What would you do?

[malibu211211]

Hi,
What a question

Just wondered as it is something that is going to happen to my boy eventually and I know what I would do.

If he was ok to carry on working I would maintain him on Bute substitute
If that did'nt work I would have him as a big pet

I would only have him pts if he was in pain

Mali xx

 

[0206558k]

If you can afford to keep him as a pet that is what I'd do x

 

[brightmount]

Difficult to answer as it assumes he wouldn't be in pain if he was kept as a pasture ornament, whereas this may not be the case, especially in the summer when the ground is hard. So you may still need some anti-inflammatory - Bute-X, Devils Claw, Green Lipped Mussels etc. Plus a mobility supplement - Superflex, Cortaflex etc.

We went for option B when faced with this decision, though option C looked very likely at one point, and she has come sound again. We took her barefoot. I would turn him away for a while and you may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[allijudd]

i said b...as long as he isnt in pain...but i do believe that horses should have a good quality of life and if retirement didnt suit then i wouldnt hesitate pts however distressing...

i also have the added bonus of not having land worries but if i was a livery then i would probably be in a different position...

 

[RunToEarth]

Had it happen to one of the oldies before and it worked out, she led a happy life as a big cuddly teddybear. BUT this lady was already 19, so we knew it wasnt going to be ongoing for too much longer, and we were prepared. If it was a 7yo or of similar age I would have to re think. Much as I would love to keep them with me, Im not made of money.

 

[malibu211211]

Hi,
Thankyou

Lynwood, have you used a bute substitute? if so, which one?
Sorry for being nosey but what was the problem? PM me if you do not want to post but would love to hear your experience.
My boy's problem is his coffin joint, he has damaged it somehow (they never found exactly how but there was something on the scan that was a little out of place

) but HA injections into the joint help.....hard ground does'nt though

*Mali starts to do her rain dance*

Thanx again
Mali xx

 

[serena2005]

i said B, as we probably would with our cob who we have had forever, otherwise i would think about sending them to a santuary or something like that

 

[brightmount]

In reply to your question, I have started using Pernamax (green lipped mussels) and although we have had some palatability issues, I think I see a noticeable improvement though it's early days. She has been on Mobifor (vet strength Superflex) for 18 months. The original issue was navicular. I don't see any symptoms of that any more, just a slight arthritic stiffness when the ground is hard.

A horse on our yard had a coffin joint problem and was "retired". Four months later he came sound. A year on he is back doing dressage. Time out really can do its work.

 

[Thistle]

I said work him as the chances are he would still be in pain if just a pet, you just wouldn't notice it as much.

Horses get bored with nothing to do if they have been used to a busy life.

Also I don't mean bute him up to the eyeballs and event him hard. I just mean enough pain releif for him to have a happy and active life.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I think it all depends on the degree of pain & the quality of life the horse has. We also have to consider the reasons we are making the choice of decisions. Are we making them for the benefit of the horse or for our own benefit because we don't want to lose a friend? It is difficult to split the two, sometimes we have to go with what a independent vet says & try & remove the emotion from the decision. Every horse owner will have a decision along these lines to make at some point. We just must be sure we are making the decision for the right reasons. No one wants to make decision 3 but sometimes it's the kindest. I'm glad it's not me having to choose. I wish you well.

 

[MagicMelon]

I'd probably put him on a bute sub. but retire him. Or if he hates that (some get so bored) Id maybe hack him gently just to keep his mind going (IF he enjoyed it).

Id never put a horse to sleep unless the horse was suffering and nothing could be done for him.

 

[Taz975]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it all depends on the degree of pain & the quality of life the horse has.

[/ QUOTE ]
completely agree.

 

[Capriole]

if he takes well to being retired that great - my 19 yr old was retired for four years while i was at uni, he hasnt taken it at all well and is now coming back into work (and loving it) so i dont know what im going to do with him eventaully

 

[AmyMay]

Amymay has been retired because of a soundness issue. She is sound at the moment, but long term will not be up to much work. She doesn't need pain relief at the moment - and is happy mooching in the field. However, if she ever does need pain relief, then I will be more than happy for her to be maintained on 1 - 2 danillon a day. Any more than that and I would call it quits.

She owes me nothing, and I didn't hesitate to 'retire' her when her problem arose. There is no issue surrounding whether she should be put down or not - she shouldn't and won't be until she tells me to.