Better to be a day to early than a day too late!
At 29 I would say your guy has lived a good long life and there would be no shame in putting him down at this point.
Dalemma
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When my Ex husband and I managed a big farm, our - nonhorsey - boss had a horse that was pushing 40. He never broke a walk, and was always underweight, but still seemed happy. I’m pretty sure he had Cushings, but at his age, we just decided to let him be, with the understanding that if he ever starting hurting, or was unable to get up, lost the will to live etc. The vet would be called. He did eventually start to loose weight, and then one day he laid down, and wad unable to get up. He was put down that day. He lived s good life, and never suffered, so we were st peace with our decision.
Timely thread. I have a 19-year-old mare whose arthritis has been making her farrier appointments increasingly uncomfortable. However, she still gallops in the field, can lie down to roll and pop right back up, and is in otherwise very good health. But those farrier appointments have really made me think long and hard about my plan.
Here’s my take on it, using an example that many here on the thread have mentioned - a horse’s ability to get up. I don’t ever want her to go down and not be able to get up. For me, it would NOT be okay for it to get to that point. I feel that if she’s ever in that situation, I’ve failed her. So it’s my responsibility to look for the more subtle signs of increased difficulty and decreased mobility before it gets to that point, and make sure she’s never in that position. Just my personal thoughts. Everyone has a different tipping point.
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This has been posted many times but here are some of the AAEP gulidelines for euthanasia:
•Is the condition chronic or incurable?
•Does the immediate condition suggest a hopeless prognosis for life?
•Is the horse a hazard to himself or his handlers?
•Will the horse require continuous medication for the relief of pain for the remainder of its life?
Also consider:
•Incurable, progressive disease
•Incurable, transmissible disease
•Chronic lameness
•Inoperable colic
•Foals born with serious defects
•Debilitation in old age
•Severe traumatic injury
•Dangerous behavioral traits
•Undue financial burden of caring for a sick or incapacitated horse
•Undue suffering for any reason
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Try acupuncture. I had a horse with severe ringbone and was getting ready to put him down when a friend recommended acupuncture. I had tried everything known to man to help this horse be pasture sound and nothing worked. The day the vet came, my horse could barely get up. After treatment, the next morning he came galloping across the pasture looking for breakfast. He is not sound enough to ride, but is still a very happy pasture ornament 18 years later, and has the job of teaching all the young horses their manners. He gets maintenance treatments twice a year.
Waiting for a crisis
I must be different.
When I see the handwriting on the wall I do not want to wait for a crisis.
If I were a horse(big if) I feel it would be nice to have a big meal on a beautiful day and be gone, surrounded by the people who love me. Don’t wait for me to break something or be in the agony of colic.
Only an owner can make this choice, but as an owner this is mine.
There are many things worse than being dead.
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This http://endgame-journeys-end.blogspot…-toughest.html
My last horse started dropping weight when he was ready to go. No pain signs, no illness, nothing. Just weight coming off. I too gave him the summer and then let him go. I spent our last month together doing stuff he liked, much of our time spent standing in the hayfield while he munched. Taking tons of nothing much photos and videos. Remembering our journey to that point.
This is important, so I’m going to quote it here so you don’t miss it in all the other information in the blog post
One of my second horse’s final gifts came to me about a month before he was euthanized in October 2009. The euthanasia had been generally planned for several months, and I was doing the usual agonizing even though I knew without a doubt it was the right time (thank you first horse). I finally realized that while the answer to the question “could I keep him going through another winter or several?” is a definite yes, that is the wrong question. The real question needs to be “Should I?” and to that question I must reluctantly answer “no”. He definitely deserves better than being forced to endure life simply because I’m not ready to let him go. I never will be ready.
(((hugs))) It’s a tough decision to make, even if the decision right now is “not time yet” because you know that the question is going to come back again.
I run a retirement farm, so my population averages age 25. Many are far older. Here are the Red Flags that for me say It May Be Time:
B Progressive refusal to eat enough[/B] to prevent dropping weight, only after dental exam/floating/extractions if necessary. Sometimes, once they’re not able to eat hay and grass anymore, they just won’t eat enough bagged stuff no matter what you try. If their body condition score is heading south of a 4, it’s concerning. I won’t allow a horse to cross the line into emaciation. Obviously, pro-active deworming, Senior feed mashes up to 4x/day, alone with time unlimited, etc. go without saying.
B Difficulty getting up from a roll or sleep[/B]. This can run the gamut from mere awkwardness to an inability to rise without assistance. Highly subjective, depending on the season, the horse, why it’s happening, and how he takes it. Thrashing, exhausted struggling type (which we’ve never had) would be much more concerning than one who says, “Yo, need a boost here.” Quite often what’s really happening is they get “cast” in the open because their legs are uphill of their body on even the gentlest slope, exacerbated by slick footing. Piles of shavings or chips placed in pasture or paddock can help. Sometimes, they just sleep very hard and too long and are too stiff from lying on one side. In that case, flip them, give them a minute or two, and then “ask.” I do not side with those who consider occasionally “needing help” an automatic euth–if only because we have had some who needed a “boost” for as much as 7 years on and off but were otherwise healthy. Previcox is a GIFT for these guys!
If they still WANT to get up, help them. But if they lie there and give up and you have to be very coercive, consider “the word” given. Remember I say this living on site and seeing them 24/7 with coverage if I go away. If your horse might be stuck in the sun, snow, or in the presence of predators for hours while you are at work, for you it might be a very different call.
B Severe pain due to DJD.[/B] Most commonly seen with the “big knee.” If the horse can’t be kept comfortable with ordinary meds, (or too much NSAID’s leads to No. 1 above), It’s Time. They will thank you.
B Ataxia.[/B] This is how “The Time” most commonly shows up among my thirty-something crowd. It’s pure old age–vet believes most likely arthritis of the cervical spine. Sometimes cerebral. One day they’re fine, next day they’re fighting to stay on their feet. Since all here are vaccinated for WNV and EE, and none are candidates for EPM treatment at that age, we euthanize because of the danger for handlers and the struggling, exhaustion, and misery for the horse. Once in a blue moon you’ll see a limited response to Banamine or Dex, but 99.9% of the time this is Nature calling an Old One’s name. Don’t wait. Neurological “crashing” is dreadful for all concerned.
Hard to say without seeing him, but your guy doesn’t sound like he’s ready just yet. 
Your BM sees him all day, every day and has the best read on how he’s feeling; your vet is looking at the clinical picture. The final decision, however, always rests with the owner.
Peruse those AAEP Guidelines, and if more than 3 of those criteria apply, you certainly need feel no guilt about doing it. Really wish someone would make that list a Forum “sticky.”
Good Luck!
"Peruse those AAEP Guidelines, and if more than 3 of those criteria apply, you certainly need feel no guilt about doing it. Really wish someone would make that list a Forum “sticky.” "
I dont think it is a “if more than three apply” standard-- I think any one criteria may be weighted to cause a person to let a horse go.
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[QUOTE=omare;7659760]
"Peruse those AAEP Guidelines, and if more than 3 of those criteria apply, you certainly need feel no guilt about doing it. Really wish someone would make that list a Forum “sticky.” "
I dont think it is a “if more than three apply” standard-- I think any one criteria may be weighted to cause a person to let a horse go.[/QUOTE]
Certainly true. It’s just that IME owners tend to weight it on the side of “not letting go.” If 3 or more of those are true, you’re probably fooling yourself that the horse should NOT be put down. I’ve had a few where the owner was in complete, utter denial and the vet and I finally had to TELL them, not ASK them:
“I will give you two options; the horse must either be put down ASAP or if you’re not willing to do that, you can remove him from the premises and do as you will.
But I am not willing to maintain him beyond the point the vet and I agree is humane.”
The flip side, of course, is the owner who wants to put a horse down for financial reasons only, and can’t be bothered to even attempt to place him:
“I’m sorry, but I do not allow healthy, viable horses to be put down on my farm where alternatives exist. If you are committed to doing that, you will have to take him elsewhere to have it done.” My vet’s feeling, also.
These are ALL highly subjective situations, dependent on circumstances. There is NO one-size-fits-all, even with the AAEP Guidelines. They are just that–“guide” lines. At the end of the day, owners have to “cowboy up” and do what’s right.
“They are just that–“guide” lines. At the end of the day, owners have to “cowboy up” and do what’s right.”
You are so right. Last one of my oldsters had trouble getting up so I had to wait for her roll in the morning before leaving for work…when I finally made the decision, that day could not come quick enough, though it broke my heart. As they say better a day too soon than a day too late. I was lucky but I pushed it to the edge …and I know I was lucky.
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I did one Monday noon, so the topic is fresh in my mind.
The “Grateful Dead” aren’t just a BAND. Trust me! :sadsmile:
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OP, in rebuttal to those who are saying, “Try this medication or that alternative therapy”, let me remind you: you’ve told us the horse has “collapsed” his pastern joint/s on his “good side” as a result of unwillingness to weight the “bad side”. The actual word for the condition is a subluxation. It’s a joint that is no longer properly aligned and is exceedingly painful. It cannot and will not fix itself and the usual outcome from an unreduced (surgically repaired) subluxation is a catastrophic full luxation (or “coming apart”) of the strained joint/s. As anyone can imagine, a pastern luxation would be horribly painful and it would result in a three legged lame horse or one that cannot rise, in need of immediate euthanasia. This is NOT just a horse with some bad arthritis. This is a ticking time bomb. A 29 year old ticking time bomb.
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Better a day too early than a day too late.
To me a horse that used to rule the roost and thought running from you in a pasture was a good time and no longer does so says something. It is ultimately your choice but I always choose to euthanize during the good days. No one ever says I euthanized them too early, lots of people feel that they have waited too long.
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Lady E I would ad one more to the list
Not being able to lay down to sleep due to arthritic pain.
That is what happened with my two that I euthanized because of DJD. Neither would lay down to sleep, they got so tired they would fall in their stalls. It was time, I could not fix their issues and I had fears they would fall and break something and then it would be an emergency euthanasia rather than a planned one. I have done both emergency and planned, much prefer the planned.
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[QUOTE=JackieBlue;7660525]
OP, in rebuttal to those who are saying, “Try this medication or that alternative therapy”, let me remind you: you’ve told us the horse has “collapsed” his pastern joint/s on his “good side” as a result of unwillingness to weight the “bad side”. The actual word for the condition is a subluxation. It’s a joint that is no longer properly aligned and is exceedingly painful. It cannot and will not fix itself and the usual outcome from an unreduced (surgically repaired) subluxation is a catastrophic full luxation (or “coming apart”) of the strained joint/s. As anyone can imagine, a pastern luxation would be horribly painful and it would result in a three legged lame horse or one that cannot rise, in need of immediate euthanasia. This is NOT just a horse with some bad arthritis. This is a ticking time bomb. A 29 year old ticking time bomb.[/QUOTE]
I gently agree with JB here… yes, we can always add another medication to their feed, give them another shot, etc. etc. etc. – But the time comes when we must ask ourselves “Purpose? To What End?” 
He doesn’t know that maybe tomorrow he’ll feel a bit better. He only knows now. Let his last Now be one of warm sunshine, a bucket full of yummies and good scritches. :sadsmile:
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What is the vet going to say. He is lame on the left front because of arrthritis.
I am all for euthanasia.
My mom kept my older horse, very arthritic 20 year old TB who I had for 12+ years when I moved states (he wouldn’t of survived the trailer ride)
She was telling me about how he was gimpy and off/on feed. He never properly hydrated himself either. I told her go ahead an euthanize him since he’s just wasting away in pasture, he hated not working… 4 months later I get a call from her saying he coliced, I told her put him down right now. She didn’t listen… about 5 hours after that he coliced again and seized up. I hadn’t seen him in 2+ year and she put the phone up to my horse/on speaker and it was just a traumatic experience.
I still feel guilty, more so the fact I never went back and visited him.
I also wished I pushed harder to have him put to sleep before he got to that being his only option.
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This thread is 5 years old, many poster are not posting anymore if you are expecting replies. My addition her to the ones adding replies just now is to do the call yourself, see it thru with the Vet to make sure the job gets done. You can’t trust other to actually follow thru because of their not being you. Poor horse!
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I agree. I think a horse who is shifting his weight from leg-to-leg trying to find relief, when you are already using pain control is no longer pasture sound.
He sounds like he was a stoic and rugged horse. That’s why he still eats with relish. But why wait until you see “this much horse” finally worn down by unrelenting pain? Why?
ETA: Oops! Didn’t realize this was a zombie thread.
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