[Pretttywaste]

Thank you all so very much....your replies have me bawling all over again. I'm so sorry to all of you that have been through this or are going through it. I love this mare and can't bear the thought of anything happening to her - so I put on my big girl pants and scheduled her euthanasia. I do feel relieved in a sense... That feeling of panic about where she will end up is gon,though I feel sick over the euth. I have 2 weeks to spoil her rotten... What would you do to make her last days special? Nothing seems good enough.

[oliverreed]

Hugs to you. I haven't been through this with a horse but I know you are doing the right thing by her. Treats, hand grazing, whatever she likes best. Spoil her.

[ChocoMare]

On my mare's last day (albeit euthanized for health reasons), a friend brought a Carrot Cake She also got any treat she wanted, buckets of 'em. All she knew at the last shot was a full tummy and scritches.

[Hawleyite]

My thoughts are with you during this difficult time. You are a very strong person and I admire you greatly for this. I have seen too people and animals hurt and suffer because the hard decisions were never made. Animals live in the present so go ahead and spoil her until she crosses the bridge.

[JGHIRETIRE]

((Hugs)) and jingles. I know it's hard. I may have to do the same thing with one of my horses. There are worse things than being dead. Let us know how it all goes.

[goodhors]

((Hugs)) There are worse things than being dead.

This is one of the best statements to keep in mind, for horses that just have to be let go. You have done your best by them, now you have to take that final step, to make the ending as good as possible.

There are MANY things worse than being dead, for a horse. We euth them to prevent that ever happening. Don't regret your decision in this. You are making the best choice for her.

[War Admiral]

I agree w/ Goodhors. I euthanized mine this weekend. I wanted him to go at home, surrounded by his peeps who he loffs and his best girlfriend and his little bull pal... spoiled rotten, fat as a pig, and woofing cookies, with NO downgrade in his lifestyle or treatment. No WAY did this good little horse deserve to go to Mexico to get a knife in the back. It was absolutely the right thing to do. With his problems, he would have faced an uncertain future at best. It was hard - while I was waiting for the vet I bawled so hard I scared the barn dog - but God will give you the strength.

[McGurk]

Pretty,

I will PM you.

[ldaziens]

I am very sorry you have to make such a tough decision; but you are doing the right thing by your horse.

And, you are bringing up a topic that every horse owner needs to think about. I am forever grateful to a local feedstore owner who told me that in her will, her horses are to be euthanized. Her horses are older, and the woman is active w/ horse rescue; so she knows the situations horses can end up in. Anyway, I am glad that I had that discussion with her, because it's not something I would have thought about as a new horse owner; but it really isn't fair to the horse to leave their fates to chance -- especially when we know the odds aren't in the horses favor.

Again, so sorry that you have to make this decision; but definitely glad you are giving your horse the opportunity to leave this world peacefully and with love.

[War Admiral]

OP, since I'm going through this myself at the moment, I'm just going to give you a heads up about something you may not have thought of. It's kind of the elephant in the room that nobody wants to really discuss on these threads. Here goes: know right now that there will be people who will put their judgypants on, and that they will do and say some unbelieeeeeevably unkind things, and be prepared for that. I wish I had seen it coming; I didn't. If I had known, I would have held some strength in reserve to deal with that. Instead I gave it all to my horse on the day and now I have nothing left. But this post isn't meant for a pity party, it's just that I get the sense you're facing a lot of the same stressors, and I'm warning you now you're going to need to factor in another one. Plan for it in advance.

[Isabeau Z Solace]

As a pro horse person who has lost and euth'd a number of horses, you simply learn over time that it is not the end of the world. The sun will rise the next day. No matter how hard it is the 'day of.'

I have euth'd other people's horses who could not be there to 'do the deed.' I have had rides taken away from me. I will have to put down a favorite horse if mine in the near future because melanomas are slowly choking him to death.

You just learn over time that life goes on.

And this is why making the 'right' choice is not the same as the 'easy' choice. But it is your responsibility to 'do the right thing' anyway.

[wsmoak]

If anyone else is in this situation and the vet school/teaching hospital idea doesn't work out, another option is to look for a wild animal park or large cat sanctuary near you.

The lions and tigers have to eat, too.

OP, sorry you are having to go through this. War Admiral is right, there will be some very judgmental people that may say unkind things. Keep your chin up, you're doing the right thing for *you* and *your* horse.

[Pretttywaste]

Again, thank you all so much. And thanks to those of you that sent PMs.. for some reason I can't reply but I did read each and every one! I didn't expect things to come to this and it's just so hard, even though I know it's the right thing to do for her. I talked to the vet on the phone (I recently switched vets and she hasn't seen this mare yet.. so I was a bit worried) and she was very understanding which helped a lot. I haven't told the barn yet owners yet as I want to make sure I have all the arrangements in place first. I know they will not be as understanding and I'm trying to prepare myself for that. Thanks for the comment about there being worse things than being dead. To hear it like that for some reason just really put things in prospective. I work for a vet, have taken in so many rescues, and have seen so many awful things. Whenever I find myself questioning this decision (which I do a million times a day) I remind myself of this, and that her last days will be happy, safe, and a familiar - and really that is what I ultimately want for her in the end. I am also going to be sending my heart horse (and this mare's best friend) off to her new home soon and all of this is just so very overwhelming to lose both of them.

[Fred]

I am so sorry for what you are going through, and cannot add any more words of wisdom than have already been given.
The Right Thing is very often The Hardest Thing, and all we can do for the horses we love is the best we can do.