PolarSkye
Well-Known Member
I hope I'm brave enough, soon enough when the time comes . . . my heart will splinter into a million pieces, but I'd rather that than have my Silver Boy suffer needlessly . . .
"When Its Time
Posted on May 3, 2015 by Doctor Ramey in General Information, Medicine, Musings by Dr. Ramey
HorseEyeOne of the hardest decisions that a horse owner will even have to make is deciding when a horses time is over.
I want to talk to you about it.
I want to talk to you about it because all too often, I find that people are afraid of their horses death, afraid of loss, afraid of what theyre going to have to do, and of the decision that theyre going to have to make. They dont want their horse to suffer, they dont want him* to live one minute more if that minute involves suffering, and they dont want to let him go one minute too soon. And I want you to understand, I get it, and itll be OK. Youre going to do the right thing. Youre going to do the right thing by you, and the right thing by your horse.
You have two great gifts that you can give your horse. First, you can give him a wonderful life, full of good food and care, and free of predators, and from exposure to the elements. Second, you can make sure that he never has to endure overwhelming pain and suffering, at least not for long. Ive written a lot about how to take good care of him I thought it was time to write about the end.
HorseTragedyAt the end, you may be confronted with a situation where you really dont have any choice. I had one of those a few weeks back. A beautiful young gelding was out playing, and he playfully jumped up in the air, as horses often do, bringing us a smile in the process. Unfortunately, he came down with his leg through a fence. In trying to get his leg out of the fence, he snapped a bone in his upper arm. And there was nothing to do. No matter how much money was available, it was a fracture that could not have been fixed. The horse had to be put to sleep. It was horrible. It was sad. But there was nothing else to be done. The right thing was obvious; it was a tragedy, and the situation was hopeless. In such circumstances, we cry, we rage, we are sad, we are devastated. But we know the right thing to do.
The situation isnt always that clear cut. Sometimes factors beyond the immediate situation come into play. For example, the cost of care may be too much, or the anticipated outcome may not be good. So, for example, earlier this year I attended a horse that had been given a wonderful home for many years. He was colicking. And it was a bad colic. It was a colic that might have been fixed with a colic surgery. But, sadly, due to economic circumstances, my clients couldnt afford the surgery. They made a very difficult decision to let their old friend go. It was hard, but it was the right thing for them. They had given him a wonderful life, and they didnt want him to suffer. And they didnt want to make themselves suffer, either, by taking on a bill that they couldnt afford. Again, it was a situation where the right decision was clear difficult, for sure but clear. They did the right thing by their horse, and by themselves, too.
I think that the third situation is the hardest. Its the situation where a horse has a chronic problem, or a problem brought on by old age. Maybe he has laminitis that isnt responding well to treatment; maybe hes on a downhill slide just because some of his parts are wearing out. Maybe he has bad knees, or maybe his hips are giving out. Hell have good days, and hell have bad days, but the bad days get more frequent, and they get worse. You have to help him up sometimes and are glad do do so. Hell have a hard time getting up, or getting around, but hell be trying to do his best, because thats what horses do. They do their best. And we love them for that.
old_horseAnd youll worry that one day youll come and find him down, in a corner, and unable to get up, or not able to eat. And youll worry that youll let him go too long, because, really, as much as you dont want the end to come, you dont want to let him go too soon.
And itll be OK.
I dont want to sound glib, or flippant, but itll be OK because your love for your horse will overcome your fear of loss. Youll know. Youll know when its time. Youll know that as much as youre thinking of you, and how bad youre going to feel that its more important that you think of your good friend. It will be a moment of clarity, of great sadness even despair but ultimately, one of peace. And even though it will be a sad moment, and a terrible moment, it will be a moment that youll understand, because as much as you wish it could be otherwise, life does come to an end, and you know that. And because of that, the right time, and the right decision will come to you. I promise.
But it will be hard. It will be hard because all of the love and caring that youve given. And the joy from all of the adventures and competitions and shows and parades that youve shared joy and love and caring that took years and years to build up will come rushing out all at once. And youll feel like someone hit your heart with an anvil, and youll feel like you cant even think of seeing another horse, and you probably wont sleep very well for a good little bit.
But soon, you will start to remember how lucky you both were. And youll find some pictures. And youll start to want to share joys and fun and adventures and love and caring with another lucky horse. And, hopefully, you will. For both of you.
Itll be OK. Youll do the right thing. I promise."
P
"When Its Time
Posted on May 3, 2015 by Doctor Ramey in General Information, Medicine, Musings by Dr. Ramey
HorseEyeOne of the hardest decisions that a horse owner will even have to make is deciding when a horses time is over.
I want to talk to you about it.
I want to talk to you about it because all too often, I find that people are afraid of their horses death, afraid of loss, afraid of what theyre going to have to do, and of the decision that theyre going to have to make. They dont want their horse to suffer, they dont want him* to live one minute more if that minute involves suffering, and they dont want to let him go one minute too soon. And I want you to understand, I get it, and itll be OK. Youre going to do the right thing. Youre going to do the right thing by you, and the right thing by your horse.
You have two great gifts that you can give your horse. First, you can give him a wonderful life, full of good food and care, and free of predators, and from exposure to the elements. Second, you can make sure that he never has to endure overwhelming pain and suffering, at least not for long. Ive written a lot about how to take good care of him I thought it was time to write about the end.
HorseTragedyAt the end, you may be confronted with a situation where you really dont have any choice. I had one of those a few weeks back. A beautiful young gelding was out playing, and he playfully jumped up in the air, as horses often do, bringing us a smile in the process. Unfortunately, he came down with his leg through a fence. In trying to get his leg out of the fence, he snapped a bone in his upper arm. And there was nothing to do. No matter how much money was available, it was a fracture that could not have been fixed. The horse had to be put to sleep. It was horrible. It was sad. But there was nothing else to be done. The right thing was obvious; it was a tragedy, and the situation was hopeless. In such circumstances, we cry, we rage, we are sad, we are devastated. But we know the right thing to do.
The situation isnt always that clear cut. Sometimes factors beyond the immediate situation come into play. For example, the cost of care may be too much, or the anticipated outcome may not be good. So, for example, earlier this year I attended a horse that had been given a wonderful home for many years. He was colicking. And it was a bad colic. It was a colic that might have been fixed with a colic surgery. But, sadly, due to economic circumstances, my clients couldnt afford the surgery. They made a very difficult decision to let their old friend go. It was hard, but it was the right thing for them. They had given him a wonderful life, and they didnt want him to suffer. And they didnt want to make themselves suffer, either, by taking on a bill that they couldnt afford. Again, it was a situation where the right decision was clear difficult, for sure but clear. They did the right thing by their horse, and by themselves, too.
I think that the third situation is the hardest. Its the situation where a horse has a chronic problem, or a problem brought on by old age. Maybe he has laminitis that isnt responding well to treatment; maybe hes on a downhill slide just because some of his parts are wearing out. Maybe he has bad knees, or maybe his hips are giving out. Hell have good days, and hell have bad days, but the bad days get more frequent, and they get worse. You have to help him up sometimes and are glad do do so. Hell have a hard time getting up, or getting around, but hell be trying to do his best, because thats what horses do. They do their best. And we love them for that.
old_horseAnd youll worry that one day youll come and find him down, in a corner, and unable to get up, or not able to eat. And youll worry that youll let him go too long, because, really, as much as you dont want the end to come, you dont want to let him go too soon.
And itll be OK.
I dont want to sound glib, or flippant, but itll be OK because your love for your horse will overcome your fear of loss. Youll know. Youll know when its time. Youll know that as much as youre thinking of you, and how bad youre going to feel that its more important that you think of your good friend. It will be a moment of clarity, of great sadness even despair but ultimately, one of peace. And even though it will be a sad moment, and a terrible moment, it will be a moment that youll understand, because as much as you wish it could be otherwise, life does come to an end, and you know that. And because of that, the right time, and the right decision will come to you. I promise.
But it will be hard. It will be hard because all of the love and caring that youve given. And the joy from all of the adventures and competitions and shows and parades that youve shared joy and love and caring that took years and years to build up will come rushing out all at once. And youll feel like someone hit your heart with an anvil, and youll feel like you cant even think of seeing another horse, and you probably wont sleep very well for a good little bit.
But soon, you will start to remember how lucky you both were. And youll find some pictures. And youll start to want to share joys and fun and adventures and love and caring with another lucky horse. And, hopefully, you will. For both of you.
Itll be OK. Youll do the right thing. I promise."
P
