We have a 28 yr old x-show jumper gelding who has really slowed down these past few weeks. This old guy lived as a show horse his entire life and even as my equitation horse well into his 20s. 3 colic surgeries later, we retired him. He has lymphangitis in his hind leg that blows up about twice a year and is controlled by banamine and smz. Typical old horse, drops a lot of weight in winter but has no trouble gaining in spring. Appetite good and I absolutely love purina Equine senior. We feed all our horses purina senior young or old.
His eyesight is poor but failed gradually and his pasture mate is always by his side.
Unfortunately I feel his mind is younger than his body. In the mornings he can hardly move (stalled over night) and its so sad to see how stiff he is. He has been on a glucosamine supplement for years. I was considering bute daily.
It would be easier for me to euthanize a sick or injured animal but because hes too old??
Anyones experience would help!
Drug him to the gills and see if you can make him comfortable. If not then it’s time. Sorry you are going through this.
Is there anyway he can be on 24/7 turnout?
Age is a progression and sometimes it is a fine line between providing a quality senior life and extending the bad years. For me I really do not care what they look like as I do not think when I am ancient that I will look so great either.
For me as long as they have an opinion is life I am willing to go the extra mile. Meaning if they meet me at the gate or stall door wanting their feed…meaning if when the other horses start clowning around they at least perk up and think about it themselves… meaning if if flies are buzzing around then their tail is swatting. Sure with hard winter bearing down on us I have to decide if a horse is aging so fast or stiff enough that winter will be too much. Or even the case where a horse is not responding to meds such as they should.
Bute…go for it if it mades him comfortable. Many horses take NSAIDs without issue in low to moderate doses over many, many years. If he is intolerate that can be dealt with later. But I have had horses on low doses of bute for many, many years. I also used dex in a couple of horses in the last year of their lives. The steriods helped them greatly…gave them some quality of life back and a last summer/fall to enjoy.
I’d agree to stall him as little as you can. I always bring my old horses into a turnout with free access to a stall if they need or want it.
It is hard watching friends age and the last act of kindness is never an easy choice. I feel for you as I am watching 2 of our horses hit those years now. One is 22 and the other is 23 yrs. Both is great shape and still full of life. But I’ve noticed a few changes. Hooves grow slower, teeth showing afew signs of age and bossiness toward younger horses starting to slack off. I’ll start changing their care as needed and give them the best last years I can.
For all the romance of thinking a horse will “tell you”, IMO it’s the responsibility of a caring and vigilant owner to make the call, even if some mystical sign from the horse is missing.
Doing the very best we can for our horses sometimes means making these tough choices. Yes, sometimes they will “tell you” in obvious ways, but sometims there are no obvious signs and an owner will decide that it is indeed time.
Best of luck.
My old geldings (28 and 30) simply cannot be in a stall all night. They have a really nice shed and stay out 24/7 unless its really nasty, in which case they get some bute or surpass when they must be in.
If I had to stall them every night I would have to put them down–they just get too stiff standing for 10 -14 hours at a time.
Couple of additional points - “when” is sometimes dependent on the care and facilities available; while we’d all like to give the maximum, it’s not always possible. It’s also important to recognize when the horse can no longer keep himself safe.
I had an ApHC gelding for 20 years, after buying him when the owner admitted he was “at least 15 years old.” I trail rode him, the kids learned to ride on him, and he bossed all the animals on the farm (including people). Retired at 25 or 30 or whatever, on our own farm. He had lost sight in one eye mid-20’s, then lost the other 30 or so. Now blind but still bossing the herd, he’d hurt himself every 6 months or so and we’d stitch him up (“How DARE that barn not move out of my way?”). Then the last year we noticed he was no longer dominant, and we put him down when his latest adventure wasn’t healing well.
There’s nothing mystical about what they tell us. I probably waited a year too long, but feel that was better than too soon. I still cried whenn we buried him. I hope I get the same care and respect when my time comes.
Often when you see a noticeable change over a short period of time, that means something internal is wrong. I would try the bute, and if he is that stiff and uncomfortable and doesn’t improve markedly, let him go.
^^^^ This^^^^
Daily bute cannot hurt him but only help him at this age. If you can afford Equioxx that is even better.
I had to put down a 6 year old horse last year and it was heart wrenching trying to make that decision!! HUGS to you!
First off - ((((hugs))))
We finally made the decision for our old mare (30ish) last spring, before the shedding started. She would get down to roll and couldn’t get back up. She was HORRIBLY deformed from arthritis but her owner couldn’t come to grips with letting her go. Her mind, heart and spirit were all intact, but her legs just couldn’t support her anymore.
It took our vet 2-1/2 vials to put her down and I was a mess. She wasn’t ready to go, but the thought of her being cast or out in the field for hours thrashing around was just not an option. On a cool spring morning, she ate all the clover she wanted and we sent her to the bridge.
I hope you have peace, and please know that no one on here that has ever had to make this decision will think badly of you. 
Try the drugs for the summer and re evaluate when it starts getting colder in the fall. At 28, I don’t think worries about long term side effects should keep you from giving him some relief in his last year(s).
Far as keeping him out 24/7? Alot of old show horses like their stalls, it is the routine they lived with for 20+ years and it makes them feel secure. Not to mention how hard a winter can be on one that gets stiff in cold weather.
See how he does. If he gets pain relief and brightens up, no reason he cannot continue on the drugs, may even hold his weight better over the winter because he is more comfortable. If not or if he worsens when it gets cold, you’ll know you did what you could.
Some of them do “tell you” when it is time-they lose all interest in life. They have dull eyes and almost no reaction to anything-they withdraw. Probably because they are in constant pain. Most of the time though, you want to end it before they get that far and that’s the hard part.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;5601616]
Drug him to the gills and see if you can make him comfortable. If not then it’s time. Sorry you are going through this.[/QUOTE]
This:yes: 24/7 turnout if possible. When they are no longer happy to be alive it’s time to let them go. The final act of kindness.
This is good advice.
A couple of other things that I use to make a decision:
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The horse has significant difficulty getting up and down. It’s important to watch for an older horse that doesn’t seem to EVER lay down. This will tell you that the horse won’t lay down because it’s too difficult for it to get back up.
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No matter what you do, you can’t maintain the horse’s weight. Teeth can play a role. When the horse starts to lose interest in food, it’s a downhill ride.
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Daily pain management is okay on an old horse. When that stops working, it’s time to go.
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The horse doesn’t seem to care about its companions, surroundings and life in general. Some will even remove themselves from the herd. They will stand apart and seem to lose interest in being part of the group.
Stiffness wouldn’t be enough to have a horse put down, in my opinion. If after walking around for a bit, he gets better, or a gram of bute a day causes an improvement, I’d just keep an eye on him.
Don’t forget basic prey animal herd behavior in disassociating the herd from a disabled/ill animal that could attract a predator.
Basically some of them will beat the sh*t out of an old or ill horse and shun them. You need to watch for that.
As far as 24/7 turnout, I agree with both – some older horses need to be out, and some older show horses like their stalls. My old guy spent his last winter with everyone else up in their stalls at night, and his stall Dutch door tied back so he could go in and out of the paddock at will. If i kept him in he was too sore, even medicated, so this enabled him to spend most of the time in the comfort of his well-bedded stall at night, while taking the occasional constitutional to loosen his stiff joints. It prolonged his life by about 6 months, I still had to put him down this spring but due to a blood clot, not arthritis. If you can do something like that, it might help him with the stiffness without making him feel like he’s tossed out with only a run-in shed and no soft bed like he is used to.
I’m there with a 35 y.o. TB. Yes, 35!!!
He looks awful but every morning he is the first to nicker and still trots off a few steps when turned out. Even managed a weak double barrell the other day when a loose horse was visiting “his” pony over the fence. We have the space and the summer grass is on it’s way in so I’m going to let him go on his own this summer. He will not see another New England winter. I will put him down mid-Oct. or if he has a significant decline
Where we differ, it seems, is pain. Whatever pain mine is in is either so chronic he’s used to it or doesn’t show too much. If I were you and you have the space. I’d bute (Equiox may be better) him until he goes himself, something else makes the decision for you, his attitude… As soon as you believe his spark is gone put him down. Does he still want to eat, nicker, want to go out, even if it takes a minute to get going?
If he’s stiff after a night in the stall- turn him out 24/7. Arthritic or older stiff horses need to be able to move around, not stand all night. Even better, do you have a way to have his stall door open to a paddock for the night? Mine have run-in stalls to the barn and love it. So did my old pony.
Try a daily dose of bute. Two older horses are on of where I intern and I firmly believe it will help not harm at their age.
Does he still love to come in and be groomed? Nicker for food? Have some spark in his eyes? I would take it as a sign he isn’t ready to let go. but you know your horse best, and you are the ultimate judge.
For me, I would know it was my pony’s time when he no longer nipped, wanted to eat, and had no opinion on anything. My TB- if he lost his slightly crazy side and spark and wasn’t interested in food. As for my Arab gelding- if he no longer cared about his mare Hope. It’s tough, but you know you’re horse. Just remember to continue to treat him like he show horse he is.
It’s a very hard decision to make and hugs to you for having to make it.
I always try to remember that it is better to let them go a week too soon than a day too late.
When your horse can no longer do the things he enjoys (eating, having a good roll in the field, scratching his buddy’s back, etc) then what sort of quality of life will he have? I had to watch an old mare struggle with getting up (sometimes would be down for hours or days at a time) because her owners didn’t want to have to make the decision to let her go with some dignity.
It’s never easy and you’ll never know for sure if you let him go too early, but you will definitely be heartbroken if you let him hang on too long.
hugs Cracker turned 24 this year and is rehabbing from a tendon bow. Otherwise, she seems ok but I’m freaked out about the more than likely inevitable. I had a two year old rescue I had to euthanize in February '09 and that was horrible. I’d only had him four months. I can’t Imagine with a horse I’ve had now for over 10.5 years.
The only concern I’d have with Bute is you said he’s had multiple colic surgeries. I’ve heard about pro/prebiotics being used to make it a little less intense on the stomach. I know horses who have been on Bute with no issue but it’s just something I’d double check with the vet before starting a daily regimen.
Good luck to your old man!
Have you tried him on previcoxx? That is much easier on the stomach than bute.
