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

Montyforever

Montyforever

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Theres so many horses i know at the moment that need putting down, as their lives arnt worth living but their owners wont make that choice :(

I mean i know when its your own horse and youve got to make that descion its alot harder but still if you truly love your horse you wouldnt wanna see him/her in unmanagable pain.

I used to look after a very very old pony who was still full of beans and happy into his late 30's but then he started going downhill very fast, i would have put him down at this point if it was my choice, so he was happy and not in pain in his last days! But unfortunatly he was allowed to go on like this for months in lots of pain before he got so bad they called a vet and had him pts. :(

So whats everybodys thoughts on putting down before it comes to the point where theres no choice?
 
If you have given them every chance then yes it is time to say goodbye. A friend had her 7yr pts last year very very sad but there was nothing else we could do for him, he was just turning field lame when the decision was made.
 
We always wait a day too long. But as long as it is only a day then we are doing the best and most loving thing we can for our best freinds.
 
It is the hardest decsion & one not to be made lightly. But it should be made selflessly. I too have seen too many old horses give "just another summer/winter/month" delete as applicable by owners who couldn't bear to let them go. there was nothing kind in letting the horse have the extra time, as they always went downhill.
When i called it a day with my 24 years old (whom i had owned for over 20 years) who went downhill quickly over the space of 3 weeks, the vet told me i was very brave & wished he had more responsible owners like me who would make a decsion quickly & in the horses best interests.
 
my beloved horse was put down a month ago. When I asked my vet to come out to take a look at her with the view to putting her down cos she has leg problems his general view was that it was his job to make her better or try to for as long as possible. He said she looked really good for her 26yrs n changed the drugs she was on. Was quite angry as it had taken a lot for me to make that phone call int he first place & he didnt seem to listen. 10 days later i went to check her after work & found her in the field unable to move at all & she was put down the next morning. I feel like if he'd done what i asked we would have been more prepared for her disposal & I wouldnt have gone through the heartache of seeing her unable to come bouncing over to greet me like usual.


RIP Bel.
 
I dont know why people wait until the poor horse has had enough either. We are able to make the decision with our horses to save them from suffering, sadly we are not able to make the same decision with humans. They have to suffer loss of dignity, pain and confusion. To put an end to an animal that has come to the point where quality of life is non existant in my opinion is too late. In animals we can choose the moment, in humans we have no control.
 
I had to make the decision for my wee old guy in april this year. He was diagnosed with squamous cell carcenoma 2 years ago and we had it treated with the cryogenic freezing technique. I said at the time that i wouldn't do anything more invasive if it came back. As soon as i noticed changes again i called the ver. he said it had come back and i made the decision there and then. He was happy and his same old chirpy self. I wanted him to go like that rather than experience pain. The vet reckoned he would start feeling it in the next few days. It broke my heart and my little boys but it was best for Minty.
I got a lovely card from the vet saying that i had made the right decision at the right time and if he was his pony he would have done the same. It made all the difference to me.

I don't understand why anyone would leave it until their animal is suffering, there is no need.
 
I agree with pts before they are too far gone. I think if you know that they are going to deteriorate anyway or have a degenerative condition you are doing them no favours by waiting until suffering is too much to bear. A day of suffering is, in my opinion, a day too long, and I'd rather remember a horse being relatively pain free that have memories imprinted of a painful end. Just today I was told about somebody's old pony that collapsed and took two days to die, why on earth they let it linger for that length of time when they knew what the outcome would be anyway I don't know :(

Of course sometimes horses can take a turn for the worse over a short period of time and accidents can happen at any time, so it isn't always possible to predict when a horse should go, but I like to think I'd be able to know when my horse was fed up of life and give her the final gift we can.
 
chestnuttymare and touchstone

Couldn't agree more. There will always be times where an unforseen incident might cause a horse to suffer while a vet is called, and those gradual declines where quality of life is not an issue one day but a few days later is coming into question. I have had the latter twice and one decline followed very quickly after a real turn for the better which could have continued. To have PTS then would have been preemptive and possibly premature. As it happened, the downturn wasn't catastrophic, merely definite and the pony looked like really, she was ready to go. It still tore my heart out, walking her up for her last nibble in the field and saying goodbye is the hardest thing I ever did. The vet was consulted all the way through and quizzed again that day. He said, having known her for 12 years through all her ups and a few downs, that this was the appropriate course of action and wholly justified. There were things we could have tried but reasonability should be the first question to answer yes to. Was it reasonable to try further treatment - no. Reasonable to leave her - no. Reasonable to thank her for the many years of fun and pleasure she had given everyone, by letting her go before pain was her last memory - absolutely YES.

Can't see to type, now...
 
I can't see to type either and I haven't had a horse pts for years! Funny how even though you know you've done the right thing it still brings you to tears thinking about it. When brighteyes said about the last nibble in the field it really made me think about my boy who was pts in 2001, I made the decision and phoned the vet at 9 o'clock on a Saturday morning. He didn't try to change my mind but said he couldn't do it until 3 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and I sat in the field with my boy in the sun just waiting for the vet, he was looking all black & beautiful and was quietly grazing and so many times I was going to ring the vet & say ' don't come, he is looking fine today' but I knew it had to be done.

When I look back I'm so glad his last few hours were peaceful and happy in the September sun. My vet said he would have done the same if it was his horse & no matter how heartbreaking it was ( and still is) I know I did the right thing.

We have a responsibility to our horses, to all our animals, and we have to step up to that when the time comes.
 
I'm there atm... I'm sitting my A2s, and we made the very selfish decision to keep my lovely old boy going till I'm done, and it won't matter that I'll be distraught. He means the world to me, but he's 26 and he's suddenly seized up. He's not in pain as such, just very stiff, and life is slowly getting a bit too hard. And he looks so well in himself that it feels silly to have him PTS, but I know he won't stand up to ridden work, but is also a horse rapidly goes downhill without being worked- he loves being useful.

Its so hard to see the bigger picture, but sometimes the bigger picture is bigger than just not wanting to say goodbye. I can't screw these exams up. And so an extra month won't hurt him, it won't cure him or kill him, and he still looks ok. Because when he does go, its going to be so hard.
 
I bought a very poor, deformed hind legs from the hock down 9 month old colt in 2004. He was so poor, very thin, full of ringworm and hardly unable to stand. I only bought him to give him his last weeks, months in a nice enviroment because he looked so depressed. I really didnt think thats he would live till christmas as i got him in september. Now standing at 17.2 + hh he is rising seven and full of life. This hind legs are still twisted and deformed but he isnot lame even though he was on the outside of his hooves. The farrier has told me that eventually his pedal bone will drop through his hind hooves. When this happens or when he is unable to walk without any pain i will put him to sleep. At least he had a kind caring home for his life but i would not let him suffer at all. I am prepared for the worst
 
I wouldn't like to see a horse suffer at all or any animal for a matter of fact. This came into play recently when I had to put my hamster down because he was suffering. Now I know that is a different kettle of fish but I still base myself on the matter that a life is not worth living when they are in pain and no longer happy :).
 
Fleabite said:
Better a day too early than a day too late IMHO!
Click to expand...

Absolutely. The same goes for many other pets too, the state of some dogs and cats I have seen is horrific, why make them suffer because you can't face letting them go?
I KNOW it's hard, but it has to be done.
 
Sometimes it is not the owner wanting to be selfish - unfortunatly many vets are becoming too comerical and the animals welfare is being compromised. This is happening at a very large practice by me - i have moved to a fantastic vet - who is helping me with my old girl - as he said last week - sorry this is not about you this is about HER quality of life - if you want her to go now then that is fine - but she is sound of heart and lungs, is bright of the eye and moving well for an arthritic 25 year old - the drugs perscibed are costing me an arm and a leg - but my OH, me and my vet are all in agreement that it is a short term issue - she will probably be gone by end Sept - and i owe her the best day to day life i can give her. She has been on the new drugs for a day - and trust me what a differance to her - she is so much better - in fact you could slap the tack on and take her for a ride - i would not even though she looks better than she has for a good year or so - she is pinging round the field, she is into everything again - she was always a madam and yep £7 a day is a lot - but repaying her is worth it - i can afford it - she is happy - i am happy BUT the vet does a monthly check and he has left me with no dobuts that when she becomes miserable she will be pts. I dont see the changes as much as everyone else does - i am with her 5 hours a day - so you do become a little "blind" to the gradual deteriations.
 
i thought we had almost lost one of the mares on the yard this morning, she's 33 and is kept in at night and out during the day, she struggled to stand up after lying down over night, but all it took was a push and pull from five of us to get her back up and walking about again, we then put her in the field and the old bag was fine, went trotting round the field like she does every morning chasing the other mares away :) she's a fighter thats for sure but when its time for her to go, i know her owner will put the horse over how she feels
 
Fleabite said:
Better a day too early than a day too late IMHO!
Click to expand...


I couldn't agree more. Yes it is a very hard decision to make but one that you should be aware you may need to make even if you do not intend to keep the animal until old age. And if, like us, you always keep them until old age if possible, you must be prepared to make the decision in the animal's best interests. You should also have a plan, so that all the details have already been decided upon.
It really worries me when I hear/read people trying to justify keeping a horse, or any other animal, too long. I'm afraid the animal's needs MUST always come first IMO.
 
As I have two elderly ponies I know that one day I will have to call it a day. It is the one thing that we don't want to think about but saying that I know I would rather do right by them than keep them going for even a second more than is fair.

I must say I am lucky at the moment and my two little ones are fighting fit. I had the vet out a while ago to give them a once over after they had come back off loan and she couldn't believe the condition of them considering their age. I keep a very close eye on them and check them constantly. Knowing my mare as well as I do, after 24 years you start to know them inside out, I will be able to tell when she has had enough.

It breaks my heart to think about having either of them pts but it breaks my heart more to think about them suffering. When the time comes I hope I have the courage to stand by what I believe in and do the right thing instead of clinging on whatever strand of hope there is. I know I get far too attached to animals and I cry like a baby when it comes to even selling one. We thought my boyfriends sisters pony was going to have to be pts at the end of last year and I was strong(ish) and stayed with him the whole time but I don't know if I would have been able to hold it together if he had been pts.

I think I agree with what was said about spending the last day with them, I would want to do that and make sure our last memories are somewhat pleasant ones.
 
Definatley the hardest thing a horse owner will have to do, November last year I had one of my pts and I still miss him every single day.
I know I made the right decision but It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.

R.I.P you will always be very special to me
 
I remember a while back my best friend felt she had left it about 10 days too late. Every single one of those days she wanted the vet to come. But in the end insurance got in the way...

(Fuller story)
Horse went in for an operation because one of his teeth was looking very painful. They thought it was just a standard operation to remove it. Underneath the tooth it turned out there was a vicious cancer which had eaten away at his jawbone. The operation cost them about 5k all in all, which was money they couldn't afford to swallow without the insurance payout.

As soon as they found out the circumstances (the cancer WOULD come back, it was a matter of weeks max...) my friend wanted to have him put down. But when she rung the insurance company, which said that they wouldn't pay until the cancer did come back and if they PTS before then, they were liable to pay everything, including previous care.

For 10 days my friend ensured her beautiful horse had the best care available and the happiest lifestyle possible. He had attention and cuddles constantly, the full paddock, not strip grazed like he was used to, a full bed and generally the best quality of life possible.

IF my friend had been able to put her horse to sleep immediately, she would have done. It was a traumatic experience and IF the money wasn't an issue then they would not have hesitated in having him PTS. For her the bigger picture was 5k of debt when she wasn't even out of school, added onto uni debts and unable to even consider getting another horse, once the scars had started to heal. I for one see what she did as the right thing... even if for others it wasn't!
 
Sadly I have had to make this decision on two occasions, The first was my TB mare who I had gone through hell and back with her, for the first 18 months I had her she broncked me off daily then proceeded to carry on regardless if I was in the way or not. We sorted that and she was the most willing sweetest horse in the end and 10 years later I still get upset about her. I found her one day looking like she had mild colic I called my vet out but things just got worse and worse my vet advised me that she would not make it to leahurst or a low chance, i rightly or wrongly wanted to try and give her every fighting chance. She did make it though the state she was in and for a while after was devastating. I regular had the vet out 2-3 times weekly it was heartbreaking but all of a sudden she picked up
She was back on track when I used to work at the yard and it was a day off I had a call from YO I knew instantly, My poor girl suffered in an unimaginable way that day due to negligence of the vets YO called ranting at the practice. The vet was called at 8.00 am and she was finally PTS at 5.30pm but thats another story.
This time the choice was out of my hands I requested along with the YO to PTS at 11.00 am
Two years later my boy began showing similar symptoms, after some investigation vet advised it was 40-60 chance of him pulling through op this time I opted straight away for him to be PTS in a dignified way. I could of gone with the op but from past experience I could not risk putting him through what I seen my mare go through.
I dont envy anyone who has to make these decisions it is the most toughest thing in the world to do, but for interests of the horse sadly it has to be made, I learnt the hard way.
 
There used to be a horse on my yard who was suffering but his owners kept him alive & in pain for years. The vet told them he needed to be put down so they changed vet!
He eventually got a twisted gut but even then they wouldn't make the decision & insisted on treatment.
By the time the decsion was made to put him down he was nearly dead but they kept on at him by propping him up a staw bales, shouting at him, pouring water in his mouth & trying to drag him to his feet.
But they won't accept that he was dying & complain that the vet didn't try hard enough to save him.
Their lives revolved around caring for this poor old cripped horse, it was more about their need to feel worthwhile than his welfare.
 
Well this is an upsetting thread isn;t it? :( I have two older ones, and one is 29. Looking grand atm, although stiff. Still manages to hurtle around the field like a loon. Looks great though and is obviously feeling good too.

I hope that I can see it when the time comes, and my vet is very very good and is sure to tell me.

I'd say its better a month too early than a day too late personally. But it is so hard in these cases of gradual deterioration isn't it?

I too have seen many equines in a dire state and i really hope no one ever thinks that about my horse, or are at least friend enough to tell me gently.
 
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