment , what I was trying to say is I know you are worried about your mare so at the moment I would avoid threads like this one I did not mean my comment above in any way nastily.
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Yes, you are probably right. :)
 
Wagtail. If it's any consolation I've had many more horses PTS with injection than shot. Nothing has ever gone wrong for my horses using either of those methods and all have gone peacefully. I previously was a devout gun PTSer but I now prefer injection.
 
Wagtail, please don't be worried. As I said, my first experience of injection was very traumatic. But I firmly believe it was the vets error, not the method that caused what I saw. If its any consolation, things that came to light later proved he was a pretty crappy vet in general. I also suspect that as it was the early 90's, & the vet was in his 50's, he wouldn't have had the training & experience with injection a modern vet has. Since then, the other 4 I've seen injected went peacefully. Taking that first experience out of it, I'd say with injection they know they are falling for a brief time, with a bullet they don't. The four I've seen injected since all lay down peacefully, no sign of struggling. I think for my mare, regardless of my own view, injection is the wrong way. In all her life, nobody has ever got close enough to take her picture lying down, or ever seen her down in her stable. Me, I can lie on her while she's down. So unless I could inject myself alone, I think she'd be scared of the lack of control in her last moments. Daughters pony on the other hand will lie down at shows, so I imagine for her, injection wouldn't be traumatic. My preference for the bullet comes entirely from that first horrid experience. But that's my view, it's an experience I will never forget, but that doesn't mean it needs to effect your choices too, just mine.
 
Spring Feather said:
Wagtail. If it's any consolation I've had many more horses PTS with injection than shot. Nothing has ever gone wrong for my horses using either of those methods and all have gone peacefully. I previously was a devout gun PTSer but I now prefer injection.
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Thank you SF! That has made me feel a whole lot better! :)
 
Been with 4 in total.

1 was my own.

I would always be there at the end for my own horse. Couldn't imagine not being there really. Plus I would feel awful, in their greatest moment of need I would feel like I had abandoned them, especially after all the times I have cried into their manes and they have stood and listened!

ETA: All have been done by injection, all have gone very quickly and quietly.
 
littlelegs said:
Wagtail, please don't be worried. As I said, my first experience of injection was very traumatic. But I firmly believe it was the vets error, not the method that caused what I saw. If its any consolation, things that came to light later proved he was a pretty crappy vet in general. I also suspect that as it was the early 90's, & the vet was in his 50's, he wouldn't have had the training & experience with injection a modern vet has. Since then, the other 4 I've seen injected went peacefully. Taking that first experience out of it, I'd say with injection they know they are falling for a brief time, with a bullet they don't. The four I've seen injected since all lay down peacefully, no sign of struggling. I think for my mare, regardless of my own view, injection is the wrong way. In all her life, nobody has ever got close enough to take her picture lying down, or ever seen her down in her stable. Me, I can lie on her while she's down. So unless I could inject myself alone, I think she'd be scared of the lack of control in her last moments. Daughters pony on the other hand will lie down at shows, so I imagine for her, injection wouldn't be traumatic. My preference for the bullet comes entirely from that first horrid experience. But that's my view, it's an experience I will never forget, but that doesn't mean it needs to effect your choices too, just mine.
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Thanks LL. I understand where you are coming from. It's just that I had firmly made up my mind to have the injection when my girl's time comes and some of the posts were giving me doubts. But it helps to hear the others you experienced were not so traumatic. It must have been awful for you. I also understand that for some horses the bullet would be kinder, such as the cob on our yard who is terrified of vets and needles. But my girl never bats an eyelid and loves everyone, so I thought the needle would be best for her.
 
Don't have doubts Wagtail, you know your mare best. My fear of injection isn't that I'm sat here thinking its likely to happen again. It's more that when I know I will be present at the end I unwillingly see an action replay of that first experience again. And during the deed, I have a heart stopping moment when I unrationally fear for a second it might happen again. And whilst I wouldn't choose it for my mare, if something happened to daughters pony & I wasn't able to be there, I'd have no issue with someone else having her injected.
 
I always thought i'd stay with my mare when she went but she had been at Liphook for a week or so and knew the staff. I spent some time with her that mornign took her for a walk, fed her some polos and then she moved away from me to the back of her box and looked at me and it was like she was saying you can go now. I didn't think i'd be able to hold it together so I left and the vet went in and did it. I'm not sure I did the right thing or not but I don't think i'd have been able to drive home if i'd stayed with her and it was quite a distance. I think when the two I have now go I will stay with them though but until you're in the situation it is hard to know.
 
We had my first pony PTS by injection and it was peaceful and calm, couldn't have asked for an easier ending and to be honest she had been so poorly I just felt relieved when she was gone. She just laid down slowly after the injection and then laid flat out and was gone.We also lost an elderly mare who died out the field at the age of 35, I found her in the morning and all the long grass hadn't been disturbed around her body it was as if she had just laid down and gone with no movement once on the ground. She had been well but had really slowed down. We also lost a new born foal that we tried and failed to revive at birth. Unfortunately it comes with owning animals that these decisions have to be made.
 
I am no expert but I think it depends on the situation you are in ie a friends horse broke its leg and shooting was the best option as said horse was not going to be SO still for a sedative etc. So am guessing frightened horse in the head may be easier? I had a pony that hated the vet/injections etc and would definitely been easier to shoot with a bucket of food. I told the vet one day he would have to get a rifle to get near it.

If horse was in surgery, happy with vet visits /injections etc the injection method I had for old boy was so humane, kind etc What a way to go....hope my death could be so easy as that!

Heard horror stories of both methods so am not going to judge as it seems what is right for that horse &/or owner at the time. At end of day how lucky we are to have two options available to us. As someone said to me both ways are final.
 
Luckily I've not had to do it for any of my own horses but held them for other people before now. I think the worst was when the owner was abroad and was on the phone to me so he could hear her voice :( I was with my dog when she was pts at home, me and mum sat with her and fed her steak. I can understand why people would want to be away from it but imo it's something I owe to my animals. I know that it isn't always possible tho.
 
I recently had to have my special boy PTS due to colic, I had no choice over it, he was in so much pain & there was nothing they could do. I always thought I wouldn't be able to be with him when the time came but after being with him all night, I simply couldn't leave him and have him wondering where I'd gone, and so I stayed with him with his head in my arms telling him how much I loved him. We used the injection method with a vet he absolutely adored, and he went quickly and peacefully with the people who loved him around him. I've never seen a horse (or anything) be PTS before and although it was obviously heart wrenching, it was a lot calmer and quieter than I expected it to be.
 
I've sadly had one of my own and helped friends with two others. All shot, all went better than I imagined in the build up and none have been regretted for a moment (although none were in life or death situations!)
 
I have not read any one else's replies yet. My late mare was PTS with injection just over a year ago now. I was such a mess, as it was all so sudden and traumatic (colic and seizures), I was hysterical, crying, shaking, and the people around me thought I was too distressed to be there with my dying girl I think. It was all quite a blur and seemed to happen too quickly.
It pains me terribly I was not there, but I was a hysterical mess and I suppose that was not fair on her, I had no warning and was not dealing with it well. I wish I could have been there, I always wanted to be there and imagined saying goodbye to her in old age on a warm and peaceful day giving her love and her favourite foods.
But that did not happen and when I think about that night I still feel bereft, and that i never really had the chance to say goodbye properly, it really hurts in truth but I cannot change anything now sadly, though how I wish it was all so very different but it is not. All I have are her ashes, shoes and some mane and tail

ETS: Two wonderful people from my yard were with my girl for me at the end, and she went very peacefully and went to lay down very gracefully when she went, bless my darling girl, rip sweetheart x
God, dont know about anyone else but this is making me so teary writing this

ETS: I could only ever do the injection personally, think I would find the bullet much too traumatic a thought, even if quick and painless
 
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I had my pony pts by injection today. Was very quick, one min he was eating a carrot. The next he was on the floor and gone. Vet was amazing. I stayed with him feeding him carrots. Vet did injection and took him from me halfway through. I had had him 13 years. Was a little pony I had got as a companion from RSPCA. He was of unknown age and untreatable liver failure. Will miss him. Was a very expensive pet. X
 
moandben said:
I had my pony pts by injection today. Was very quick, one min he was eating a carrot. The next he was on the floor and gone. Vet was amazing. I stayed with him feeding him carrots. Vet did injection and took him from me halfway through. I had had him 13 years. Was a little pony I had got as a companion from RSPCA. He was of unknown age and untreatable liver failure. Will miss him. Was a very expensive pet. X
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So sorry to hear that, big hugs to you x
 
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