This is absolutely the hardest decision. However, I think that once you are starting to think about euthanasia, you know what the answer is. Most of us who have been around horses for a number years have experienced waiting too long. If the decline is slow, its easy to convince ourselves all is good.
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I’m very sorry you are facing this horrible decision, Having now been through 2 very different euthanasia experiences with my geldings, I am definitely of the mind that it is never too soon, but it can always be too late. A few years ago, my 32 year-old gelding was went off his feed for a couple days. He had cushings and was awfully picky, so this wasn’t immediately a red flag. He seemed a bit quieter, but was still peeing/pooping (albeit dark and dry, respectively), so I scheduled a vet appointment for him the following afternoon. That morning, I went up to check on him and he was struggling to stay on his feet. When I reached his pen, he went down and never again stood up. I had the vet rush out to the barn. His pulse was weak and his gums were dark. With 3 of us encouraging him to get him, he wouldn’t even lift his neck. He was already in the process of dying, so she gave him pain meds and the euthanasia drug. It took what seemed like forever to pass because his circulatory system was struggling to pump the drug through his body. It was so traumatic. I was racked with a tremendous amount of guilt for not recognizing the signs that he was suffering.
About a month ago, my 34 year-old gelding starting exhibiting similar signs. He went off his feed, didn’t want to leave his shed to go to pasture, and was acting lethargic and in pain. I immediately made a vet appointment for that same day. Blood work was all normal and his heart and lungs sounded good, but he did have internal melanomas. I ultimately decided to euthanize him 4 days later because he was showing no improvement. The “light” in his eyes was gone. He still had his dignity and could walk and enjoyed a few carrots and a little grass, the only two things he still had a little appetite for. My friends and family were all able to say their goodbye’s. The vet sedated him, he gently went down, and then she administered the drug. He was gone within a couple minutes. It was a very peaceful passing. While I miss him tremendously, I am also at peace that he is no longer suffering. His arthritis was getting to the point where I wasn’t sure I wanted to put him through another winter, so he made the decision for me.
It’s never too soon, but it can always be too late.
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My horse was eight days shy of 30, and I’d had him 24 years and half my life at that point.
We had retired him, but kept him going through DSLD and bouts of cellulitis and he was pretty content.
But the staff got there one morning and he’d been down for a while. And it took quite the effort to get him up, if you know what I mean.
I’m sorry the barn staff had to go through that.
I’m sorry he had to go through that.
It was selfish of me not to do it on a sunny fall day without that trauma to everyone.
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I had three 20 somethings, my mare had arthritis in her knees, one gelding had a DDFT injury, and the third had a bad founder 10 years earlier.
Their last winter, on the coldest days, I would find the mare standing off by herself, and the foundered boy, who was very stoic, was foot sore, and anxious. Their last summer, the DDFT boy would not go far from the paddock gate when let into the pasture, because he didn’t want to run back with the others when they got sick of the bugs.
On a nice fall day, my wonderful vet came out. The guy I hired to dig the hole was there and did a great job. My husband and the vet walked the one of the boys out to the back of the field, while I kept his BFF occupied in the barn. He was grazing as he went, and was euthanized and put in the hole with a mouth stuffed full of grass.
I walked my heart horse, his BFF, out next. He had his favorite foods, and walked out with his head in a bucket of grain. He was totally chill as he was euthanized. He was put in the hole next.
My mare was last. She was way to polite to graze on the way out, but had some when we got there. Also very calm and chill.
My vet was practically doing a happy dance, simply because everything went so smoothly, and no one was anxious or afraid. It was by far MUCH less stressful than some of the other horses I have had to put down, where it was a necessity in the moment, and there was no time for planning ahead. A day to early is so much better than a day to late.
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It’s almost never too soon, but it’s often too late. I agonize over this decision every time, as I ought to, but I have never regretted making it. I grieve, sometimes for years, but I have never felt that I made it and implemented it too soon.
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All of your stories and posts have been incredibly helpful and reassuring to me. Thank you everyone, I feel so much better (relieved?) about where my thoughts have been lately. I really needed to hear these.
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I was faced with the reality of making the decision 5 weeks ago. He was 28, a bundle of energy, didn’t look or act his age. His arthritic left knee was getting much worse but we thought he would keep going at least until the cold weather. When the vet said it was time I was sure she was jumping the gun, but scheduled it for a week later. He was getting worse - he was losing flexion. I realised when I watched him from the side and behind that the knee was at the point where it couldn’t control the hoof 100%. It looked like he had stumbled a few times because there were a few dirty rubs on the right.
Our retired vet published a book on euthanasia. It’s about 75 pages. After I read it I chose to have him composted rather than cremated.
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I’m with others that say better a day early than a day too late. Last minute euthanasia is always ugly.
A couple days ago a horse at my barn was euthanized. The past couple of months were horrible. He was getting very thin and looking at him standing in his paddock you could tell he was in a lot of pain even though he was on meds. He stood like he was balancing on a ball.
The barn owner had been talking with the horse owner. She kept trying to get the horse owner to see the reality, this horse was never going to get better, he would only get worse. So why make the poor horse suffer? It was a case of the owner just wouldn’t let go. But the horse went down, was struggling to get up and couldn’t. Vet came and that was finally it.
It sounds like you are now comfortable with a decision. 
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I only have a few bits and pieces to add:
Why not have a conversation with your vet, who knows your horse in real life?
Perhaps xrays would give you clarity. One horse here had ringbone, and the xrays told the owner how bad the situation was, definitively, so she didn’t feel like she was making a guess.
For sure euthanasia can happen too late. But I’ve had a couple of animals who were 15 min. away from being euthanized, who recovered and went on to live years longer. One for 2 years, and the other is going on 4 years and counting. But these were things where there was a hope of recovery; severe arthritis doesn’t have that hope.
Anyway, I urge a conversation with your vet who will know so much more about your horse and his situation than any of us can.
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It’s ok to let him go. From your description, it doesn’t sound like it’s any one thing, it’s a culmination of many things. I let my 29 year old gelding go last April. He had cushings and EOTRH and his happy expression had changed over the years too. He had an absolutely miserable time in our 7-8 month long summers. It wasn’t winter that got him, it was the summer. I boarded and I couldn’t leave him on pasture board over another summer. So I either spend a bunch more money every month to move him back to stall board and keep him going longer or I could let him go. I really struggled with what people may think of my decision, the barn owner, my vet. A lot of people wouldn’t have put this horse down yet.
I talked to my vet and she had zero hesitation about putting him down, she immediately agreed that it was better to let him go before he really went downhill, and we were headed in that direction, even if I moved him into a barn full of air conditioning. I truly do not regret the decision to euthanize. It’s hard but sometimes you just have to do what is best for everyone and that includes you. I’m sorry and I wish you peace, whatever you decide.
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I feel like every day I’m making a hundred little mental calculations about my 28 year old. It’s certainly not her time just yet, but I’m constantly analyzing the situation looking for any changes. Right now, she’s a bit arthritic but still gets around fine without daily meds, teeth are good and she eats well, and she’s been very healthy. I feel like she’s gained a few small mental/behavioral quirks, but nothing concerning as of today. I know her end is somewhat near, but will I be in this heightened state of alert for another month? another 5 years? Who knows. Having literally waited a day too late with a previous pony, I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
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Timely thread.
I just put mine down yesterday.
Generally speaking, she was doing well, if you didn’t see her with the farrier, or watch her get up off the ground in the morning and take the first 50 steps.
But I had to see those things, and those things made her suffer.
Meandering around the paddock or grass pasture at a walk was okay. But the getting up, and bute-ing heavily for farrier day and STILL having her hurt so bad, tipped my decision.
I do admit it was early. Earlier than others I put down. But I felt it was right, and would have to be done eventually. I did not think waiting for her to be miserable ALL of the time was the right answer either.
It’s so hard. I’m so sad.
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I highly recommend this book. It explains a lot and is down to earth, not harsh but not sappy.
I had one old horse cremated last year, the one I had put down this spring is composted. And I think in the future I will definitely do the composting again.
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We have my MIL’s 20 year old mare at our house. She’s had a lifetime of improper care and unfortunately you cannot tell her owner any differently. I manage what I can get away with, but it’s a very weird situation. This past winter was hard on her. She tied up several times, I could barely pull her in or out of her stall some days, she lost a lot of weight and she lost her light. She bounced back eventually, but every year it gets progressively worse. If I had the option to humanely let her move on, I would without a second thought. She’s a sweet mare and it breaks my heart.
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I’m sorry for your loss. It sounds like you did the right thing. hugs.
I struggle with this question regularly. I have a 25 year old who is an old 25. I don’t think now is his time, but he’s definitely on my watch list. His teeth are going and he has days he does struggle. Of course, this morning he spent the first 10 minutes of turn out on his hind legs so today isn’t the day.
I put my mare down at 14. She had lots of health issues and her body was shutting down. People kept giving me ideas as to what to try due to her age, but we’d tried everything and she was declining and there was no way she’d make it through winter (it turned out to be a very harsh winter). While I struggled a lot after, I never regretted the choice I made once. Just missed her terribly.
3 years ago, I lost my 18 year old gelding to colic. It wasn’t his first (he was a chronic case) and it didn’t present like it would be the end, but 24 hours later… I am still haunted by the trauma of seeing him in the amount of pain he was in (he was never a surgical case for multiple reasons) and I never want to go through that again. Ever. (I know I can’t control this)
If I can give my senior a dignified end, even if it’s a day early, I will. My boy has been with me 16 years. I don’t want him unable to eat or unable to get up or in pain. Today isn’t the day, but that day is sooner than I’d like.
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This! I chose the time one day in summer, she was peaceful, trusting, content, no stress for her.
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It is always easier to give advice on this subject when it isn’t my horse I am talking about.
I will be facing this myself in the future with my mare and hope I can do the right thing for her at the right time and not be put in this position by others around me.
His age is irrelevant. It is his body deteriorating and his pain level you need to address when making the call. It is never too soon when the horse is showing obvious signs of daily, significant pain. Pain that affects body condition and attitude is something we shouldn’t ignore.
I think the worst thing to find is a beloved animal that has gone down and when we knew we should have done something sooner so it could be avoided. Their circumstances can literally change overnight and the saying a day too early is better than a day too late is so true.
Forget the advice and opinions of those around you and do what you feel is best for him at the time you choose. It will be an unbelievably hard choice to make but I can promise you will not regret it .
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It is my opinion that there is simply no such thing as “too early” when it comes to compassionate euthanasia. Horses have no sense of time or potential, but they absolutely do feel pain and fear. I’m not sure that I could ever forgive myself if I forced one of mine to endure a terrifying, painful end just so I felt better about making the call.
Somewhere on this forum is my post about euthanizing my first - and heart - horse. He was 21, fat, and sassy. But he was lame enough that he experienced extreme discomfort for farrier appointments - despite high doses of Bute and Xylazine - and would not voluntarily trot in the field. I put him down on a beautiful, sunny October day after a bath, show clip, and “feast”. He was sassy and full of himself to the very end, prancing over to “the spot” at the vet school with full confidence that he was headed to his first horse show in nearly 10 years. All horses should be so lucky.
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When chosen compassionately, you may always wonder if it was “too soon”. But that is so much better than knowing it was “too late” and your horse suffered avoidable pain.
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