when is it right to pts?

jackessex

jackessex

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ok so here is the question,i have a 20 yr old lovely boy whom has been with me and my mum for 16yrs,he has had a fantastic life and has been the best companion you could wish for,but he has had copd since he was about 7(you may have seen prev post)the ventapulmin hes been on isnt touching him any more and he is double breathing with massive heave line and coughing alot,but having said that seems vey bright(this is the kind of horse he is,he loves life)his legs are pretty knackered ie done both deep flexers behind and is now looking a stiff infront aswell :( so what would you do?he is like this even though he is out 24/7 at the mo,i am worried he will not cope when he comes in in the winter as he clearly is having trouble now,so what do think?im not sure i would be happy pumping full of drugs just for him to stand in the field allways feeling he is being left out,so when is the right time "right"??
 
I know exactly how your feeling my horse was 29 and legs were no good no more :( and i always thought how do i know when the time is right - i went down one day and she hadnt paticulary moved overnight and the sparkle in her eyes had gone :( i also had her on all the drugs just for the sake of her standing in the field :( and could tell she wasnt happy....
 
when is it right to pts?


One winter before most people do it. The number of posts I read on here saying "I could see he struggled though last winter so I am going to put him down before the next one" makes me almost scream. The horse should be put to sleep BEFORE it finds a winter difficult, not after.

You already know that he is having trouble now. Put him down now.

Better a month too soon than a day too late.
 
cptrayes said:
when is it right to pts?


One winter before most people do it. The number of posts I read on here saying "I could see he struggled though last winter so I am going to put him down before the next one" makes me almost scream. The horse should be put to sleep BEFORE it finds a winter difficult, not after.

You already know that he is having trouble now. Put him down now.

Better a month too soon than a day too late.
Click to expand...

Ditto this. A horrible decision for us to hae to make, but in the horse's best interests. xx
 
Sounds as though you know the answer if you are asking the question . Ive just gone through this with a 9yo , and Ive got a 34 and a 26 yo but they are still fighting fit !
 
I think you already know the time is right you just need to justify feeling that way, it is perfectly normal to feel like this, i questioned myself over and over when i had my old lad pts, i kept telling myself he was comfortable and happy but i was just kidding myself, no way could he have coped with another winter and looking back at the pictures of him the day we had him PTS i knew i had made the right decision, i still feel guilty from time to time but i just have to have a little word with myself :-)
You will make the right decison, i really feel for you.

all the best x
 
I had to put my 17 year old cat to sleep, my OH pestered me for about 4 months, he was a walking skeleton, (he was always a skinny cat, but just got worse), still happy and friendly but hungry all the time, could not keep any weight(despite me feeding him huge amounts), eventually i did it, it was hard to do and felt terrible...i know i did the right thing.

I got him just after my 1st son was born and they kind of had a connection, if my son cried (when he was a baby), he ran and jumped into the cot with him, (and his brother as well, who sadly we lost in a storm). Very difficult.

But in the end as tough as it is I think it is better to do it a bit too soon, than a bit too late.
 
thanks for all the messages,we have now decided he will be pts,so the hunt are coming on tues as he is not in distress at the mo,so weve got a few days with him,so he is now having plenty to eat(hes nearly allways on a diet)and generally having a big fuss made of him,we wanted hunt to do it as he loved it so much it was only right.thanks again.
 
(((hugs))) for making a courageous decision. The hardest thing to do but I have no doubt the right thing. So sorry for you. Best wishes for a peaceful passing on Tuesday and I hope you have a lovely weekend with him x
 
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