Opinion Piece - When It’s Time to Say Goodbye
I wanted to write about a difficult topic this month, partly because unfortunately I have had to have the euthanasia conversation with a few clients recently about their beloved older horses, but also because I think it is something we probably don’t talk about “ahead of time” enough.
I have euthanised four of my own horses across my lifetime of owning horses. When I was 16 years old my horse Shyloh sustained a severe wire laceration over his stifle. My parents allowed me to be the one to make the decision to euthanise him, or to pursue expensive medical treatment with a guarded prognosis of being able to save him.
I made the decision to put him to sleep, and it was at that moment that I actually decided I wanted to be a vet, because I thought if I could make that decision for my own horse, then I could help others to make that difficult decision when it came time for their own horses.
Since then, I have had to make the decision to euthanise my beloved companions a few times, whether due to freak accidents, to end suffering from laminitis, or due to chronic disease that would only worsen with time. None of those euthanasias were easy for me, but they were all the right thing for the horse.
What does euthanasia mean?
Euthanasia comes from the Greek words “eu” and “thanos,” meaning a “good death.” In my eyes, it is one of the greatest privileges that we are able to perform euthanasia as veterinarians, giving the animals we care so much for a good death, where they can be laid to rest comfortably, peacefully and in the care of those who love them.
Euthanasia in horses when performed by a veterinarian usually involves a form of chemical euthanasia, whereby the horse is fully anaesthetised before medications are adminstered to stop their vital organs from functioning (depending on the method used, this is usually via stopping their heart or the brain function.)
Why do I encourage owners to pre-plan for euthanasia?
I always encourage horse owners to have a pre-decided care plan for their horses before anything goes wrong. It is important to sit down and consider your financial position/time availability/intended purpose of the horse etc. in the event of something “going wrong.” I often think of it as an “if this, then that” plan.
For example, if your horse sustains a wire laceration that will render them unsound for riding for life, would you pursue medical treatment and keep them as a companion/pasture pet, or would you humanely euthanise them?
Another common scenario is the horse that requires colic surgery. It is important to consider if you can spend $10-15,000 to put your horse through surgery and months of rehabilitation (not including the possibility of complications of surgery such as infections, adhesions or laminitis), or whether you would euthanise.
I think it is really important for owners to have planned for these hypotheticals ahead of time, as in the heat of the moment it is so hard to keep a clear head, and your emotions will overwhelm your ability to think clearly and rationally. If you have already pre-planned for what you will do should these situations arise, it takes some of the distress out of making the decision of whether or not to euthanise.
If you do find yourself in a situation where you haven’t pre-planned, I find it is best to ask yourself the following question, which despite being uncomfortable, is often the best way to reach clarity about the decision to euthanise:
“Are you keeping them alive for them, or for you?”
What are some key reasons to consider euthanising your horse?
Pain
This will always be my number one reason to euthanise. If your horse is experiencing moderate to severe pain, and their pain is not able to be controlled (i.e. they are already receiving every possible medication/veterinary intervention and they are still experiencing pain), then this is an absolute indicator for euthanasia.
Provision of basic care is impeded
If your horse can no longer comfortably receive basic care (i.e. feet trimmed, dental treatment) then this is a really easy way to know that it might be time to say goodbye.
In some cases, by getting your veterinarian involved in the care of your horse, we can implement treatments that allow basic care to continue to be provided e.g. prescribing pain relief medications safe for long-term use can help horses suffering with arthritis pain to be comfortable enough to have their feet trimmed.
If you are already implementing these options and your horse can no longer receive basic care, then it is time to put them to sleep.
Basic function is impeded
This is a really simple yes/no way of deciding if it might be time to euthanise your horse. Basic functions include eating, drinking, urinating, defecating, moving around with ease, and lying down/getting up successfully. Euthanasia should be considered if your horse is:
Losing weight (having difficulty eating resulting in loss of condition, especially if dietary modifications are already in place e.g. geriatric diets)
Having difficulty moving around (lameness showing up at walk or severe lameness at trot, unable to keep up with the rest of the herd.)
Unable to lie down and get back up comfortably (known as getting “cast” where they are stuck lying down)
Having difficulty urinating/defecating (rare, but can occur in some cases due to difficulty posturing to urinate or due to obstruction i.e. secondary to a mass)
Costs of required ongoing care (financial/care costs)
This is something that isn’t talked about enough and it is nothing to be ashamed of. There are two different types of costs that should be considered here:
Financial costs.
Some horses have conditions that require ongoing medications, for example horses with PPID or EMS. As horses age, they also generally require additional care, such as expensive geriatric diets to replace hay (as their dentition ages), or medications for arthritis pain etc., all of which increase the costs of keeping them.
When these costs start to add up and become a financial strain, it is a really good time to weigh up the decision to continue your horse’s care or put them to sleep.
Labour/care costs.
Some horses just aren’t easy to care for due to their underlying medical issues.
A special mention goes to horses or ponies with EMS, where they are not able to be “turned out to pasture” in their retirement like other horses, and some EMS horses despite being restricted from grazing, fed low-sugar hay, having low-NSC diets etc will still get laminitis. They require intensive management, often including soaking hay, grazing muzzles, scheduled changes in turnout etc. The difficulty of managing these horses cannot be understated.
I often have to counsel owners to absolve their guilt that it is okay to euthanise their horses with medical issues to prevent them from suffering in the future. We have to be kind to ourselves as owners and know when too much is too much for us to handle when it comes to our horses fitting in with our lives.
If caring for higher-needs horses is creating distress or dysfunction in our lives, and the horse is not able to be suitably rehomed, euthanasia is a valid and often kind option. It is better that a horse be peacefully laid to rest rather than being passed on with the risk of further suffering.
A Final Consideration
We have horses because of the joy it brings us to care for them and have them in our lives. With this joy also comes the responsibility to make the decision of when it is their time. Making this decision for them is the greatest show of kindness that we can give them, and it is a blessing to be able to give them a “good death” after a lifetime of love and care.
