What arrangements do you have for emergencies if your YO/YM can't get hold of you?

NiceChristmasBaubles

NiceChristmasBaubles

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This is just something for everyone to think about really.

My wonderful old girl was pts yesterday as she suddenly deteriorated. Although she had not been right the night before, and my friend, who was also my YO, and I had spoken early yesterday morning, I only knew she was pts after it had happened. You need to read my other threads for the details, but this was totally in accordance with my wishes and my friend did exactly the right thing. She also knew that my preference was for injection and cremation.

The last time my friend acted on my behalf was when my mare was severely colicing due to pedunculated lipomas and she was in the prep room for surgery before I got to her. Her actions saved my mare's life and gave me 11 more years with her.

Please think about what plan of action you have with your YO/YM. I would much rather a YO/YM got on with the job of dealing with my horse than having to keep re-dialling to get hold of me. My vets were able to act on my friend's authority without having to consult with me first. Even if you are usually very contactable, you may not be in an emergency. Please make sure you draw the appropriate plans up, so that like me, you will be totally happy about the fact that your YO/YM acted in the best interests of your horse and in accordance with your wishes. xx
 
So sorry to hear about your girly :(

My YO is noted on my boys file at the vet as having authority to call them out if she feels its necessary and I know she would make the right decision with the vets guidance if I wasn't there and was unreachable. We have discussed this at length and I am confident she would make the right decision for him-
 
The agreement at our yard is that the horse will be attended immediately by a vet and will be made comfortable until the owner can be contacted. However, If the vet was to arrive and there was nothing they could do except put the horse to sleep then that would be the course of action.

Sorry to hear about your mare, she was very lucky to have such a caring owner who put her welfare before their own emotions; unfortunately many horses aren't this fortunate.
 
Mine has explicit permission to PTS in the event of an injury that there is no hope of recovery from, eg a severely broken bone. They are also aware that I want the PTS option in the event of a severe colic requiring surgery. My vet also has this on record if I am unable to be contacted.

The YO will also has permission to call the vet and get the horse treated if in any doubt at all in the event of an injury.
 
I work on a yard and our livery contracts have a clause written into them giving us the right to call the vet or even PTS if the situation arises and the owner is not able to get to the phone.

There have been several occasions where I have called the vet first and owner second. Our yard is mainly working or full livery though so owners are not around generally.
 
My YO isn't horsey and all the other liveries on the yard have mine and my mums number and know where i live. I would be extremely angry if another livery told the vet to PTS either of my horses regardless of the situation!
Surely the vets have to have the owners permission?
 
montyforever said:
I would be extremely angry if another livery told the vet to PTS either of my horses regardless of the situation!
Surely the vets have to have the owners permission?
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For real? Even if a leg was shattered and swinging? I know I would want my horses needs put before my own.

TBH I would hope a vet could PTS on welfare grounds if necessary regardless if the owner could be contacted or not.
 
Where the owner is not contactable and the horse is suffering I would imagine it would be the vets call rather than anyone elses and would imagine the vet would only pts if they felt it was an immediate necessity.
 
Everyone up the yard know my wishes, I think it is important as really wouldn't want Sparks being kept going waiting for me to OK, if that was the only option.
 
YO and daughter both experienced, part of signed contract us their decision if absolutely terminal injury, illness etc. Am more than happy with this arrangement.
 
montyforever said:
My YO isn't horsey and all the other liveries on the yard have mine and my mums number and know where i live. I would be extremely angry if another livery told the vet to PTS either of my horses regardless of the situation!
Surely the vets have to have the owners permission?
Click to expand...

But what would happen if noone could get hold of you? Who would act on your horse's/your behalf?
 
Nikicb, either me or my mum or my nan would be contactable. I wouldn't mind if one of them had to give their permission. I mean more if they just tried to ring me once and then told the vet to PTS.
 
montyforever said:
Nikicb, either me or my mum or my nan would be contactable. I wouldn't mind if one of them had to give their permission. I mean more if they just tried to ring me once and then told the vet to PTS.
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Fair enough, I only posted this thread because I was very glad I had thought about these things in advance. A bit morbid really, like making wills, but sometimes it helps to be practical. x
 
each horse at the livery yard im on has an info sheet, with all details of owners, vets farriers etc, id written on my sheets.. save the coloured lad if possible, the pony was case of if its going to cost thousands pts.

ok so i know the above is harsh.. but at the end of the day, my vets know me very well, and they would have the ultimate call in what was best for each horse.

not just pts but also on wound care/colic/lameness etc. I do totally 100 % trust my vet to do what he thinks id want as well as what is best.
 
montyforever said:
Nikicb, either me or my mum or my nan would be contactable. I wouldn't mind if one of them had to give their permission. I mean more if they just tried to ring me once and then told the vet to PTS.
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And what if that was the day you & your Mum had just taken your Nan to hospital?
These things need planning.
I have my horses at home and my family, who are not horsey know my wishes if I'm not around or available. A horsey friend is listed with my vet as an authorised person along with my son. I am the authorised person for my friends mare who is at livery half a mile from here fi she cannot be contacted.
In the case of a no hope of recovery injury I would expect the vet to PTS ASAP.
 
Theres only me and my OH so nobody to authorise really. I think its an interesting thread, and one of those things we should think about but sometimes dont.
 
jhoward said:
each horse at the livery yard im on has an info sheet, with all details of owners, vets farriers etc, id written on my sheets.. save the coloured lad if possible, the pony was case of if its going to cost thousands pts.

ok so i know the above is harsh.. but at the end of the day, my vets know me very well, and they would have the ultimate call in what was best for each horse.

not just pts but also on wound care/colic/lameness etc. I do totally 100 % trust my vet to do what he thinks id want as well as what is best.
Click to expand...

I don't think that sounds harsh. Although my mare went through colic surgery once, as she got older I wouldn't have put her through any other surgery (colic or otherwise) and that was reflected in the discussions I had with my friend. I'm not sure I would put my two ponies through it, but they are at home now so the decision is more down to me at the time than having to preplan it. My housesitters/animal sitters are aware of my preferences should I not be contactable.
 
Capriole said:
Theres only me and my OH so nobody to authorise really. I think its an interesting thread, and one of those things we should think about but sometimes dont.
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I think the people that reply will most likely be those that have some sort of plan. I hope that it will at least prompt some that don't have a plan to think about it.
 
Interesting thread. I don't really have a plan in place. My (non horsey) YO has my vet details and has permission to call the vet if he thinks it's necessary and I am not available. YO also has numbers for home, work, daughter and husband so I think I would be able to be contacted in an emergency. Reading this thread makes me think I really ought to have my wishes known should horse have to be pts and also an authorised person to make that decision on my behalf should I not be able to be contacted.
 
When Meg went down with colic it was late. The vet was called first, then Meg's owner, who then rang me, and we both went down together.

Vet is a priority in any case. I, and am sure Meg's owner, trust the YO explicitly and know she'd make the right judgement call if necessary.
 
Yard owners not horsey, but are farmers & have the authority to call my vet if needed. Then a list of 4 other close friends so that there's no chance one of us can't be there. Friends also have permission to act with vet & know my preferences.
I'm sorry to hear about your mare op x
 
My YO has got no clue when it comes to horses - and there are only two of us on the yard currently. YO has got my family's numbers so that if they can't get hold of me they can ring them. My mum is horsey (albeit a bit novicey and rusty these days) so she would be able to make a fairly informed decision on what to do. At the end of the day, my instruction to my mum is that if she ever gets a concerned call, get the vet regardless. Better be safe than sorry.

That's just reminded me, I haven't given OH's number to YO - thanks OP!!! :)
 
our yo supposedly has a form that we have to sign (he appears to have forgotten to mention it to me) giving him permission to phone the vet and PTS if he can't get hold of us.

I've put our vets contact details up in the feed room along with several contact numbers so it's all there if needed.
 
I have over 40 years experience in horses and all my liveries know that I will try to contact them first but then if IMO the vet is needed Iwill call them if I have made contact with the owner or not, same with PTS if in my opinion was in the horse;s best interest:(:(
 
As per a previous post, each horse on our yard has a contact sheet with details re Vet, emergency contacts and expression of wish in case of PTS. Think this is vital and quite basic even on a small yard and particularly where YO is not horsey.
 
One of the 3 of us is always contactable, even in a Emergancy like a hospital trip (yep been there done that and spent a month in hospital!) one of us would have to stay home with my dog as he has severe separation anxiety.
To be honest I wouldn't always expect the other liveries to notice either, my mare spent hours in the field just standing with a leg dangling (wasn't broken luckily) even though another livery decided to say later on that she had been kicked and she hadn't moved since :mad:
 
I could be wrong but i'm sure that regardless of whether someone gives permission in cases where pts is the only humane option the vet can do it anyway. A few years ago a horse on a yard near me broke its leg in the field, no-one could get hold of the owner & vet said she wouldn't wait because it would be cruel. But I did get told that second hand so i'm prepared to be corrected.
 
montyforever said:
My YO isn't horsey and all the other liveries on the yard have mine and my mums number and know where i live. I would be extremely angry if another livery told the vet to PTS either of my horses regardless of the situation!
Surely the vets have to have the owners permission?
Click to expand...


So, if the horse had broken a hind leg, high up, the vet said 'sorry, there's nothing I can do, the only course of action is pts', you'd rather prolong the horse's suffering than ask someone to make a responsible decision, just because you can't get to the phone?
 
Pearlsasinger - I've commented again above ^
Regardless of my opinion there are 2 types of people on my yard, one lot would think of me if they couldnt get hold of me and probably PTS with a broken leg/colic requiring surgery as they know I wouldn't be able to afford it or want to put my horses through it. Other people on the yard would probably send my horses for surgery ect because they thought it was the right thing to do in their opinion .. Hence why I wouldn't trust all the other liveries on my yard!
I don't go on holiday and incredibly rarely go out for the day and ALWAYS have my phone on me. I'm also at the yard alot
 
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