EUTHANASIA

Our compassionate team of veterinarians and veterinary professionals are here to support you and your horse through quality of life and humane euthanasia decisions.

The most common reasons for a planned euthanasia are old age and a decline in quality of life.  Whether due to a chronic disease (such as arthritis or Cushing’s disease) that has become too difficult or costly to manage, or the horse is doing poorly and there is worry about how it will do over another winter, the owner often has the best judgment when it comes to their horse’s quality of life.  However, sometimes changes in a horse can be subtle, and partnering with your veterinarian is invaluable in assessing an aging horse’s quality of life.  A veterinarian may also have additional ideas for management that allow your horse to be comfortable for longer.  Euthanasia does not always apply to aged horses alone; chronic and costly diseases can affect younger horses as well as older ones.  Laminitis is a prime example of one such disease that frequently becomes a reason for euthanasia when the pain and discomfort become unmanageable.

Another common reason for euthanasia is when a veterinary emergency occurs that is either not treatable, or very costly to treat, such as a severe colic or fracture of a long bone.  While in some cases euthanasia is the only option, due to the severity of the problem, in other cases, the owner must decide between pursuing treatment or electing humane euthanasia.  This decision is typically based on the cost of treatment, prognosis (or chance of a favourable outcome), and value of the horse.  As a horse owner, planning ahead for an emergency can save agonizing over a decision when an emergency is occurring.  This is often a very emotional time and the ability to think clearly can be affected.  Some factors to consider include formulating a budget for how much money you can afford to spend treating an emergency (and then setting aside money in an emergency fund or purchasing insurance) and knowing which problems you would be willing to treat.  If you have more than one horse, consider what you would treat in each horse (for example, colic surgery may be an option for a younger horse, but not for an older retiree).  Having this plan ahead of time can greatly reduce stress over treatment decisions at the time of an emergency.