Did the euthanasia go wrong?

[RhythmNCruise]

@Equkelly

So sorry for your loss OP. It sounds like you still made the right call and did everything right by your horse. I have heard of one other horse years ago that when the vet went to euth, the horse didn’t go. She just kept taking deep sighs and then you’d think that was it but then another deep sigh and this went on for a good 15 minutes. I don’t remember what the vet said the cause was. In any case, I’m so sorry what happened to you. That sounds traumatic but you still made the right call.

My horse did something similar. He had broken his right hind leg terribly in several places, and my vet didn’t want to tranq him because she knew he’d struggle and fall the way his leg was (it was horrible). She knew how much I loved the horse (he was 22 and I’d watched him being born…love of my life), so she sternly sent me away because she knew that he might not go down easily…he was very healthy except for the leg. So, I went into the barn and cried with my parents. My dad eventually looked out and said, “He’s down.” I waited a minute, then looked out and the vet was checking for a heartbeat. She called to me and said I could come out.

As I had just taken hold of his halter to remove it from his head, he gave one of those big sighs. Scared the hell out of me. He did another one almost immediately and then was quiet. The vet was so apologetic. Said she didn’t expect it because he actually went down really easily. But she said it’s a reflex, that the lungs are still attempting to do their job.

@Grey I am so terribly sorry about the loss of your boy, and especially how traumatic it was. Horses are big animals with very strong survival instincts, so while it may not be common for such a reaction, it’s certainly not unheard of. I doubt your horse was really conscious of what was happening, and it was almost certainly much more traumatic for you than for him. Don’t beat yourself up. You made one of the toughest choices we have to make as horse owners, and it was the right choice. He’s at peace now and feeling no pain.

ETA: Not sure if this will help…but think about chickens running around after their heads are chopped off. It’s because their nervous systems and physical reflexes are still operating even though their brains are no longer attacked to their bodies. In the case of a horse still “running around” and physically flailing during euthanasia, it might be similar? His brain had probably checked out, which means he wasn’t mentally aware of what his body was doing. I know it’s still traumatizing to have seen, but I think it’s easier to handle if it’s just physical reflexes taking over, not the horse mentally fighting the situation.

[Equkelly]

@RhythmNCruise

My horse did something similar. He had broken his right hind leg terribly in several places, and my vet didn’t want to tranq him because she knew he’d struggle and fall the way his leg was (it was horrible). She knew how much I loved the horse (he was 22 and I’d watched him being born…love of my life), so she sternly sent me away because she knew that he might not go down easily…he was very healthy except for the leg. So, I went into the barn and cried with my parents. My dad eventually looked out and said, “He’s down.” I waited a minute, then looked out and the vet was checking for a heartbeat. She called to me and said I could come out.

As I had just taken hold of his halter to remove it from his head, he gave one of those big sighs. Scared the hell out of me. He did another one almost immediately and then was quiet. The vet was so apologetic. Said she didn’t expect it because he actually went down really easily. But she said it’s a reflex, that the lungs are still attempting to do their job.

@Grey I am so terribly sorry about the loss of your boy, and especially how traumatic it was. Horses are big animals with very strong survival instincts, so while it may not be common for such a reaction, it’s certainly not unheard of. I doubt your horse was really conscious of what was happening, and it was almost certainly much more traumatic for you than for him. Don’t beat yourself up. You made one of the toughest choices we have to make as horse owners, and it was the right choice. He’s at peace now and feeling no pain.

That’s awful, I’m so sorry to hear that. Yea I’ve seen plenty of horses have the reflux thing but this was different. The horse just wouldn’t go. She was standing the whole time and breathing and had a pulse. She just would not go, even the vet said that’s the first time he’s ever seen that.

[Zu_Zu]

just ((hugs)) ~ I’m sorry for your loss ~

[TheHunterKid90]

I’m so sorry you had to witness that trauma. Hugs to you. Euthanasia is never easy but that is horrifying.

As far as that being typical, my vet always heavily sedates mine, to the point that they are barely standing, then euthanizes them. They all have gone very peacefully and just sort of laid down.
I’m sure things can always go out of the ordinary or “wrong” but I find it very strange that your vet didn’t sedate him at all before euthanizing.

[carman_liz]

OP I am so sorry for your loss first of all, and for what you had to go through witnessing all that. I am sure Blue was unable to feel anything by then and it was as others have said, the circulatory system and nerves just doing their thing. Know that he is out of pain now and you made the right choice. You never know how an animal could react to medication, try to concentrate on your good memories of him and the fact that you made the right choice.

My mare was already drugged with ace twice while we waited for the vet to come when I made the choice. She was the first animal I had ever, not even my dogs, so first ever ever, seen pts. Reading these responses and the girls at the barn telling me it went better than most euths, makes me value the use of sedatives even more. She went in my lap, did that big sigh and scared the heck out of me, vet told me it was normal but she was already gone.

Talk to someone if you need to, talk to us, talk to your vet, talk to a counselor, grief counseling is not just for human loss, and we are all here for you as well. The hugest of hugs, glasses of wine, and jingles to you!!!

[walktrot]

I’m so sorry for your loss and that it was so difficult for your horse. I was at the barn on Sunday and we had to put a school horse down due to a broken elbow from a kick.

We had a new vet because our former vet retired a few months ago at age 79. He used two shots and sometimes something will go wrong. The new vet used a sedative first and the mare went down without difficulty. The BO stroked her head and then the vet gave her the second shot. It was quiet and peaceful.

Many years ago someone on this forum posted about spreading hay in the grave. On Sunday the mare was in the back end of the indoor where some square bales are stacked. She was hungry and eating hay and standing in it up to her knees. Going down on the bed of hay made a huge difference compared to bare ground. The BO made numerous little swatches of mane and tail hair. The teenagers who found her stayed. One of them had taken her first lesson on the mare and they took home a swatch of hay. I haven’t seen many horses euthanized but this felt softer and was less traumatic.

Julie Goodnight, the trainer, has the best article I’ve read. It’s on her website under free articles, titled Dealing with the Death of a Horse. Her horse collapsed and died in the arena. I read it from time to time and it helps.

[cripplecreekfrm]

I am so sorry for your loss. I just put my mare down the end of April so I know what you are going through. My vet always gives a dose of the sedative she uses to lay down stallions when she is gelding them before the actual euthanasia drug to get them to lay down on first. That way they aren’t staggering around and struggling.

[Laurierace]

That must have been heartbreaking to witness, I am so sorry you both had to go through that. There is a good chance he wasn’t really aware through most, if not all of it and was reacting involuntarily but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch. As to why it happened, we will never know but it is very unusual thankfully. It seems like it happens more often when a horse has compromised circulation system. He is at rest now and that is a gift regardless of how he got to that point. Godspeed.

[2DogsFarm]

@Grey I just read your tribute to Blue & saw your pics.
He was a handsome guy & his Sweetness shines in the pic of you snuggling.

Never say never about replacing him.
“Replace” is not really the right word. :no:
Like my Vern, there will never be another exactly the same.
But Blue, like Vern, set the bar pretty high for those that followed.
Each successor proved themselves in their own way & while they were never the same, each earned their own place in my heart.

[candyappy]

Well that was an awful experience. So sorry you had to witness that. Sometimes it just does not go as planned. like others have said the animal isn’t aware or suffering when that happens.

[glitterless]

I’m so sorry for your loss, Grey. The photos of you and Blue are beautiful. Try to treasure your good memories and like others said, Blue likely wasn’t aware of what was happening at the end. I hope that in time you can move on and enjoy horses again.

[caryledee]

I’m so sorry Grey. I’ve been boarding with the same group of friends for about 15 years now. We’ve lost quite a few horses over those years as all of us had older horses. The last horse to go was the first one that had a bad reaction to the drugs. It is unsettling to see for sure. Blue was a beautiful boy and very lucky to have you as his owner.

[leesa1]

I have unfortunately had one go in a similar way. My horse was given the drug and when his body seemed to realise what was happening, he reared up and went over backwards, and then hit the ground with a hard thud. The vet said he would have been gone before he hit the ground but I don’t know, I just hope so as he hit his head very hard.

It was absolutely devastating and to be honest with you, it doesn’t really ever get any easier.
The memory of it… the visual of it… the emotions you feel about it… it will stay with you for the rest of your life and will all come flooding back when you think about it. All of it, every detail about it. I remember the sickening sound of the thud, the way he was panicking, the temperature that night, the moon in the sky, the awkward way he landed and how I felt like I’d failed him. It’s still a trauma and your body will treat it as a trauma.

I can only suggest that you acknowledge it and if possible try and talk to a professional about it so that you can learn to deal with it in a healthy way. Thinking that it’s okay and will get better over time… sometimes it just doesn’t.

[BravAddict]

I am so, so sorry for your loss and the terrible scene you witnessed. Your description moved me to tears. I can’t imagine how horrible the past few weeks have been for you, and I hope the responses here have helped you. Your horse isn’t suffering anymore and you took on a big burden to free him.

There was a similar post from someone who had lost a dog in a similar fashion, and I’ll share what I wrote at the time:

[B]It is accepted practice to sedate animals before administering the barbiturate drug that actually ends the animal’s life. A side effect of the barbiturate is involuntary thrashing and vocalizing, which must be so upsetting to watch but does NOT mean that the animal is in pain.

Please know that your poor [horse] was just experiencing a side-effect of the euthanasia drug. His thrashing was totally involuntary and did not mean that he was in pain or trying not to die. He was not fighting it. Perhaps someone with more knowledge on how barbiturates work can comment on how they cause this thrashing, but I believe it’s just because it affects the nervous system and nerves are firing randomly.[/B]

From the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Euthanasia Guidelines:
“S1.8.1 Individual Animals in Presence of Owners: Pre-euthanasia sedation or anesthesia should be provided whenever practicable, either before or after the owner(s) has had the opportunity to spend some final moments with his or her pet. Once the animal is calm, either direct venipuncture or use of an IV catheter is acceptable for IV injection of the euthanizing agent. Use of an IV catheter prevents repeat injections and minimizes the need for restraint while pet owners are present. When circulation is compromised by the animal’s condition and sedation or anesthesia may reduce the likelihood of successful injection, it may be necessary to proceed with IV injection in the awake animal, or another route of administration of euthanizing agent might be considered. Alternatively, general anesthesia may be induced, followed by administration of a euthanasia agent.”

It’s clear from reading the responses here that there are differing approaches, but the sedation step is recommended precisely to prevent what you experienced.