Very sorry for the confusion, I used the word improperly. The vet used her thumb and ring finger to forcibly thump/flick the horse in the eye 3x. She did not enucleate the eye.
[QUOTE=meaty ogre;7891664]
No, it was a pluck (not a tap, touch, prod). [/QUOTE]
Still not sure what you mean…saying the same word again is not clarifying.
Pluck equals pulling (pluck feathers for example) to me. Do you mean she pulled the eye out?
One huge disclaimer on shooting a horse: make sure, well beforehand, that you (or another shooter) know exactly WHERE the shot needs to be placed (not “between the eyes”!).
This can be found on the internet; I believe UC Davis used to have a .pdf on it.
I have heard of shootings going wrong because of people not considering the horse’s brain placement.
[QUOTE=fburton;7879869]
This is completely new to me, so I would like to find out more. Is this phenomenon - cancer suppressing tranquillizer action - documented somewhere? Does it also have this effect with barbiturates?[/QUOTE]
Frankly, it is just from personal experience working at a animal shelter. It is something we all know to be true. Barbiturates seem to have a worse effect then the tranquilizer or at least in my experience.
[QUOTE=meaty ogre;7891664]
Very sorry for the confusion, I used the word improperly. The vet used her thumb and ring finger to forcibly thump/flick the horse in the eye 3x. She did not enucleate the eye.[/QUOTE]
The vet was checking for a corneal reflex. It is one of the last reflexes to go after an animal is deceased.
I am NOt going to read all,these posts…what you described is exactly,the reason My vet and I Agree a captive Bolt or a properly,used hand gun is how we do all,our end of life…the chemicals /drugs used Do cause the horse to struggle as it’s body fights to live…I prefer instant ends…
[QUOTE=Laurierace;7874662]
They do sedate them lots of times but that has the side effect of taking longer to “work” often times.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but who cares? I mean, the animals life is ending. It’s not time to worry about a time crunch.
My vet (young female) did a wonderful job euthanizing my elderly mare. She was feeling good that morning and spry so not an issue of being debilitated. My vet heavily sedated my mare (she had a catheter in from her current hospitalization) , HEAVILY, then when she felt she was sedated well, she euthanized her and she dropped like a sack of potatoes. It was perfect. She then cried with me. It was a beautiful end. I thank God daily for caring vets like her.
OP, I am so sorry for your loss. You were a good owner being there for your baby.
Sedating still can cause problems itself, though. Per my vet, drug reactions, while rare, can occur to ANYTHING. There is no guaranteed “Do it this way in this order for all to be peaceful” formula. We wish there were, but there isn’t.
I definitely agree on knowing where/how to shoot. I had at least read those articles and diagrams “just in case it ever happens” well before the night I was actually required to shoot my horse. I wished I’d done even more studying/reading than I had, just to be absolutely overprepared, and I’ve reviewed it a lot more regularly since, but the memory was there when needed. My renderer last time I had a horse put down (chemically, that one peacefully) said that he’s seen some very badly aimed shots, even into other areas entirely. Educate yourself, even if you think you’ll never need to know.
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;7877780]
When I talked to my vet a few years ago, he does not use a deadbolt gun but a handgun. I personally wouldn’t use either rifle or shotgun. You have more that enough lethal force in a well placed handgun shot.
Not even sure I think rifle or shotgun is appropriate if the horse is in a physically violent state and not approachable…[/QUOTE]
Where is the bullet placed to guarantee a quick, clean death? Doesn’t the horse shy away from the gun or the noise? (I guess that could be horse-specific)
[QUOTE=zakattack;7894170]
Where is the bullet placed to guarantee a quick, clean death? Doesn’t the horse shy away from the gun or the noise? (I guess that could be horse-specific)[/QUOTE]
Draw an X from the ears to the eyes then hit the center. Obviously the closer the better as far as the gun is concerned.
[QUOTE=zakattack;7894170]
Where is the bullet placed to guarantee a quick, clean death? Doesn’t the horse shy away from the gun or the noise? (I guess that could be horse-specific)[/QUOTE]
Laurierace explained it perfectly; an line from each eye to opposite ear, forming a “x” with the center being about halfway between the eyes and ears and in the center of the forehead.
By the time you or the horse register the noise of gunfire they are gone. You do have to make sure then don’t duck away from a gun being close to their face. some people with tranq them first, if possible, or give them a bucket of grain to keep them busy and unconcerned.
One caveat; shooting does often result in more muscle movement after the fact. Just like with chemical euthanasia this is nerves firing, not a sign of life.
duplicate post, sorry.
Laurierace and moonovermississippi - thanks for the info
I’ve always heard and believed shooting was a positive alternative to chemical euthanasia but never knew the specifics of the procedure.
I had a rather “active” euthanasia this year as well, but NOTHING like you described. He was sedated first, just took a long time to go down, then thrashing once he was down. But it was all over in a matter of minutes.
I remember once a horse broke down on the track in the morning and the vet went out to put it down. I don’t remember if the horse was already down or if it went down after the injection but it literally took 45 minutes and another vet practice sharing their supply to get his heart to stop beating. The horse was long gone but his heart wasn’t getting the memo.
