when do you call it a day ?

P

PaintboxEDT

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 May 2007
Messages
2,955
Location
southwest
Visit site
my lad has a number of problems in one of his front feet/leg he is on 2 danilon a day but is still not 100% sound without it he is really sore,he is 24 this year and is a big lad,has been a hard working carriage horse all his life,i have been told more or less by the vet that there is nothing more that can be done bar danilon for the rest of his time,my worry is that one of his problems is arthritis in the pedal bone im scared to death that it will crumble so badly that he will be in so much pain,i dont want to let it get that far,so my problem is when is it time to make that call
frown.gif
frown.gif
 
he is only really sound on the flat even the he is walking toe then heel he is uncomfortable walking around the stable ect,ive noticed he has lost his spark a bit as well its just such a hard decisoin to make
frown.gif
 
My deepest sympathies. My 7yo has an old knee fracture and has been on bute for a couple of years, apart from a couple of months in the spring/autumn when the ground is good. He now has gut damage from the bute causing intermittant diarrhoea and is not coping with this weather at all. Today I made the decision to PTS although ironically it will have to wait until the weather improves a bit. It was almost instinctive for me as his condition isn't any worse than it was 3 years ago. Somehow I just feel the time is right for both of us. It's taken a few weeks to get my head round the idea, but I just know. I think he will let you know when the time is right x
 
[ QUOTE ]
he is only really sound on the flat even the he is walking toe then heel he is uncomfortable walking around the stable ect,ive noticed he has lost his spark a bit as well its just such a hard decisoin to make
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Its an awful decision to have to make, if he has lost his spark then that could well be a sign, you know him best,whatever you decide I am sure you will do right by him, all the best and *big hugs* to you x
 
the saying something along these lines ''Better a month to soon than a day to late.''
you know your horse best, ithink if he is field sound on danilon and seems happy enough within himself, theres no reason he cant go on for sometime yet just enjoying his retirement, they do tend to 'let you know' when its time. There was an old mare at last livery yard i was at who was not 100% sound she is 24 i believe she had a broken hip at some point in her life and has compensated so much that now it really shows she worked in a riding school for about 15yrs and before that belonged to gypsies and was very badly treated. she still runs around like a loon and is full of cheek and spirit has a roll, scoffs her feed and just generally seems a very happy old girl that her owner is just happy to let her keep going until she tells her she is no longer happy. its a very hard decision but you will know when to make it. best of luck x
 
I would say the time is right if you don't want him to be in more severe pain, but you know the horse best and you have to put him first in what you decide to do.
 
[ QUOTE ]
My deepest sympathies. My 7yo has an old knee fracture and has been on bute for a couple of years, apart from a couple of months in the spring/autumn when the ground is good. He now has gut damage from the bute causing intermittant diarrhoea and is not coping with this weather at all. Today I made the decision to PTS although ironically it will have to wait until the weather improves a bit. It was almost instinctive for me as his condition isn't any worse than it was 3 years ago. Somehow I just feel the time is right for both of us. It's taken a few weeks to get my head round the idea, but I just know. I think he will let you know when the time is right x

[/ QUOTE ]

that just made me cry,my deepest sympathies to you also and even worse for you in a way as yours is so much younger,im so sorry
frown.gif
 
i think by posting on here you already know its time - dont let others sway your decision. delaying things only makes it harder {hugs}
 
V4V said it.

I am very sorry you are in this position, and it is a horrible one, but console yourself with the knowledge that your horse will not know when the time comes. Let him stick his head in a bucket of forbidden goodies and that is all he will be thinking about.

Quite frankly, and you did ask, if he were mine then I would be making the call today.

Thinking of you.
 
I thought i had to make "the call" this am after an accident - but am glad to say i have not.

I would say dont rush into anything at the moment - this cold weather is making animal and humans alike hunch up and be miserable... so it may just be a bad patch for him, and i am really struggling with my aches and pains in the cold.

I do not know the horse so please dont shoot me down in flames - but if it were my old girl i would try and wait for the spring to see how she feels then (unless of course she was in obvious pain or discomfort).

Whatever you decide - good luck
 
If it was me i would ask the vet outright what he feel the best thing for the horse is. and tell him you won't be offended and you want his honest opinion. i would do the same with the farrier and then make you mind up from there. good luck with your decision it won't be an easy one
frown.gif
 
I would say that only you can decide - perhaps he is happy just mooching about, even with some discomfort? I have a horse who had knee damage from jumping when we bought her. Just wanted her for happy hacking but even that was too much and she has spent the past few years just out in the field on bute and cortaflex. She always appears lame in trot but never looks to be in actual pain and still charges around happily with the others. I hope that she can carry on like this for many years but I imagine that the bute will do something awful to her in the end.
 
As others have said, you know your horse best hun.

I had to make the decision the day I saw that Tiggy could not stale properly, she couldn't get her hind legs sorted out (chronic suspensory ligament damage, both hind legs). She was four years old and I'd owned her almost a year to the day when she was pts. It tore me apart, but I just knew it had to be done and that I was doing it for her - I'd have happily spent the next thirty-odd years just looking at her and looking after her.
 
I think you'll know deep down when it is right and he'll tell you. but that doesn't make the decision any easier. My deepest sympathies go out to you.
 
It's the final thing we can do for them - and also the hardest thing for us to come to terms with - I think deep down you know the time has come - ((HUGS))
Kate x
 
that saying a month to soon ect is spot on for how i feel,he is the big chestnut in my sig,a 17hh chunky horse,if he were a pony and a lot lighter then maybe i would leave him longer but he has all the weight on the front foot,basically he has in the one foot.....sidebone,ringbone,navicular and athritis of the pedal bone,his working life was crazy he was in films,flew all round the world,hundreds of shows,weddings ect,he doesnt deserve to go in pain he has always been sound,so i suppose ive answered my own question ??? i owe him to go whilst he is still happy ish ??
 
Believe me, you'll know, when he's ready to go.

All the horses here are fed up of being in and we are fed up of the drudge, however it's the quality of life at the minute and what you can reasonably expect for the next few months which would be the decider for me.

Suffering for no point (ie a gradual downhill slide from here would probably make me lean towards say goodbye sooner rather than later. Give the horse as pain-free last few days as veterinary science will permit, spoil him even more than you do now and let him go...

An awful time as I have been there, twice.
 
Sorry to hear this, it will be a very hard time for you, you have my sympathy
frown.gif


The only advice I can offer really is that when I used to work in a small animal vets and having to deal with many many owners and their pets in the run up to this difficult time, during and afterwards, most of them just 'knew' when it was right. You will know too. Asking the question is the first step to knowing, how long it takes you to get there depends and you will find out. You may think that you keep changing your mind, agonising over the 'best' time and that you will actively decide any day but in my opinion this is all just part of a process which will eventually dictate its own end. You will know and so sorry for you, its really tough
frown.gif
 
You will know, I didn't believe anyone when they told me when I first found out, but now I've 'lived with it' for a while, I am certain I'll know.

Don't make any rash decisions - obviously with this cold spell, it will make things like this worse.

My rescued chap is an elven year old, with artritic changes going on in all four feet and legs - like your big boy, his pedal bone and navicular bone are literally just crumbling away . He's remedially shod, kept as sound as possible on Danilon and is content enough to be out, harrassing his field friends! The fact that he is still managing to escape out of his field - hopping under and over fencing and generally leading the rest of the herd astray, suggests that he is still enjoying life!


I spent some time coming up with a plan that I was happy with -I have the vet out on a semi-regular basis and he will be x-rayed again in the Summer - I want to know what changes are occuring, not becuase I can do anything about it, but that if there are significantly worse changes, then I'll have him PTS whilst it is nice weather.

Just take each day at a time - I know, in my hearts of hearts, I won't put him through too much else. So I'm just keeping everything crossed, that nothing else breaks with him (we have a nice, little list of problems already!) so that he can continue to cost me a small fortune and a heap load of stress and worry for many years to come!

Keep an eye on him - I now check everything - from whether he's rolling, lying down still at night to how he comes out in the morning and how he comes in from the field in the afternoon ... !

You are doing everything you can, it is heartbreaking situation to be in - but at the end of the day, that's all you can do.

Have lots of hug's - it isn't a very nice situation to be in.
 
Awww Paintbox, thank you. Sounds like we've both got some difficult days ahead. My chap is also a big lad, 16.1hh cob and I think you're right, it does make a difference. I'm not sure it's any harder him being younger, I'm sure it doesn't feel that way to you at the mo. Not that I'd wish this on anyone but it's comforting in a way that someone else has been thinking about this too. There's nothing like making this decision for making you feel totally alone. Will be thinking of you xx
 
thank you everyone for all you help,my vet has said that he wont x-ray as it wont make the prognosis any better,my farrier has said there is nothing more that can be done,the foot is a different shape from the other 3 and no amount of shoeing will help as he said the changes have prob been happening over the last 15 years,he has been unsound on cambers and in trot the whole time ive had him so i think this is the foot giving up,i keep changeing my mind as sometimes he is cheeky ect but i know its only the danilon keeping him going
frown.gif
 
Bless you hun , it does sound like you know your desicion. hugs to you and LindsayH. i know its so very hard. x
 
[ QUOTE ]
Awww Paintbox, thank you. Sounds like we've both got some difficult days ahead. My chap is also a big lad, 16.1hh cob and I think you're right, it does make a difference. I'm not sure it's any harder him being younger, I'm sure it doesn't feel that way to you at the mo. Not that I'd wish this on anyone but it's comforting in a way that someone else has been thinking about this too. There's nothing like making this decision for making you feel totally alone. Will be thinking of you xx

[/ QUOTE ]

i do feel alone you are so rite,it will be one of the hardest things ive ever done in my life and im sure yours to,especially when on the outside they still look ok
frown.gif
 
I think you do know and they let you know too and the fact you've posted this is probably because he's already letting you know. I am all for not giving up on a horse. Our oldie was on 3 legs (literally) this summer and we could not seem to get to the root of the problem and obviously there's only so long you can go on with them in such evident pain. Thankfully for him it just turned out to be a very deep and stubborn abscess and once burst he was sound again and back to normal.

Sadly it does seem that your horse is likely to only get worse and we do have to do what's right at the end of the day. Seeing a horse in obvious pain is not pleasant.

It's a horrible decision to have to make but sadly most of us will have to at some point. I would have a good chat with your vet so you can be reassured about whatever decision you make.
 
thank you,an abscess is what we thought he had and i was so hopeing it was but after 4 months ect there is still no sign of one,nedless to say we found all the other problems,i was rather hoping it was an abscess.

the vet is coming back next week and that is when i will have the chat
frown.gif
frown.gif
 
Big hugs Paintbox, what a horrible decision to have to make and you have all my sympathy. I think it sounds like you're aware 'the time' is close so all I'd say is spoil him like crazy between now and when he crosses the rainbow bridge. x
 
How lucky your boy is having such a thoughtful owner. He's reached a good age and it sounds like he's still enjoying his life at the moment albeit a much quieter life. You know him and I'm sure you'll make the right decision for him when the time is right. (((hugs))) for you both
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top