What would you do? Sick/Injured horse

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zoeshiloh

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My friend has a young gelding - a 6yo. She took him on as a companion horse, knowing he couldn't ever be ridden. He has arthritis in three legs (was hit by a car and badly injurred as a 2yo) and terrible feet that need to be seen by the farrier every three or four weeks. In winter he has abcesses one after the other all year. He wont stay in a stable - he cribs and weaves and gets very stiff, to the point he cannot move at all first thing.

BUT he is a sweet horse, very affectionate and seems to enjoy life. In the summer he has lots of energy, but in the winter he is permanently on bute. He doesn't hold weight and has to be fed copious amounts.

He is costing my friend a fortune, but she doesn't care about that - he is worth it to her. Then yesterday she came to me and asked if I thought she should finally admit defeat. She has had this lad over 3 years now, and he never seems to gain a pound, he is always lame (in varying degrees) and despite all the supplements and care she is piling into him, his feet never improve. Part of me thinks she should have him PTS - he must be in some pain most of the time. But then I look at him, and think why give up on him, he is such a sweet, good natured horse. I think she is really struggling with this - she loves him so much, and he is so young it seems such a waste. But in 3 years he hasn't picked up at all, despite the best vet treatment, farriery care, feed etc.

I am seeing her tonight, and am tempted to say "give him until the end of summer, then perhaps think about having him PTS".

What do you guys think? Cookies and milk if you got this far.
 
If she is starting to ask that question then deep down she know's what she needs to do. Emotionally it will be difficult but in reality is she going to keep this horse going for the next X number of years? Lucky horse to have had the best in care but also have an owner that is willing to face up to reality.
 
I think she already knows what needs to be done......

I would be saying the same as you - give him a good summer on the grass and then put the poor boy out of his misery - at the end of the day, it can't be much fun for him to be poorly all the time.
 
From speaking to her, I think she wants to have him PTS, but feels like she is letting him down, and that there are other things she could potentially try before making the decision. I know how she feels as I have recently gone through this with a horse of mine too, but we decided that PTS was the best option. Personally I think Tiggs (her horse) never puts weight on because he is in pain, but that is just a theory.
 
Had a similar decision to make with my old TB its heartbreaking to make but there is some comfort when she has made the decision cause watching something you love suffering takes it toll too. It sounds like she has done everything possible to help the poor horse but maybe its time. I think letting it have the summer sounds a nice idea..
 
"Personally I think Tiggs (her horse) never puts weight on because he is in pain, but that is just a theory"

I think you have hit the nail on the head there. Different situation, but for 18 months I struggled to get weight on my horse. Had vet check him over twice in that time. Earlier this year, I moved him to a new yard. When farrier came out 3 weeks later, he couldn't believe the change in him.

It could very well be that Tiggs is in pain and/or very unhappy.
 
If there are other routes she could try before having him PTS, maybe she should try them first just to stop herself from thinking "well I could have done this/what if i had done that" afterwards. If he is in constant pain then I agree with the others, it is best for him to be PTS
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If there are other routes she could try before having him PTS, maybe she should try them first just to stop herself from thinking "well I could have done this/what if i had done that" afterwards. If he is in constant pain then I agree with the others, it is best for him to be PTS
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I completely agree with this. Try all avenues, then if still no improvement pts. He is very young so i would try all i could.
 
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It took over 5 years of TLC to get my girls feet sorted out...it's not something that can always be fixed quickly.

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It's been over three years, and there hasn't even been an improvement. I think she wants to try a few other ideas, but I will print this out and show her tonight.
 
I had a slightly different senario but I have also, like others, been down this road.

I have to agree with the "give him the summer" approach too.

As harsh as it is there comes a time when you do have to draw the line not only for the animal concerned but for yourself too. There always will be an element of "what if" but if you know that you did the best you could with what you had then there is nothing more to be said.

7 months on from having my boy PTS and I still have the "what if's" but I know that i did all I could with what I had and know that I couldn't have done anything else. As harsh as it sounds, without the worry of him, life is a lot lighter and I am now able to do things with my remaining horse that I could only have ever dreamed of
 
Arthritis will never improve, only worsen. Your friend has given this horse good care and love. He doesn't know about tomorrow, or the next day, or next month. He could easily have been put down straight after the accident after all. Pain most certainly does cause horses to lose or fail to gain, weight. I agree with others - let him see out the summer then let him go. Your friend has no reason to feel guilty and she can already see for herself that the writing is on the wall - she just needs trusted friends to agree and support her.
 
What is her vet's (honest and straightest) opinion? He must have seen the poor lad to have issued bute. If the horse is still in pain, the bute isn't really working...
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I'd go with the majority on here, with the one consolation his life has been full of love even if it wasn't enough to make everything OK for him. She does deserve credit for that, but must see it as it really is.
 
Can I just say. . . it is a difficult decision but sounds right to me BUT. . . I have found it incredibly difficult dealing with a horse that I know is going to be PTS. . . every day I was counting down to it, I would not do the 'after the summer thing' I would just wait till she's got her head round the idea. I wish her all the best. . xxx
 
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Arthritis will never improve, only worsen. Your friend has given this horse good care and love. He doesn't know about tomorrow, or the next day, or next month. He could easily have been put down straight after the accident after all. Pain most certainly does cause horses to lose or fail to gain, weight. I agree with others - let him see out the summer then let him go. Your friend has no reason to feel guilty and she can already see for herself that the writing is on the wall - she just needs trusted friends to agree and support her.

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I so agree with this, sad though it will be for her. She gave it her best shot, he couldn't have asked for more so she has no reason to feel guilty IMV.
 
It is always hard to make the final decision and even harder if the horse is young. I know because I've lost 2 younger horses in the last few years, although there wasn't really any decision to make in either of those cases, and we usually keep our horses into old age.
I think your friend is coming to the right decision, let him see the summer out and then spare him another winter of pain and problems. She might like to try getting him some magnet boots for his remaining time, we have found them very effective for stff, arthritic horses.
All credit to your friend for taking this horse on and doing her best for him
 
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