This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Lameness » Joint, Bone, Ligament Diseases » Diseases of joints, bones, and ligamens not covered above »
  Discussion on Bone Cancer
Author Message
Member:
Horse4u

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 6, 2005 - 2:11 pm:

Dr. O, I emailed awhile back about a swelling in my husbands horses hind leg at the hock. The test for cancer was negative. They treated the area with some pellets and turns out the swelling got worse. We took him for a second opinion and this time the xrays showed cancer of the bone. It is not treatable and is progressing rapidly since the last time about 4 months ago it couldn't even be seen.

At this point he appears sound and the doctor said we could trail ride him, but no jumping, cantering or team penning. He could be sound a month, 4 months, a year. He is fed a diet of several things to put weight on him and with all we feed him he still is not gaining weight. He is not as lively as he once was, but he still moves real well and is ready to go once you get on him.

We have come to the conclusion that we are going to put him down since we don't want him to get to the point where he is in pain or the bone gets to the point that it might snap. I guess I want to hear if we are doing the right thing. It is a very sad thing to do, but we feel it is right.

Our vet said he would come out to the stable and call a service to take him away. What happens when the service takes him? How are horses usually disposed of and do we have a choice? What about his pasture buddies? Should we let them see that he has died? The 2 mares he is in the same paddock area with are very fond of him. They are all field boarded and there are a total of 7 horses at the facility.

Thanks for any help any of you can offer through this difficult time.
Member:
Kathleen

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 6, 2005 - 3:26 pm:

Vicki,
I am very sorry to hear about your husband's horse. I can't address whether it is time to put him down, but I do have some experience with the aftermath. When we had to say goodbye to our old mare Caprice, she was buried on the property alongside two other horses who had lived out their old age there. The person who had taken care of her for the last few years of her life allowed her to say goodby when her buddy died a couple of years earlier and allowed her buddies to say goodby to her. She said that since she started doing that, the other horses seem to accept it better and go on. When it was Caprice's time, her buddy whinnied very loudly and then walked away. She said there is less disruption in the herd when she handles it this way. Where we live in Texas, due to rocky conditions, it is difficult to bury a horse, even where it is allowed. My neighbor found a person nearby who picks up horses, is respectful of the owner's feelings, and buries them on her property, for a fee I assume. I will allow someone else to address other, IMO less desirable (but sometimes necessary) options.
My condolences,
Kathleen
Member:
Shirl

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 6, 2005 - 4:08 pm:

Vicki, I'm so sorry to hear the dreaded news. When the horse Sierra was with, had to be put down, the vet suggested she see the procedure. (She was buried) Being alone, Sierra became depressed, but eventually we moved her to another place and she recovered nicely, until we had to put her down due to Laminitis/Sinker. I had her cremated through a facility in Phx, who handled the hauling, delivery of ashes, etc. in a very, very caring, compassionate manner. Please keep us posted. I think the horse will let you now through her lack of wanting to move, eat, and her eyes will tell a lot, but perhaps Dr. O can add other things. Prayers are with you. Shirl
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 6, 2005 - 10:18 pm:

I'm so sorry about your news. I,too, think the horse will let you know when the time has come; however, I'd monitor the leg because wouldn't you be able to tell by x-ray when it was becoming really weakened? Or would pain itself tell you when the leg was indanger of giving way, Dr. O.? It would pay to be ready with any arrangements you need to make.

We have buried all of our dead animals in a field out past the barn. I feel like they are still "around" that way, and I couldn't bear to have them just carted to the dump, which seems to be the other alternative around here. Hopefully, your area has some better alternatives if you have no place to bury your friend.
Member:
Brandi

Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2005 - 3:18 am:

Vicki, I too am very sorry to hear about your boy. Like the others, I believe your horse will tell you when it's time...but the fear of the weakened bone complicates things. Only you can make the decision that in your heart is the best one for both you and your horse.
Regarding Euthanizing at home: I very strongly believe that the pasturemates benefit from the experience of knowing their friend has died, and that they truly understand it. Also something that I consider for myself is that I want all my animals to begin that journey from a safe and comfortable place (i.e. home) if at all possible.
And as for the remains: In California, it is my understanding that it is very illegal to bury any vaccinated or antibiotic treated animal on private property, and horses are specially included as illegal to bury because of their size and ability to contaminate water tables. We do have access to rendering facilities and reputable and respectful cremation services, and we have no choice but to choose one of them when it comes to the horses.
And though I have an enormous amount of concern and respect for the passing of any of my critters, I have the comfort of my strong belief that after they have passed and the loved ones have mourned the body, what happens to the body is of little concern, as the life of your friend will be free and very separate from his physical shell. So if burial is not an option and cremation is overwhelmingly expensive, don't beat yourself up over the remaining choice. The soul of your horse will be far removed and I see no disrespect in a thoughtful, but practical disposal.
Deepest sympathy, Brandi
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2005 - 7:42 am:

It can be risky monitoring by radiograph to predict fracture, remember that healthy bones can fracture. I think your goals are laudable Vicki. It sounds like you need to contact your vet and the company to get more details and see if they are consistant with your desires but Brandi's comments are very practical. The key point is that for the horse's comfort, the euthanasia itself should happen in an area the horse is familiar and comfortable.
DrO
Member:
Horse4u

Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2005 - 12:37 pm:

I want to thank all of you for your very helpful suggestions and thoughts. This is a very difficult and heart wrenching decision to make as we are very close to our horses and they bring us a lot of joy and fond memories as well as new relationships with other people.

I am still waiting to hear from our vet as to the options available after death, but I take great comfort in not "beating myself up" if we don't have the option we want or the money to do the cremation if it is very expensive. I feel it was better to spend the money on his diagnosis and his earthly comfort. At this point, we are planning to have him put down where we board and let those who have their horse there decide what they want to do as far as saying "Goodbye". (Only 8 horses total) I plan to have my horse and her buddy say their goodbyes because they are in the same paddock and they are all quite fond of each other.

We have come to the conclusion, that sooner rather than later will be our decision since we have no way of knowing if or when the bone will fracture. He is not as "up" as he used to be. It will not get better and we don't want him to suffer.
Member:
Shirl

Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2005 - 1:00 pm:

Vicki, Brandi says it all very well. I do not know what area you are in, but the organizatin in Phx charges $1 per pound for cremation, which includes, pick up, delivery of ashes in a nice container. When Sierra was about to put down the other 8 horses in her barn became very, very still. You could hear a pin DrOp in an otherwise noisy environment, especially at feeding time. You also might think of cutting a long length of your horses mane/tail to have jewelry made or horse hair potter, as a keep sake. My heart goes out to you at this time. Love and prayers, Shirl
Member:
Marroon

Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2005 - 1:04 pm:

It's difficult at such a time
To find the words that say
The things that one can only hope
Will comfort you today,
But may it help a bit to know
That there are near at hand
Those who keep you close in thought,
Those who understand.

May loving memories light your path to peace.}}
Member:
Chohler

Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2005 - 1:53 pm:

Most disposal companies are very reputable. Cremation is very nice option and I highly recomend it.But for your benefit you don't want to know the whole process. I operate a crematory at the funeral home i work at, and have dealt with pet crematories.

Cremated pets are dealt with respect.

There are people who work with the local landfill for disposal of large animals. They are also very respectful of pets.

Horses do recognize death and seem to deal with it well when allowed to witness the passing of a friend. But on the same note I have seen the complete opposite also, so keep your safety in mind.

In the past for people I have made a Picture memorial for their pets. You take a picture the owner likes have it enlarged to an 8x10 and engrave a brass plate with the name and dates place it on the picture and include a lock of hair, and have it framed. A lot of people like it and it is a nice memorial. It is very easy to do. With smaller animals I also inked the paws and put a print on the Pictoral.

I have also made a plaster print of a paw or foot and painted a portrait on it.

There are companies out there that you can have a brass memorial marker made. I think the average cost around $150 depending on size.

If you have any questions or need company names let me know.

May you find the peace you are looking for.
Member:
Shirl

Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2005 - 2:27 pm:

Cheryl, Would you E-mail me privately at Shirley4715@msn.com. I'd love to have you do that picture for me. Thanks, Shirl
Member:
Chohler

Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2005 - 3:42 pm:

Shirl,

I sent you an email please let me know if you don't get it.
Member:
Horse4u

Posted on Friday, Apr 8, 2005 - 8:07 am:

I printed out the responses and shared them with my husband last night. I know that he was encouraged by them. He has found another horse and is in the process of making arangements for shipping (somewhat complicated). We have decided that we will probably not put the horse down until the other one is on the way. Hopefully, this will cause less disruption with the other horses. We have a 2 day trail ride in a couple of weeks and at first we thought we might take the horse, but even though the bone looks good at this point, we don't want to risk either the health of the horse or the safety of the rider. The other thing that concerns us is we don't know if the cancer has spread to his organs. Since he isn't gaining weight (and he should be), we are going to error on the side of caution. Meanwhile the horse is getting lots of TLC. He is eating well. He does not seem to be irritable with us or the other horses. He does seem more attached to his 2 mares and the other day when they went on a short ride he cried (?)when they left and ran to greet them when they returned.
Member:
Dyduroc

Posted on Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - 8:35 am:

Vicki, I was very sad to read about your husband's horse. Wishing all of you peace and happy memories as he makes his journey across the Rainbow Bridge.

D.
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC