OK this is not an easy question to pose and I wish no offence to anyone but need an answer (by email if you wish). If one is faced with the fact that an aging horse may need to be euthanized how does one go about this please it is just that if you own a horse you have to think of its possible future. We live in Brittany but I presume that the need for safe euthanization and then removal of said dear animal needs to take place the same here as in the rest of France, difficult, especially if it is a large horse. Thank you, your thoughts would be appreciated as I think it is part of a responsible attitude to know these things just in case.
Just had to comment on this thread to let you know about an issue with euthanasia here in France that you might not be aware of. I came across this issue several years ago when facing having to have two of our horses PTS for uveitis. Here it is very common for vets to use a drug called T61, which causes the organs of the animals to shut down. It's also associated with some animals having adverse reactions and is banned in some countries because of it. However, the alternative is to use barbiturates, which are more expensive and have to be stored securely so they're harder to carry around in the car. You also need to use bottles of barbiturates that aren't out of date.. so, typically, T61 is used and carried. The procedure is to sedate the animal and then inject the T61. Sedation stops the animal from being able to move it's body but it is not an anaesthetic so the animal is still consciously aware when the T61 is injected and its heart stops beating. For some animals that aren't sufficiently sedated, at this point they can and do rear, stagger - in other words, their suffering is apparent to us. For the ones that are sufficiently sedated, their suffering is not apparent to us.
The procedure using barbiturates is for a sedative to be given, then a catheter put into their necks and ketamine is given to make them unconscious. This drug is also used to give a horse a general anaethetic for surgery. It means that they are asleep and ALSO that they cannot feel anything else going on in their body. So when the barbiturates are given, they do not have any awareness of their organs switching off or their heart stopping. The barbiturates also work by FIRST deepening their unconsciousness and THEN closing down their organs. Both my girls passed peacefully with this method.
When our dog had to be PTS earlier this year, the vet was again about the use T61 and I told him definitely not to use that and to administer barbiturates. Again, one second our doggy was looking in my eyes as I held him, the next second he was gone. Very, very peaceful.
Bless you for your response and I am so sorry to hear your news but that Diva was dealt with as gently as possible by all. The horse in question is no longer with us but has gone back to the previous owner for his last care, but the information you have given me will, no doubt, be useful to one of my friends who may be faced with this scenario. Thank you.
Dear Jackie
Welcome to SFN and I'm sorry that your first post wasn't in happier circumstances. We lost our beloved dog on Tuesday so I know how you are feeling. But thank you anyway for sharing your (very helpful) experience. x
Hi I,m a new member as of today. Trying to keep myself busy at the moment because my beautuful jument Diva who was 22yrs old had to be put down on Saturday morning because she had colic and a twisted gutand I,m heartbroken. I had had her for 10 yrs she was my baby, beautiful to ride, afraid of nothing and so gentle with my grandchildren. Just seen your post and thought I would tell you first hand the experience. We keep our horses in fields right next to our house so when she was put to sleep we had to choose a spot that was easy to access, so it ended up being our vegetable patch next to the barn. The vet was brilliant known him for some while. He gave her a tranquiliser and then very quickly the final dose. Even he had a few tears. My other horse who is an old fella of 29 yrs went nuts but we allowed him in next to the body for an hour and after that he was much calmer.The bad thing in France is that the French knackers men (equarrage) don,t work at weekends, demand the body is left as near to the road as possible and once you phone them to come and collect there is still a period of up to 2 days before they arrive. For us she died on the Saturday, we had to move her by tractor to the side of the road on Monday night and luckily they came to take her on Tuesday afternoon. They also expect a cheque in hand before they start lifting. I paid 190euros. So if you ever had the choice to euthanize avoid the weekend. The truck used by the knackers has a large grabbing handle which hoists the animal up over the top of the lorry. None of it pleasant but if you have a reasonable driver he does it gently. Hope this has helped a bit.
Thank you for your response and as I have said there is a vet in another village that I would trust to do the job if it had to be done. Thank you for sharing with me.
Thank you for the reply there is a vet quite a ways from us that I would trust if we had to do this and I know that he would be sympathetic.
I had my horse put down here after transporting him from the uk with an undiagnosed broken pedal bone. He was in the care of a trusted friend in the UK, who had access to the best medical care, or so I thought.
When he got here he was very lame. I had him in livery at a french yard in Tauriac (Tarn) recommended by the local vet. Sandrine, the owner, was an amazing horsewomen and from reading various posts on this site, I think I was lucky to find this place. She called the vet immediately he arrived off the lorry and took him to the clinic for an X ray. The bone was cracked....the vet in the UK had diagnosed degenerative joint disease and not even X rayed the foot or done any further diagnosis...I am straying off the point slightly but it still makes me cross after nearly 8 years! Anyway, the French vet here suggested total rest, but he never recovered.
To return to the point.....I made the decision to have him euthanized. I had no idea what to expect, but the vet talked me through the process and discussed it with Sandrine and her husband, who is a farmer. I worked with horses for many years and have seen horses shot humanely...upsetting but quick..but my vet used the injection method. Sandrine and her husband made a huge straw bed for my boy and were there throughout. The vet explained, in broken English, exactly what I was going to see and I have to say that it was handled sensitively and professionally. Sandrine and her husband dealt with the disposal of the body.
I think your key player here is your vet. I was lucky (?) not to have my horse at home and not have to witness the removal of the body, which can be a traumatic experience. I have had experience of loading horses into the lorry before euthanasia, by far a better method, but not always possible. Speak to your vet, I was lucky with Sandrine but I also had preconceived ideas about how the French would deal with this, and I couldn't have been more wrong.
Whenever I get sad about all this, I console myself with how lucky our animals are to have us make these decisions for them.
Hi Patsie
Never an easy decision to make. We had a horse put down in France a few years ago, the vet came and administered the lethal injection and the following day (I think) a van came to remove the body to be destroyed. All fairly straight forward and professional, although, it was rather unpleasant watching the body being winched up the ramp by a hind leg, you might want to be elsewhere for that.
Hope that helps
James