How do you decide when its time to put a horse down?

[Ashley]

I have been pondering this question on the boy I rescued this past summer. I have been haveing a bad bout of the runs with him for the last month or so and nothing seems to work. HE will clear up for a week then start over. I looked at him good this morning. While I think he has gained some weight, I feel he has lost more muscel in his back end(he is not locked in so gets to move around).

I dont want to have him suffer. Ideally I would like to find somebody else to take and try to finish getting the weight on him. I did contact a rescue. I have been feeding him fine, but the reality is with us both not working its hard to be spending lots of money on the horses(hence most all of them are forsale). The rescue is full, and I dont want to keep passing him around to people.

AS it is I am the only one that will go in with him as he is a bit pushy. My son is afraid of him and LOri is now over 6 months along and I dont want her risking anything, especially since its snowy and ice out there. And while I am not afraid of him, he does stumble and am at times worried he could fall on me.

He is old at 27. Dont get me wrong if he could come back I would hang on but I feel like I am fighting a loseing battle with him. HE is being fed.........dont get me wrong, he gets everything he needs, just not sure I am makeing the right choices for him.

 

[Laura]

I go with the "if they are not comfortable and holding condition or improving", I will put them down. We have had to send on many of our old friends in the past 20 years, but I know they go with dignity and compassion. In your case and at his age, I would probably put him down.

 

[Leeana]

Have you tried probios? Pretty cheap at TSC, i think i pay only like $9.99 and my horses get probios 1x a day..i think it helps them use their feed more efficiently and it does help harden up the manure some too.

Wishing you the best of luck, in whatever you decide..

 

[Flatbroke Farms]

Before you start thinking about putting your old one down, I'd suggest taking a look at the teeth if you haven't already. At that age, he's likely worn them down to next to nothing. The reason, I bet, he has the runs is because he's unable to properly chew his food. Therefore, the food isn't being properly digested and it is irritating his digestive tract and intestines. The 'easiest' solution to this problem is to eliminate grass and hay from the horse's diet and substitute soaked alfalfa pellets or hay pellets in addition to soaked pelleted senior feed. A few weeks of that should settle his digestive system and end the runs. But it is a permanent diet and not something you'll be able to take him off of.

Good luck.

 

[TheCaseFamily00]

Such a hard decision to make,one i'v made a few times with my old ones and it's never easy

. When their quality of life,pain ,weight mental wellbeing is gone and your heart tells you you've done all you can is when I say goodbye. I'v had mostly older 20's and 1, 30 year old and they are the best. They were all full size horses and ponies.We did have a pony with weight troubles and bouts of diarrhea and had to withhold grain a few days and give her grass hay only. We'll be thinking of you.

 

[Teresa]

I am facing the same decision but for different reasons....I see that Journeys End is reading....and she is my source of strength as I try to make the decision.

 

[FoRebel]

I have to Ditto Laura. IMO, if he's not comfortable, not holding condition or not improving then I'd put him down... Again JMO. I'd rather see him go with compassion and dignity than to be putting him down when it's almost too late.

I've done it both ways. My arab mare, it was almost too late for her and I regret not putting her down sooner because she did suffer. I just hadn't made the decision sooner because Dr. J was working on finding what was going on with her and how to get it fixed. My TB gelding, he went with dignity and compassion. It was his time and he had told me that it was the end for him. I don't regret not waiting longer to put him down. I think that was probably the best thing that I could've given him at the time that Dr. J came and did it.

Ashley, go talk to him, he'll tell you. I know that in your heart you probably know the answer already. Go with that and don't let anyone make you second guess yourself. HUGS...

 

[Miniv]

I am agreeing with Laura and FoRebel.......Look into his face and in his eyes for the answer. HE will tell you if he's still has that spark of fight in him or not.

 

[Ashley]

He had his teeth done a month prior to us getting him.

He does eat the hay fine as long as its from the square bales and not the round bale. I hate to take hay away as it is cold here and he is a big boy. I do give him the probs that come in a tube, didnt seem to make a difference.

He looks old, tends to look sad at times. BUt he is still very active and talks to me everytime I go out.

I am starting to understand that part about putting horses down and how hard it is.

I will take an updated pic tommorow(hopefully the snow storm is over by then) and post it along with when he first got here and see what you guys think.