Why cant people be brave enough to see the bigger picture?

I had to do it 3 weeks ago. I'd had 'Polo' for 24 years, and he was now 33 years old. He was a shire x TB, and the arthritus in his legs was the reason he had to be pts.

I loved him very much, and I had always vowed that I would give him the best life a horse can have, but I wouldn't let him suffer at all, and when the time was right I would do it there and then.

Some people on my yard think I did it too soon I am sure, but they haven't said this to me face to face. However I knew him best, and the vets and myself had been keeping a close eye on him over the previous months, and he'd been on a lot of medication to relieve the pain in his joints for years. His condition slowly deteriorated to the extent where we were unable to keep him comfortable on medication, and I made the decision the day he struggled to walk from the stable to the field.

It was much harder in reality to do than I thought it would be, particularly as he was such a strong character and always very inquisitive, and unless you saw him walk, he looked very healthy, and had a lovely glossy coat and was a good weight.

He had a long, fabulous life with me and he enjoyed every day right up to the last.

(I'm crying again.....)
 
Personally I think vets should be a bit braver about suggesting to owners that they consider PTS. I haven't had to make the decision myself thank goodness. But my friend's husband had this issue with his dog.

The dog was elderly, arthritic, diabetic and incontinent by the end. My friend could see the dog was suffering, heck it was obvious, my husband and I found it quite upsetting to visit and see this dog struggling. But the owner was incredibly attached to the dog and despite his wife suggesting that maybe it was time he wasn't willing to think about it until the vet said they had exhusted every avenue. The dog struggled on for months on bankrupting drugs and was still looking unhappy, there was no chance of a cure, just prolonging life. My friend was really quite angry with the vet for continuing to prescribe ever increasing doses of drugs without stopping to consider whether it would be kinder to put the dog to sleep.

Such a shame.
 
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