My first mare was put down in her 20s because she broke a leg. There was no question about what to do. It sucked, but I was also happy because we didn’t have to deal with her going down hill for years.
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Since you mentioned a genetic component, I hope this might be a ray of hope. If it is EDS or if you have the comorbidity that is common in EDS of Dysautonomia, please look up The Dysautonimia project. Depending on what part of the country you are in, and if you are in or near New York, a) read Dr. Afrin’s book Never Bet Against Occam and b) try to get an appointment with Dr. Afrin and his practice partner Dr. Tania Dempsey.
You did not mention which medication is needed, but I hope you will find a way to obtain it.
For what it’s worth, I have had to euth dogs and horses. It definitely is the final gift of kindness, I hope and pray there will be some glimmering of hope in the future.
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Nope
Making the phone call has always been the hardest part for me for dogs and horses. Once for a dog, I went out to my car at work to make the call and had to sit there for 1/2 hour before I could get up the nerve to do it. Does your vet do appointments by email? I’ve found that’s much easier for me to do than to make that dreaded phone call. If not, I’d just say something like “I think it’s time to euthanize Dobbin”. That should be enough for the receptionist to make the appointment. I doubt you’d be questioned by the vet or anyone at their office for a 30 year old horse, but you could always say you don’t want to put him through another winter at his age.
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“Hello. This is incredibly hard, but I need to send Dobbin on before winter sets in.”
The receptionist will know what you need.
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I have been known to make the call, have the receptionist answer, and promptly burst into tears, unable to get a single word out. My point: they are used to people struggling with this call.
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Nope
He’s old… he’s getting older. He’s not sound to be ridden. You’re at the end of your money. Moving him on to someone else is likely to end badly for him. A move from a place he’s been for so long in the fall is not likely to go well for him. Your two choices at this point is to continue to pay board and know that ever increasing vet bills are coming at some point, or give him a kind end.
I’m not quoting to make you feel bad or pile on, but your guy is 30 and lame. It may be slight but he still has some discomfort. If he hasnt had dental care in 15 years his mouth probably needs some work as well.
I think you should tell your vet what you need. We all know you don’t want to kill your horse but sometimes it’s the kindest thing to do for them. It sucks.
Making that call is horrible. I’ve done it many times for my kitties and I dread it for my other two and my horse.
I’ve read it here many times, better one day early than two days late.
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Can you ask your husband or a friend to call for you?
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When I had my retired pony pts I had my sister do the actual vet call and the pasture owner coordinate with the knacker truck. I attended but stepped outside for the actual moment.
Thing to realize: almost all horses these days end their lives by euthanasia, whether that’s from catastrophic injury or serious colic or extreme old age or degenerative disease. Very few horses die natural deaths and when they do its often ugly. They go down in a field can’t get up starve to death. Or they end up dying in a fit of seizures thrashing around all night. It’s not pretty and it’s not kind, and it’s not good horsemanship to have this kind of traumatic death happen on your watch.
If you didn’t see actual euthanasia or horse death in your riding stable days, and don’t think it happens every day, it’s just that folks are discrete. Every horse that gets a FB post about “going over the Rainbow Bridge” is euthanized. No one posts about the ones that go down in snow and are eaten by coyotes or that get loose and are hot by trucks. Ok every once in a while a performance horse dies suddenly of a heart attack and everyone is shocked horrified in deep grief. But those aren’t peacefully over the RB posts either. More we would like to make a statement about the tragic events etc.
Even if your previous horse experience shielded you from the facts, most well cared for horses and indeed dogs these days end life by humane euth.
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Just for the record, Starman was 27 when he was humanely euthanized at Pollyrich…
@PeregrineHagen I would just like to share my euthenasia story if it will help you.
My Charlie horse was just a grade horse in plain brown wrapper, probably QH. I got him off of Craiglist for free. They said he was 23, but his Galvayn’s groove was gone, so he was at least 28. We had him for 14 wonderful years. At the end he had to eat soaked food, his teeth were so worn down they looked like baby teeth, but I was able to keep him looking like a million bucks. My spidey sense told me that he was having trouble getting up, so I set up a camera in his stall. Sure enough, he was no longer laying down, he would lean against the wall of the stall to sleep.
I knew it was time. The thought of him going down in the pasture on a cold winter day and us not finding him right away was too much to bear. We put him down on a beautiful fall day. My vet of many years was bummed. He knew it was the right thing but he just loved that a horse of that age looked so gorgeous.
Horses do not fear death, and euthanasia is a kindness not all animals receive. It will be the hardest call you make, but it will be the kindest to everyone: You, your husband, Chase. He will be free to run again.
I wish you the best.
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Please don’t give your vet the opportunity to make suggestions. She’s not the owner, and it’s not her money. It’s easy for others to say, do this, try that … but they’re not the ones who are resource-constrained.
When I take on an animal, I promise to do my best through thick and thin. I think you’ve held up your end of the commitment, and I admire you for it. Sending them on isn’t easy. It’s not supposed to be. But sometimes it’s the right answer for us, and for them.
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Have you spoken with your barn owner yet? Perhaps if she is on board, you can make the call together.
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I’ve owned 5 horses who I have had to euthanize because of old age complications (30,27,25 yrs old), strangulating lipoma of small intestine (a very, very horrible colic case of my 15 yr old heart horse) and neurological (8 yr old) I’ve had to euthanize 3 dogs. Those were very heart breaking decisions and calls to my vets but calls that needed to be made. Being part of a good guardian to our animals is being able to let them go so they do not suffer a poor quality of life. Horses are a prey animal and when they are not well they suffer emotionally because their instinct tells them they are at risk of being eaten even when we know this outcome is not true. Call the vet clinic, just say it’s time to have your horse put to sleep. They will understand. The decision is yours and yours alone to make.
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Yes, you can. No, she won’t (or had better not!) He is 30 with issues that do and will require more care than you can provide anymore. That is a perfectly good reason to give him a peaceful passing. There is no rule that says he has to be in misery before you do it. And making him get to that point wouldn’t be fair to him either.
A few years ago, my friend and I were in the same boat with injured 11 year olds that would never be rideable again. She was able to retire hers barefoot to a big field; I couldn’t, so I put mine down. He wasn’t in agony, but there would never be a “better” in his future and it is entirely possible he would have gotten to that point of pain had I sent him elsewhere. I think your guy is in this same category and it isn’t fair to either of you to expect you to carry him further. Like stryder said, you have held up your end of the deal and you have to be fair to yourself, too. I’m so sorry you have to make this call, but I think it is the right one. JINGLES to you both.
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Actually, yes. This is exactly what you do.
When I had my 35+ year old mare put down a few years ago, it was because her arthritis had reached a point where she was no longer comfortable. I had put it off too long, because she was technically either my sister’s, or my ex-brother in law’s. But one day, I realized that I had been taking care of her and paying her bills for almost 10 years, and no one would ever know she was gone, let alone that I had made the decision.
So I called my vet. Despite knowing it was the right thing, the only thing, I could do, I actually hung up when they put me on hold and cried. They called me back. I know this vet’s office well and they know me. So when I said, “I need to make an appointment to have a horse put down,” there were no questions. I explained that she had extensive arthritis, and wasn’t doing well in the summer heat. There were no questions; we made the appointment for that coming Saturday.
When my dad’s dog was failing, and I had finally convinced him the best thing to do was put him to sleep, it was the same situation. I called, and said, “I need to make an appointment to bring in a dog to be put to sleep.” The receptionist asked if it was something that needed to happen quickly; I said yes. We put him to sleep that afternoon.
This really is all you have to do, as awful as it sounds. Vets are used to these calls. This is a regular part of their job. YOU know your horse. They recognize that. If you believe it’s time to let him go, no one will argue with you, least of all your vet.
You simply call the vet’s office and say, “I have an elderly horse; he is permanently lame and losing weight. I do not want to put him through another winter. I need to make an appointment to have him put down.” I promise, they will not argue with you. I wouldn’t ask the vet for options; they will try to find them, as that’s also their job.
I am facing this myself right now with my 30-year old mare. I know I have to put her down before winter, but making the call is hard when she’s still cheerful. But her dam and half-sister both died of colic at about this age, and she has very little body fat, and no teeth left. It’s not fair to her to do anything else. It is HARD to do. I get it. The hardest thing we can ever do. But once you make that call, and the vet comes, I also know that you will feel relief. The anxiety will be over, and the burden of paying for him and worrying about him will also be over.
Or can your husband make the call for you, if you give him the main talking points?
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This…it’s as simple, and as hard as that.
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