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RE: [RC] old age/emergency euthanasia - heidiThe vet involved put the horse under and then bled him out. She said it was really horrible, because as he bled out, the anesthesia wore off,Why not just re-sedate? She had a not-quite-full bottle of xylazine (30 cc or so) and three bottles of ketamine. She gave it all to him at the outset, figuring that an overdose was not an issue here. He weighed about 800 lbs. I know what she had, because it was her first ride, and I was a last-minute substitute for the head vet (had been packing to come ride, not to come vet) and that was what I had with me. Had she had a vet truck at the top of the mountain, that certainly would have been an option. Wish the idea of driving a spike into the brain with a mallet had occurred to us. Nobody in camp had a gun. (How rare is that, here in the NW??) She could have anesthetized him and then driven the spike... I had to hike in to attend a badly colicking mule on a mountain top last winter that needed to be put down. I had euthanasia solution with me, but because we had no way to dispose of the body or keep away scavengers, that wasn't an option. I put the mule pretty far under with normal sedation, then cut the dorsal aorta internally with a scalpel. No external bleeding, apparently no pain as the mule never even twitched when I cut him, he just lay down, stayed down and died peacefully a few minutes later. Not as neat as barbiturates, but still worked very well, without risk to local wildlife. Yes, I've heard that's a good method in a sedated animal. I don't mind an animal being knocked unconscious if your aim is perfect, but miss by a few inches and you'll just cave in the frontal sinuses, which would be *very* painful. Granted, cutting the dorsal aorta requires some sedation, and some basic knowledge of anatomy (although it's not difficult), but much better than cutting their throat. If I didn't have sedation and a scalpel available, I think a bullet would be my preference, though I wouldn't want anything less than a .357 or a 9 mm. I don't carry a gun or euthanasia solution with me when I ride in remote areas, but I do carry a small amount of sedation and a scalpel. Actually, I'd submit that both the knocking unconscious and the cutting the dorsal aorta require some knowledge of anatomy... But I suspect it's easier to teach someone to draw the X on the forehead than it is to find the dorsal aorta... JMHO. A bullet is indeed a quick and humane way to go--but again, does need to be gotten into the right spot. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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