Not a nice topic

[Marsha Cassada]

My sister picked up 5 rescue mares last week and one needs to be put down. She knew that when she bought the horse, but assumed she would just take her to the vet and that would be that. She found out the vet no longer has a man who comes by for the animals and the vet cannot dispose of it. That is a big problem for most of us!! How do any of you deal with this? The decision is hard enough, without the extra emotional strain of disposing of the body.

 

[nbark]

We have a backhoe come in and dig a hole for us. It has to be deep enough. You don't say if it is a mini or regular size horse, so I am assuming a big horse.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Around here, now there are two choices. NO LONGER is there a rendering service that you can call to pick up any expired horse, not even for a fee (once upon a time, it was a FREE service...) There are private 'pick-up' services that will come to wherever to pick up the body, transport it to the landfill...the fee isn't cheap(I was quoted $200 for pickup from the in-town vet's office of a large mini, weighing around 375-400 lbs.-it would be more for the service to drive out here to my house, I'm sure--about 30 miles out east of Albuquerque-and even further from the landfill they use, which is miles WEST of Albuquerque. The landfill itself charges a sizeable fee--@$75, last I heard--for a large animal carcass to be disposed of there.

The local pet crematorium will now accept horses, too, but as you might imagine, that is pretty costly.Through the kindness of the staff at my longtime 'in-town' vets' office, I received a reduced fee for the euthanasia, and also, a slightly reduced fee to be able to have my mare cremated, albeit in a group--having one done 'by itself' is quite a lot more costly, and I just couldn't handle the additional cost.(I have ONE mini here that I'll do without food to be able to pay for an individual cremation; all are dear to me, but I have to make some choices.) I could also bury one here--wouldn't ask anyone's permission, would just 'do it'-I have 10 acres--but the cost of hiring a backhoe would be comparable to group cremation, I suspect. The euthanasia was @$55; the group cremation was $175.

I actually prefer the idea of cremation.

Responsible stewardship is not cheap! I would NEVER send an old, infirm, no-longer-useful, etc, horse of ANY size or age to an auction---just can't stand the thought of trying to retrieve a few bucks while almost certainly sending a horse to a cruel end. Circumstances today make doing the right thing ever more costly, however--and if you are a responsible owner,you should be planning ahead to cover such costs--IMO.

A northern CA equine rescue group has recently begun offering reduced-cost euthanasia 'clinic's, and I think that is an idea whose time has come, and one to be emulated elsewhere! It is an unpleasant subject, but one that MUST be faced, headon.

Margo

 

[krissy3]

Even though its illegal in California to bury a horse ...a lot of people do . Its a mini , just dig a big hole in the night , and no one has to know about it . tell the vet you found a service that will dispose of the body, so he will come out and put the horse down. Sorry you are having to deal with this. FYI a lot of cattle ranches bury their cows out on the field all the time ...not all , but I know more than a few that do.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

We have a well and septic system so are not allowed to bury any sort of pet on our property. Unfortunately that "extra emotional strain" of trying to dispose of the horse afterwards is a normal part of things for us here, and one we really hate. Our last big horse died in his stall after he went down with a seizure and we had to leave him there for two or three days while we found a body truck to come remove him. Even then it was our responsiblity to somehow get him out of the stall, across the paddock, through the fence and up front to where the truck could get him. I'll spare you the details of how we accomplished that but it was horrible and we were all quite traumatized by having to treat the body of an old friend that way.

When our previous pony died we simply called the rendering truck the vet had on file and they came and got her while we were all scrupulously not home. The neighbors told us it was awful, very smelly and full of other animals and involving a winch and a lot of indignity. This last time it was a cremation place that sent a small white box truck with a lift gate, and they quietly got the body onto the lift gate then used a pulley to get the body into the clean and empty interior. It was very respectful and as pleasant as such a thing could be. Unfortunately it was also expensive, but when it's your only option you don't have much choice. We did not pay to have him cremated privately so we could get the ashes back.

I do wish I lived somewhere that we could bury our equine friends (or for that matter our dogs and cats) on the property; I would take comfort from knowing they were going back to the earth and being able to decorate their grave markers. Unfortunately we don't so we pay once to have them put down, as much again to have them removed, and pay emotionally every month that massive bill comes in as it reminds us over and over of what we lost.

Losing critters SUCKS.

Leia

Edited to add:

The local pet crematorium will now accept horses, too, but as you might imagine, that is pretty costly.Through the kindness of the staff at my longtime 'in-town' vets' office, I received a reduced fee for the euthanasia, and also, a slightly reduced fee to be able to have my mare cremated, albeit in a group--having one done 'by itself' is quite a lot more costly, and I just couldn't handle the additional cost.(I have ONE mini here that I'll do without food to be able to pay for an individual cremation; all are dear to me, but I have to make some choices.) I could also bury one here--wouldn't ask anyone's permission, would just 'do it'-I have 10 acres--but the cost of hiring a backhoe would be comparable to group cremation, I suspect. The euthanasia was @$55; the group cremation was $175.

Wow. I believe euthanasia here is at least $500 for a horse, and I'm fairly sure removal was the same or more. Don't ask me why euthanasia's that expensive, but it is. Talk about insult to injury!

 

[sedeh]

We used to have a rendering company but that went away. Now it's dig a hole, or pay the $125 to have them bury them in the landfill.....and you have to haul them there. Some people haul the horse to the landfill and the vet meets them there to euthanize. We have one other alternative. There's a place in Cave Junction that has tigers. They'll take your horse and then have a butcher come out and shoot it and butcher it....they can't use drugs.

I know a lot of people have taken this option because it's the cheapest, and to be honest the people that come and butcher are very experienced and make quick clean kills. I have a 36 year old gelding that's starting to have some problems. My neighbor has a backhoe and offered to dig the hole.....but we had to do it in the spring so his backhoe could handle it(our ground is rocky and gets too hard in the summer). Now Joe has a big hole in his pasture.

I told him just 'cause it's there doesn't mean he has to use it anytime soon!

 

[Minimor]

We are able to bury them here. We also have a well and a septic system, but as long as we dig the hole far enough away from the well it isn't a problem. There are laws regarding how deep the hole must be--I think the animal must be 3' below the surface? Usually we make it 6' below the surface. We have a neighbor with a backhoe & he will dig a hole for $50 or $75. The euthanasia itself is a little over $100--that's $70 for the service and $35 for mileage, plus a bit of tax.

I'm not sure what we'd do if it were winter time when we had to dispose of one; there is no longer a rendering service that picks up horses. I believe it's about $1000 for cremation, and then the animal has to be hauled 100 miles to the crematorium; I've never heard that there is any group rate available for horses, even Minis though I know that with small animals that is an option from the local pet cemetary/crematorium.

At one time there were a couple guys who would come and shoot the animal & then take the body to be used for pet food, but they're no longer in business. I was okay with that, those two guys were very experienced with their jobs and knew just where to place the bullet but it's not just anyone I would trust to shoot a horse and kill it clean.

 

[Ashley]

The last horse I had put down wasnt cheap either. Thankfully with the help of a friend on here we got him picked up at another house that cost me alot less! HOwever if they would of came here it would have been between $500 and $600 to put him down and have him picked up.

 

[wildoak]

We don't, to my knowledge, have a cremation service here that will accomodate horses. I know people who bury them at home but somehow when the time came last fall for our old girl I just couldn't handle the logistics of getting a hole dug, having her lay there in the meanwhile, and getting her out to the pasture..... I paid to have her picked up and buried in the landfill - the gal who comes out has a stock trailer with a winch in it, and she is very compassionate. Her fee was about $250 plus the $150 or so I paid the vet.

Jan

 

[osu_barrelracer]

Its expensive around here to do much. You can haul them to the University and they will do everything for about $300.

A lot of times, being on a big farm, we often do the euthanasia ourselves. Either with an overdose in the artery, or we shoot them (which is actually faster (instantaneous) then the overdose (which is what the vet does)), though I wouldn't recommend doing so unless you are a good marksmen and know where to do it.

Usually we will bury them here.

Honestly though it just depends on the horse and the situation. We've taken one to the university before to be cremated (couldn't dig a hole in the middle of winter), had the vet out, and have had situations where we didn't want them to suffer and couldn't get the vet out, and thats usually when you just take care of it.

I remember years ago when I lived in missouri, you could pay a guy $15 to come and pick one up. Not sure what they did with them..but a lot of the cattle farmers used to use them.

Its sad that it has gotten so expensive. Thankfully its not something we deal with often. God knows when it gets to that point, most of us have already spent a small fortune trying to help them, the last thing you want to worry about is the added cost of ending their suffering.

 

[basshorse]

My thoughts and prayers are with your sister.

 

[Charlotte]

This is a very timely subject. Disturbing to read, but a good subject anyway. I appreciate those who have given their experiences as I have learned of a couple of options that might be possible in this area.

Thank you,

Charlotte

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I think we have located a service fairly near us called Hooves Up and I understand they charge $100, but do not know yet what that includes. We will contact them today. I called a backhoe man who charges $150 to dig a hole. He only lives a few miles from me.

Meanwhile, she is among friends. The condition of the feet on this little horse is called knuckling over.

 

[Bess Kelly]

I have a backhoe and can bury on the farm. So far, thankfully, have not had to but it WILL happen. At my old farm, we had a "graveyard". Some of my oldies will eventually be laid to rest here.

Additionally, I have a State lab only 20 miles from me. Any animal can be taken there for necropsy and disposal....$35-50. (what a deal that is!!!!!) Never asked what happens after but, it seems they are group creamated. They are handled with care and concern. Their vets are very, very kind and sympathetic for the horse owners. They know the emotional connection. There is a crematory who will pick up and such, fees were upwards of $250 last time I checked a few yrs ago. (I have no big ones). There is a landfill about 25 miles out where you can take the body and pay a fee. $15 was quoted for a mini. Took a goat there once, $10. There is a large pet cemetary about 50 miles that has been there for years -- well maintained and very nice.

It's a sad thing to think about but, realistically, one many will have to face and we need to know what is available for such issues. I mean, I have found one in the stall dead.....

..... a ruptured blood vessel and she bled out. She had a trip to the lab as I had to know what happened to an otherwise healthy animal who was fine a 11PM, in a stall and at 6AM looked like she had just died in her sleep!!! Fortunately with the minis (I raise mainly the tinies) we can move them with one or two people. Always keep a couple of tarps around, to slide them on, to cover them with. I try to respect them, they deserve that and I want that for them.

 

[Little Indian Acres]

I am sorry to hear about the mare. We took in three rescues last year that were in bad bad condition. One of them so thin that I am sure if I waited a few more days to pick them up, he would have been dead. He is now at a wonderful pet home in Iowa with a very dedicated owner who loves him to pieces, he is now gelded as well of course. I did keep one of the mares, all were AMHA horses but even in their poor condition, it was clear to anyone that the one mare was the only one with any potential of being a show horse or even a horse that should be bred under any circumstances. The other mare has a nice pet home up the street from us on a return contract if they ever want to give her up, and also an agreement that I can repo her if she is ever bred. Almost a year later, the one I kept is a beautiful horse and no one can believe she is that same one. I am glad I was able to help her, we call her Shadow because we kept them loose on the lawn for months so they could get the best grass and she followed us everywhere.

We have only had to bury one horse at our properties here. That was an old burro that sort of came with the farm. While we have 27 acres, there is not really any unused property. Both properties have a good amount of road frontage and not a lot of privacy. It is like 27 acres of visible to the world farm. lol So, when the burro died a friend of ours with a tractor came to pick him up and he was buried at an Amish friends farm. The guys were nice enough to do it while I was gone that day, I am sure it would be hard to watch. And though I cared for the burro and we loved on him etc. since he liked it so much, I am not a donkey kind of person. So, not a big emotional attachment was there, and still it was hard. Some of these horses it would just kill me to go through. My friend that owned the burro offered him $100 to do this, he only accept $40 of it and it was hard to get him to take that much.

Anyway you put it, losing a horse is hard enough before the stress of the carcass removal. I think we are going to have to figure out an area to be a small cemetery because there are horses like my old Egyptian King daughter who will have to either be cremated and remain here or be buried and remain here. As well as several others that I am hoping are much farther from being their time.

 

[LaVern]

I have told this story so many times that I am sure some are sick of it. However, it was probably one of the most traumatic things ever to happen to me in the horse business and it sticks in my mind.

I had an old horse called Babe. She was a good horse and had produced well and never caused any trouble. Well, Babe got very old and she foundered. We kept her comfortable and in a dry lot for quite a few years. Well, finally she was down more than she was up and, Doc said, "that is enough." Now, both Doc and I like using a gun rather than drugs if you have a sure shot.

So I call the backhoe guy thinking she deserved a nice grave. And I told him to make it extra deep. Tommy, the best shot in the family shot her and Hart put her in her grave. I then asked Hart not to fill the grave back in all the way, because I had a plan.

You see with this family of hunters I had three freezers full of deer meat, that no one eats. So after the guys left, I took the pickup and loaded it full of all that deer meat. I then dumped it into the grave and finished filling the hole by hand and packed it down real good.

Well, that night we had a storm to say the least. 17 inches of rain in one night. It was unbelievable for this country. Guess what? UP POPPED Babe and all that deer meat. Babes feet were sticking up and deer meat was floating all over the place.

I remember just dropping to my knees and crying like a baby. Hart came over and made be see that there can be humor in everything I guess, because I even started to laugh. He said, " Ma, I guess it's hard to keep a good horse down."

 

[tea cup]

Hello Marsha, i agree, not a nice topic, but one i have had to face recently with my 28 yr old lady - there is a man in Yukon, Ok that comes out and picks them up - e-mail me and i will give you his contact info - hopefully he can help you. He also has some contacts with OSU, and if they need them ,will take them to them for cadaver animals.

 

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

Have you checked with the county? Our county will come out and bury livestock at no charge. We had to have an old cow buried here, she had been in the family forever...yes I am even sentimental about the cows...I like having Cow Cow buried here.

My deepest sympathy goes out to the lil horse and you and your friend.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I believe that local dairy farms are now composting their dead cows, putting them under a big mulching pile very deep and with lime too I think, it really heats up and over time disintegrates them into ash. If you don't have a place to bury them on a farm, then you might ask your local dairy operation what they do. Can't get anything picked up easily around here any more, not even for money. Years ago there was a tradition to "send the horse to the hounds" and donate your horse to a local fox hound establishment. not an easy topic at all.

 

[MyBarakah]

Well..... what about donating them to a college/university? Some veternarian schools will take horses to use towards science. I know that I've donated a few (big ones) to Iowa St. when they were permanetely lame and to keep them sounds was beyond what I could ever afford.