In updating our list of family members this week, I removed four names of wonderful friends who are no longer with us. 

The one who’d spent the least time with us was Pepper, a stray Manx who arrived half grown a year ago spring.  We had her neutered and she took over the milkhouse as her home, refusing to let the other cats in.  This spring, about when coyote pups were being born and their parents bring them everything they can find, she disappeared suddenly and completely, likely a “coyote cookie.”

Our gorgeous happy, charming Fluffy dog turned 11 last September.  This spring she began having trouble walking.  As the summer progressed we visited numerous vets, finally finding one we trusted.  After verifying Fluffy’s X-rays with someone he considered more of an expert, he told us she had bone cancer.  All the painkillers we gave her couldn’t keep her from crying out in the night.

Skeeter was a big bay Quarter Horse who had just been with us a little over a year.  A career as a Western contesting horse had worn out his knees, so he was no longer rideable.  Glucosamine and MSM didn’t seem to help with three bad knees.   Then a floating bone fragment created more pain.  After trimming, his hooves quickly became misshapen, worn oddly from efforts to reduce his pain.  We added two “bute” (horsey Advil) to his daily diet, despite their negative side effects.  Then, probably trying to avoid pain, he did more damage to a front leg.  Soon he began walking to follow the herd rather than cantering away from the barn with them.  Sometimes he just stood in the barn and waited for them to come back.  He was in too much pain.

Seven’s Tiger was the Thoroughbred who came to us shortly after we moved here 12 years ago.  Because he was so skittish and unpredictable and I tried to give him back, but his owners refused to answer my calls…  He turned 30 in 2009.  While physically he was in better shape than Skeeter, his vision and hearing were deteriorating.  Always flighty, he was back to being nervous and spooky, even around those of us he’d trusted for years.  Always an auditory horse, he didn’t seem to recognize me even when I talked louder.

They were euthanized in late November. Their favorite mare and best friend, Ginger, stood between them until the end.  It didn’t affect her at all as they laid down under sedatation.  Then we took her back to the barn where she joined the rest of the herd.

For those who don’t know, horses are given an anesthetic that relaxes and sedates them, then a drug to stop their hearts.  Our vet, Dr. Donna Mather, like most, is extremely compassionate.  She had cared for these guys for years.  

Under at least Kentucky, if not federal law, it is illegal to bury a horse.  They must be removed by a service.  It all comes at a cost, although different county agriculture services subsidize it differently.  All in all, it costs several hundred dollars to have a horse euthanized and removed – which may be why some people let them die in pain and misery. 

A horsey friend said it best “better a day early than a day late” in making the decision to euthanize an animal.  We are lucky we can end their pain without fear and agony.  It’s always a terrible decision to make, but once you’ve been thru it, you know when the time has come.