Re: Cost of euthanasia

[Leigh331@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/4/99 3:40:19 PM EST, EAMULE@aol.com writes:

<< 
 After saying all that has anyone ever had a vet REFUSE to do something like
 putting a horse down?  At the time I was stunned.  I feel like this guy was
 more the exception than the rule.  
  >>
The only horse that I've had put down was done back in 1986.  My vet did it,
but not without some convincing.  The horse was very old, but in good flesh.
He was having bouts with intermittant blindness and the gelding he had been
with for 10 yrs had begun to beat the old guy up almost every day.  Sometimes
the aggression was severe.  I only had one 6 acre pasture and had no where
else to put this guy.  He had been loosing weight badly in the previous
months, but still looked good (he started out fat).  The vet thought I was
jumping the gun.  I convinced him to put him down and we had the USDA lab do a
necropsy on him.  The blindness was from a tumor putting pressure on his
spine, up close to the brain stem and we found that he had severe liver
damage, almost no liver function.  He also had severe degenerative athritis in
both shoulders.  I felt very guilty until I got the report back.  This horses
quality of life had begun a fast spiralling downward turn.  I loved this
horse, he was my first horse.  It was very sad, but I owed euthanazia to him,
it was a peaceful end to a faithful friend.
Leigh