What are your thoughts...wrong horse PTS story in H&H

Jessey

Jessey

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Dec 20, 2004
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I just saw the story on H&H about a wrong horse being put down
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/owners-devastation-wrong-horse-put-634764

The article poses the question should vets check passports before PTS? It crossed my mind that verifying passports would possibly hinder in some situations as the horse may be on permanent loan or retirement livery etc. so the owners details in the passport would not nec. be the person caring for the horse....though you would expect the owner to be aware of and decision to PTS in that case
 
I saw that and it really made me feel sick :(
Checking the passport name against the horse in front of them via the chip would at least verify that they were treating the horse they had been called out to. I think that in most cases the vet would be the one that the horse is registered with. There are obviously ways to circumvent checks, but it would have stopped this one happening!
 
We had to provide the passport when we Josh put down, even though the Vet had been the one treating him for 10 years since we got him - our vets are like mustard you have to have the passport when they attend for anything and rightly so in my opinion, Gems passport was held back by the society due to her having 2 MC registered, they send us a letter to present to the vet along with an identify form to be completed - he rang the society and then check and signed this off before he could start her injections and then had to send it back to the society with a letter confirming that She was definitely the horse we had applied for a change of ownership for , we have her replacement passport now , both chips are recorded but it is clearly marked for the one that is to be read and recorded. For me this is one of the ways horse passports should be used, pity they didn't keep the equine database and find the money to manage it properly.
I know not all owners can stomach seeing their animals put to sleep and I am not knocking them, but for me wherever possible I would want to be there at the end as you would with any close family member.

The Owner of the horse must be devastated , how sad.
 
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I have only quickly read the article but can't understand why the owner of the two scheduled to be pts was not attending? Seems odd, not like it was a one off emergency situation? It had been planned.
Hmm.
How very sad indeed. And how awful if the other horse watched in close proximity to the first one to be pts. And what about the poor lad who was left in the field???? Wouldn't he wonder what was going on?
Cannot weigh up really why the owner wasn't there to sort things.
 
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OMG how could a mistake like that ever happen.

I've always been with any animal that had to be put down with the exception of Matty a goat that had
urinary calculi and the vet said to leave and come back in a while if he needs surgery he will do it later.
I had a GYN apt rushed to get there then went to rush back to vet and got a call on the way back
to vet Matty stopped breathing when he was given anesthesia...
I kick myself many times over for EVER LEAVING.
I should have been there.
.
NO WAY would I ever leave again for any reason.

For the couple horses That it was time I was right there with them.

I have an sort of x friend that was putting one of her horses down and dropped him at the vet
THE NIGHT BEFORE.
To be there alone all nite to be put down the next day by the vet.
I always thought how cold and cruel how could someone do that.

I really cant believe the vet would take the word this is "THE " horse what's done can't be undone.

Sorry does not cut it -- THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL FOR THAT PERSON.

Its not easy to be there and in that last second you think "god I hope this was the right decision"
YOU know in your heart it WAS for their wellbeing....

The hardest thing to do for you is the humane thing for them...

We don't have passports over here but their photos are on their coggins tests.
 
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OMG that is so sad. It all seems quite odd to me that no-one knew the other two horses were going to be put down, it involves more than just a vet coming along doesn't it? Don't you have to get some large vehicle in to take the bodies away? I would have thought you would let the YO know in advance. And no-one noticed it was the wrong horse for 2 days? I'm glad ours are on a yard where that couldn't happen.
 
Some places bury on site and pre dig the hole.

It's not the easiest process to remove them.
That part I did not watch with either of mine but gave them a final good bye when they were loaded.

As a kid at the pony farm I had my first pony at I saw a pony get loaded on
A knackers truck.
NEVER AGAIN

It was good the kid that owned it did not
See that process.

Mine are both buried on farms in conserved areas that will NEVER be
Built on.

The vet took care of all that contact and
Coordination.

Sonny the first had a stroke so it was an it's time now.

Max foundered from complication
From cushings so his time was arranged -
No way did I want transport to arrive before he was gone.


Both farmers many years apart were awesome and respectful.

My best friend had one have complications from running head first into a tree.
All seemed fine when vet left later it must have had brain swelling it was horrible and thrashing and convulsing.
It was a struggle to manage to put him down and had to do it In The stall.

It was beyond horrible the stall and side of the barn had to be cut and dismantled to get him out.
 
I never thought about the body removal aspect. When J was pts the vet co ordinated it all for us. We had a wonderful man who came to take him away. He was kind and respectful and I watched him move Joe's body and load him. It could not have been done in a better way. Mr T was too upset to watch this part and went back to be with Storm. I just had to watch for some reason? But we had a good experience (if you can call losing your horse that - but I am struggling to find the right words). But surely there would have been other people involved? Gosh it's such a horrible sad story. Neither yards I have ever been on could I imagine that happening.
 
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I did skim read this the other day - the thought of that muddle happening with any of mine made my blood run cold. Apart from wanting to be there at the very end as my last responsibility, other than an emergency of course, I do suspect there might be a bit more to this story than meets the eye.

But on the point of the other horse witnessing it - I would prefer this and have done this with all of mine in the last few years. I was advised by a vet that I respect hugely, allowing them to witness the horse being PTS and then leaving the body available to them for a few hours to nuzzle, paw and inspect and pay their respects does help them accept the horse has gone and settles them down much quicker than doing all the secret and stealth killing that some opt for. And then you have their field/stable companions spending ages distressingly shouting for them and looking around in a blind panic wondering where they have disappeared to.

I think allowing them to witness and grieve is far closer to the natural way of dealing with death in a herd environment.
 
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Cortrasna said:
I did skim read this the other day - the thought of that muddle happening with any of mine made my blood run cold. Apart from wanting to be there at the very end as my last responsibility, other than an emergency of course, I do suspect there might be a bit more to this story than meets the eye.

But on the point of the other horse witnessing it - I would prefer this and have done this with all of mine in the last few years. I was advised by a vet that I respect hugely, allowing them to witness the horse being PTS and then leaving the body available to them for a few hours to nuzzle, paw and inspect and pay their respects does help them accept the horse has gone and settles them down much quicker than doing all the secret and stealth killing that some opt for. And then you have their field/stable companions spending ages distressingly shouting for them and looking around in a blind panic wondering where they have disappeared to.

I think allowing them to witness and grieve is far closer to the natural way of dealing with death in a herd environment.
Click to expand...

We led Storm back when J had gone to sniff his body and look. She seemed okay and then weirdly about an hour later let out a huge whinny in the corner where he had been. But after that she seemed to accept it.
What worried me about that story was that I just had visions of the horse that was left in the field was just left there - which would be worrying it anyway probably, wondering where its mates had gone. I totally agree with letting them see what has happened. I would do it again definitely.
 
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I also think that pre-planned, non-emergency pts procedures should also be verified with the passport snd chip.

It's terrible situation but also read a little odd to me.
 
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All horses are now microchipped. So that should have been checked. Mine is up to date with my details.
Even if it was just three in the field, leaving someone who isn't dealing with the horses on a day to day basis can make a mistake. Mine is pretty obvious to see she is different. But even with our group I do get three mixed up.

I once took my tb to a competiton for the weekend only to discover she had been brought in earlier in the morning because someone thought she was B. It was only when someone else said eh that really didn't look like the right horse that she was popped back. So people can get muddled.

As for the being there that's very personal to the individual. Maybe the owner is away, but called away, taken ill, that's not the issue here. The problem is the identity was not checked.

It only takes one phone call to one vet. The rest is down to you the owner.
 
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When we had Max put down.
Sonny was with him all day and I had moved him near the area where the trailer would come
Sonny was right there at the end.

Andi is a bit too bratty so she was not with them but I brought her down immediately after to say goodbye and get closure too.
She sniffed him all over and very very gently pawed at him.
No brattyness at all. Very gentle.

Max was there when I lost Sonny the first.
 
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How awful. Do vets keep a record of the microchip number for their horses under their care?

I think they should, perhaps every visit they should be scanning routinely. Every time I take my cat to the vet they always check hers. And then if your horse had to be put to sleep you wouldn't need your passport, the vet would have a record of the number. If you had to use another vet would be a simple case of ringing through. Or am I missing something really obvious here?

I don't think the vet was at blame though in this case. Just a very sad case of mistaken identity with deeply devastating outcome :(
 
newforest said:
All horses are now microchipped. So that should have been checked. Mine is up to date with my details.
Even if it was just three in the field, leaving someone who isn't dealing with the horses on a day to day basis can make a mistake. Mine is pretty obvious to see she is different. But even with our group I do get three mixed up.

I once took my tb to a competiton for the weekend only to discover she had been brought in earlier in the morning because someone thought she was B. It was only when someone else said eh that really didn't look like the right horse that she was popped back. So people can get muddled.

As for the being there that's very personal to the individual. Maybe the owner is away, but called away, taken ill, that's not the issue here. The problem is the identity was not checked.

It only takes one phone call to one vet. The rest is down to you the owner.
Click to expand...

Yes but in this case the it sounded like the owner had made arrangements to have them pts so it was not an emergency.
Yes it is personal about whether or not you should be there for them in the end. I think you should but that is my own view and before anyone shouts at me, that is just my view;)
 
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Trewsers said:
Yes but in this case the it sounded like the owner had made arrangements to have them pts so it was not an emergency.
Yes it is personal about whether or not you should be there for them in the end. I think you should but that is my own view and before anyone shouts at me, that is just my view;)
Click to expand...

I'm with you on feeling the need to be there and with them so they know they are loved and not alone.
But yes some people probably could not cope. I really think they should too but yes its our views.
 
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I was there til the end with my mare when she had to be pts, it broke my heart, it was pouring down with rain and i was soaked right through but i sat on the ground with her head on my lap. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I think checks of identity should be carried out by the vets before any horse is put to sleep especially if the owner isn't there.
 
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I think there should be a check of horse ID and authorization of the person there to make that decision (Unless it is clearly a situation where the owner is unknown, like an RTA)
 
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