VERY DIFFICULT POST ?

[rabatsa]

Hugs.

It sounds like it is time to call it a day for him. Not only will he have the physical stress of being unable to breathe but as a prey animal the mental stress of knowing he cannot run away is an instinctive stress that cannot be seen.

I too would not ask him to travel in a box for 30 hours.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

My heart aches for you in this position Shysmum, I m Not sure I would attempt the travel back if only to avoid a terrible situation and decision which may have to be made en route back. Whatever you decide will be the right one because only you know the entirety of the problem. Have a hug.

 

[Trouper]

It is a heartbreaking decision to have to make. I think I would try to separate out the two elements - if you were not moving back to the UK and just had the medical problems to deal with what would you do? You obviously have to talk it through with the vet but know that no-one on here would dispute the final decision you make in the best interests of your horse.

 

[Highmileagecob]

This year has been awful for COPD horses. My old cob has had steroid therapy, inhalers, the oil, everything, and nothing worked. Towards the end of August, it just eased and he is back to his usual self again, but at the beginning of August I was seriously considering calling it a day. My heart breaks for you. I really hope he turns a corner and starts to pick up.

 

[Snow Falcon]

I'm sorry you're facing that decision. If he's getting worse then I know what I would do. I had my 12yo beautiful homebred mare PTS in May, so hard to say goodbye but the kindest thing to do.

 

[NinjaPony]

I’m so very sorry for you. I made the same decision nearly two years ago for my horse of a lifetime, for the same reasons. I couldn’t keep watching him suffer and visibly fade in front of me after 18 months of different treatments, hope and then decline. You’ve tried your best for him, and it’s heartbreaking to lose them like this.

 

[Tarragon]

So sorry to read this! Shy is one of my H&H favourites; I think you have a lovely relationship with together.
You will do the right thing for him.
Sometimes, you need a big change in circumstances to force a decision that you have been perhaps putting off, and sometimes that is a good thing.

 

[Shysmum]

I've been waiting for the vet for the second day in a row, two hours late.Mainly to check Pepsi's eye ulcer has healed. Shy and Pep went into the stables for breakfast, and within an hour Shy was heaving and sweated up. The stables are as dust free as they can be. I know he shouldn't be in the stable any more, which makes winter management very difficult as Pepsi, 33, needs to be in. Given Shy Shy ventipulmin, and turned them out. Vet rearranged for tomorrow ?

 

[Ratface]

You are being incredibly brave and patient. I do so hope the vet can get to you and Shy tomorrow.

 

[mini-eventer]

Sending hugs, I will have to make that decision before long, I have a 30yr old I have considered not putting him through this winter, but I cant quote come to terms with it at the moment.

If he deteriorates in anyway It will force my hand. Heaving and sweating up regularly would be enough for me. So sorry x

 

[nagblagger]

Another angle - will Pepsi cope without Shy.?

 

[Highmileagecob]

Are your stables very old, or likely to have lath and lime plaster ceilings? Clutching at straws here, but well remember renovating an old house in Cornwall, and the builder advised us not to take ceilings down without full protective breathing masks 'as you will be coughing from now til the end my 'andsome.' Combination of lime plaster, vermin droppings and 200 years of accumulated muck apparently.

 

[Red-1]

I'm sorry you are in this situation. I know that I will have a decision with Rigs at some point, it comes with an older horse or one with medical complications. Doesn't make it any easier though. X

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

We are moving back to the UK from France, in the New Year. My beloved 13 year old gypsy cob has chronic COPD, no known cause, treatment resistant. He has just been on his holidays, out in the open, but suffered severe symptoms for 10 days out of 14, despite ventipulmin, and his oils. ? He has had many vet visits for COPD

I am so worried about his health, he's heaving again today. There's no way I can put him on a lorry for 30 hours to the UK, and rehoming is impossible. SO, I am coming to the terrible, gut wrenching possibility of euthanasia. He can't go on like this. Today I had to hose thick crusted sweat of his whole body, from heaving. No denying hes getting much worse ?
Help!

Can you not do the journey in short bursts?? there must be stables offering holiday let horses. Otherwise give him the last act of kindness.

Sorry you are in this predicament.

 

[Palindrome]

I am sorry, I don't know if it's any help but I suffer from asthma and it is very distressing and tiring when you can't breath. If the treatments are unsuccessful, it's a kindness to let him go.

 

[Annagain]

How soon are you moving and are you moving somewhere that's likely to be better for him, like a coastal area? Does he normally improve in winter?

If the answers to the questions above are yes and IF you can get this latest bout under control could you wait for winter when maybe the allergens causing it have died down and then move him in several short trips with a day or two's break in between?

 

[sunnyone]

A horrible situation to be in , I feel for you.

If you could do short journeys then Peden Bloodstock might just be able to find you overnight accommodation. They booked our lorry on the ferry and found us B&B for the horses. We slept on the lorry. We aimed to do 2 hours in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. It took us 4 days to get to Spain but our 3 horses arrived relaxed and happy, and the overnight locations were very welcoming, we even used one again on the way back to France.

We moved to France because the neddies clearly weren't happy actually in Spain.
Our vet here is by chance Spanish and she suggested the horse who needed to be PTS in due course ( because of arthritic complications) went to a specific vet clinic 80 miles away where they could care for her properly: alive or dead. The normal system here, as you may know, being to phone deadstock removers and get a day for collection, then phone vet to PTS in a place from where the guys can crane said horse onto a lorry on the roadside. I see it as being too much like putting a dustbin out.

I can pass on that clinic's name if you are not too far from northern Gironde.They really were a good establishment and I felt my horse had a respectful end.

 

[Shysmum]

Another angle - will Pepsi cope without Shy.?

No, but I hope Pepsi can go and enjoy the company of other Golden Oldies at the livery yard, fully paid for of course. That's a double heartbreak. Peps would find the journey very difficult with his arthritis. It's all a nightmare

 

[Shysmum]

The vet has just been to check Pepsi's eye ulcer (completely healed), and I had "The Conversation " with him. He disagreed totally with me, and carried on about cortisone and all sorts. It was very hard to talk about, but he just poo pooed me ?. I feel awful now. I would do anything for Shy !

 

[Highmileagecob]

Are you able to nebulise Shy and get some salbutamol into his airways? Inhaled salbutamol helped my cob over the worst, but he was a nightmare to try and medicate. I also resorted to rubbing Vicks at strategic points, putting him back on a low dose of NSAID to reduce inflammation, and gave him honey and lemon menthol sweets - anything to try and open the airways. He did not really improve until the weather broke and it started raining, the heat and humidity of the summer absolutely brings him to the edge. Is this a seasonal event? Or does it just happen randomly that he goes into an attack?

 

[Wheresthehoofpick]

I would never question an owner's knowledge on a horse and I don't know the whole story but could it be the environment?

We took our 22 year old pony to Cornwall. He lived with us for several months. Literally by the coast, on a cliff top! There was something there that he couldn't cope with. We went down the massive vet intervention route.

He is now happily back living with my parents in deepest Exmoor - ironically where I get the most appalling allergies - and he is fine.

 

[Shysmum]

Are you able to nebulise Shy and get some salbutamol into his airways? Inhaled salbutamol helped my cob over the worst, but he was a nightmare to try and medicate. I also resorted to rubbing Vicks at strategic points, putting him back on a low dose of NSAID to reduce inflammation, and gave him honey and lemon menthol sweets - anything to try and open the airways. He did not really improve until the weather broke and it started raining, the heat and humidity of the summer absolutely brings him to the edge. Is this a seasonal event? Or does it just happen randomly that he goes into an attack?

It's totally random, no idea what causes it.

 

[AmyMay]

At the end of the day you see the horse in front of you over many hours daily. So it’s your call.

Thinking of you during this stressful and upsetting time xx

 

[honetpot]

I kept one in retirement for a couple of years with this. I think as soon as they start being unable to function without distress as a horse, even living outdoors 24/7, its time to make the call.Mine went on a good day, so that is how I remember things.
Medics want to fix things, but they do not have to live day to day with the unfixed. I always tell the vet I am not after quantity but quality of life, and I would be looking for a more supportive vet.
I also wonder if a transport company would travel an animal in distress, there are strict regulations for animal welfare for transport. The last thing I would want is a distressed animal in a confined space, and then trying to treat it.

 

[AmyMay]

I also wonder if a transport company would travel an animal in distress, there are strict regulations for animal welfare for transport. The last thing I would want is a distressed animal in a confined space, and then trying to treat it.

This is a really relevant point. They have to be fit to travel.

 

[Wheresthehoofpick]

I also firmly believe that we know our animals best and have their best interests at heart. No one would make a decision to PTS lightly. Trust your instincts and if necessary find a vet who will support you.

 

[View]

Medics want to fix things, but they do not have to live day to day with the unfixed. I always tell the vet I am after quantity not quality of life, and I would be looking for a more supportive vet.

Did you mean you seek quality of life rather than quantity of life?

 

[Red-1]

I hate it when I hear that a vet is unsupportive in this situation. Is there a hunt who can PTS?

 

[Palindrome]

The vet has just been to check Pepsi's eye ulcer (completely healed), and I had "The Conversation " with him. He disagreed totally with me, and carried on about cortisone and all sorts. It was very hard to talk about, but he just poo pooed me ?. I feel awful now. I would do anything for Shy !

Vets in France are different to vets in the UK, they are very reluctant to PTS. My aunt had a border collie that out of the blue had attacked a toddler (the toddler, my little sister, had teeth marks around the head and dog had been separated straight away) and the vet refused to PTS the dog because he was physically healthy.
Depending on what you want to do/what you decide is best, you could try another vet.

 

[maya2008]

The vet has just been to check Pepsi's eye ulcer (completely healed), and I had "The Conversation " with him. He disagreed totally with me, and carried on about cortisone and all sorts. It was very hard to talk about, but he just poo pooed me ?. I feel awful now. I would do anything for Shy !

Did they have an actual solution? Are there any other options in France for pts?