Ugh, gotta put a horse down

Brokenwrench · May 18, 2009

Just got the call no one wants to get..

Our 25 yr old arab gelding came up lame last thurs. Sent him in this morning for xrays, has a spiral break in his back foot. No chance of recovery. The worst is that this is my 11 yr olds horse, they re pretty much inseperable.

I guess it"s part of having animals, but it makes for a crappy day..

Never was a big fan of arabs, but this guy was just a great all around horse.

James Howell · May 18, 2009

Sorry to hear about your child's horse.

Never easy putting down any of our animals.

Anonymous-0 · May 18, 2009

Been there with my daughters horse a few years ago. It stinks. There are tears then recovery. I think now though she is more able to recognize when such a decision needs to be made and do what needs to be done than she might have been had she not had to go through that experience.

Hoss In ME · May 18, 2009

Testing,So sorry bout your horse. Hoss

Goose · May 18, 2009

It's a sad day when that has to be done.

That was my father's job in the neighborhood when I was a kid. When a critter had to be put down, nobody called a vet back then. They called my father and then took a drive into town or somewhere for awhile. All my father ever used was a .22 rifle. Whether an old horse, an injured cow, or a hog for butchering, he always said imagine an "X" from the ears to the eyes, and aim for the center of the X.

And it hurt him as bad as anyone on the rare occasion when he didn't succeed with the first shot.

Nancy Howell · May 18, 2009

I understand.

I will post this on my horse groups" chat page. Tell you daughter there are lots of horse folks who understand and will hold her in their prayers.

Nancy Howell · May 18, 2009

Sorry for assuming it was your daughter. Your child will have the thoughts and prayers of lots of horse people.

bc · May 18, 2009

Too bad. And you still gotta put him down and bury him unless you spend the bucks to have it done.

We lost another cat and buried it yesterday in the pet cemetery area now turned into a flower garden. It's hard digging in clay. Used the backhoe last year to bury the doberman. I knew a horse vet who owned a backhoe just for burying horses back in his pasture.

I don't know if rendering plants pick them up or not anymore. Seems like the last I heard, you had to pay them to come get your cow or horse.

Gun guru · May 18, 2009

I dont own any farm animals. Never owned a horse.

What happens with the horse corpse afterwards?
Can it be made into animal feed for dogs? I have heard of horses being turned into glue. It sure is a big animal to bury.

I know I sound a bit blunt with my comment but I am curious.

Nancy Howell · May 18, 2009

You can pay the vet to take care of it or hire a backhoe to bury it on your property.

There is a little knoll in the ne corner of our farm where we bury our pets. It has a couple of oaks and a pine tree or two. Its secluded and quiet.

Kirk Grau · May 18, 2009

Around here (South Central PA) you have a few choices. All of them cost a few dollars and may have some emotional baggage to carry.

Rendering plant will pick up the corpse, but might take a few days before they fit it in. Not too bad in the winter, but not very manageable in summer months (~$300).

State Lab will do Necropsy for $150 and dispose of the body, but you have to get the corpse transported to the lab probably an additional $200 or so for me. Would be worse for areas farther from Harrisburg.

Couple of landfills will take the body so there is a guy who does roll-off dumpsters who has a nice set up with basically a short dumpster with a side that opens to slide the body into. (Again ~$300).

Then there is the crematorium. Drop about $1500 and get a nice box back and if you want they will cut the tail off first and give that back as well.

Unfortunately it is illegal to dispose of a corpse by simply burying it here. I don't have a backhoe, but could borrow/rent one to dig a hole. Not sure if the neighbors would say anything or not.

Brokenwrench · May 18, 2009

Thanks all,

Nancy I should've clarified, my 11 yr old is a boy.

His mom just broke the news to him, takin it tough as expected. He knows it's what has to happen, but he doesn t want to have any part of it.

As for the question about what we'll do with the dead horse. I could of had the vet put it down and paid for the rendering truck to pick it up. The side note here is that this is a horse my sister in law rescued about 8 yrs ago, she works for the vet and is the one who took it in to get xrayed. She asked if I would put it down and bury it, rather than have him just hauled away in a truck. So I will dig the hole tonight, and put him in it tomorrow while every ones at school.

The real bummer is when she bought the horse the kill buyers wouldn't even bid on him, he was literally a bag of bones, she had his teeth floated and we helped her get him back in shape. One year later there was no telling he was the same horse. With alot of attention he had become a healthy, lively horse. He was older but in great shape, then he spun around wrong in the pen and that was that...

Dave 2N · May 18, 2009

Broken-

This is the "down" side of having animals. It's particularly tough when a horse has to be put down.

We've had Quarter horses for 40 years and we've put down a few horses over the years. The toughest one was in September of 2007 when we had to put down our 35-1/2 year old grulla mare. She was born on our place, we raised her and trained her and over the years she baysat and 4-H'ed the kids. She was gentle and great to ride anywhere, any time. But-she lost her teeth and all she could eat was soaked beet pulp. Then she developed congestive heart failure.

So--I called the vet and had him and my backhoe guy show up at the same time. Not ashamed to tell you that I cried. She was a great old girl.

But--all of this heartbreak "goes with the territory." You have to remember the good times. And you or your son won't get over this in just a couple of days, either. It's been 1-1/2 years since we put "Honey" down and I'm still seeing her out in the pasture or standing at her stall door to come in to be fed.

Hang in there. Thinking of you.
Dave 2N

Andy in Manteca · May 18, 2009

You might find this interesting...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/23/eveningnews/main4822620.shtml

TomH in PA · May 18, 2009

PETA put a stop to horse meat in the USA.

JML755 · May 18, 2009

Brokenwrench,
Sorry to hear about your loss. But as others have said, it goes with the territory. My daughters have seen their share of bad endings to horses lives at the horse farm where they ride and work. Broken legs, broken necks, etc. But they've also had tears of joy at the birth of many foals and experienced the pleasure and satisfaction of working with these beautiful animals. As many sad tears that have been shed over horses that they dearly loved, there were many more smiles and hugs for those same horses and new ones that they bonded with and I believe they are better people because of those experiences.

Paraphrasing an old saying: "the outside of a horse is the best thing for the inside of a man".

I am sure that years from now, your son will smile fondly at the memory of that horse. My condolences again.

jd b puller · May 18, 2009

(quoted from post at 14:22:41 05/18/09) Just got the call no one wants to get..

Our 25 yr old arab gelding came up lame last thurs. Sent him in this morning for xrays, has a spiral break in his back foot. No chance of recovery. The worst is that this is my 11 yr olds horse, they re pretty much inseperable.

I guess it"s part of having animals, but it makes for a crappy day..

Never was a big fan of arabs, but this guy was just a great all around horse.

Sorry for your loss. Why is it we can put a man on the moon, but if a horse breaks a bone, it's doomed?

GeneMO · May 18, 2009

You know, I would wrap that leg up tight with vet wrap, and try to keep the horse off that leg as much as possible.

I havent't seen an X ray so can't be sure, but what does it hurt to try.

gene

Brokenwrench · May 19, 2009

I have seen the xrays. We've used cold water ice wraps, vet wraps, and epsom salt soaks for the last five days, nothing helps. In a human it would be like a compound fracture filled with broken glass. The bones are so far apart he'll likely absess or die from an infection. Surgery isn t an option, neither is amputaion. This is an old horse, who was badly malnourished for a good part of his life. He looked good and healthy, but already looks tough. The only thing that helped is giving him bute to make him somewhat comfortable.

Wheat Farmer · May 19, 2009

I feel for your family because I have had to put a lot of horses and dogs down over the years, but we need to think about the animals and not ourselves. I hate to see an animal suffer, and they can't do anything about it. There is a great saying that I use for any animal or human. "When love ones become Memories, Memories become love ones". Oh yes I have tears as I write this.

Nancy Howell · May 19, 2009

Brokenwrench is correct. The reason most leg breaks in horses are terminal is that the leg doesn't break when the horse is just walking around. Breaks generally occur when the horse is moving at a fast pace, most frequently a lope or gallop. The break occurs and by time the horse can stop, the ends of the bone have pounded against each other, shattered and there's literally nothing left to heal.

Even if there was a chance, if every single bone fragment was not surgically removed, it will result in an infection.

In those instances, there comes a time when you have to decide if you allow this horse who has been your trusted friend and companion who has willingly carried you where ever when ever and done your bidding, given you hours and hours and hours of pleasure and memories, to continue in pain with virtual no chance of recovery or do you make that hardest of decisions and call the vet.

I understand Brokenwrench's position all too well. My first horse is now 23 and even though I retired her a couple of years ago, I can see age taking it toll. I know that in the not to distant future, I will have to make that decision myself. Thank God I will have Jesus and James to lean on. Just writing this almost more than I can bear.

Ugh, gotta put a horse down

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