June 2018

EQUESTRIAN NEWS
When to Say Goodbye…
by Donice Muccio
When to decide to end the life of our beloved pets is an
agonizing decision for any pet owner. Knowing when to help
end the suffering of a horse has unique challenges. A horse
becomes part of us.
There are times when the decision has to be made in a
moment. A friend of mine in New England (a former Parkland
resident) recently lost her horse. The horse was playing out in
a pasture when he slipped while running around. After the fall
it was evident to all and the vet on the premises that he was
in critical condition. There was no waiting to decide to end his
suffering, the decision was instant. There was no wondering
if it was the right thing to do. Still, the suddenness of the
accident robbed the family of the time to adjust to the idea of
losing him.
In our case, the decision to euthanize our sweet horse was
one of the hardest to make out of all our pets. Most of the
time, your pet will let you know it is time. I feel with most
of our dogs and cats we had waited too long because we
could not bare to have a day missing them and the comfort
they unconditionally gave us. After reading many articles,
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counseling
with friends,
and consulting
with our vets, I
realized that we
had to let go. It
is not fair to beat
ourselves up
over the painful
choice we made.
The bottom line
is the decision
was made
out of love, no
right or wrong,
regardless of the
timing.
The same
week our friend
lost her horse, our horse lost her battle from the side effects
of Cushing’s Disease. Along with the help of our vet and
blacksmith, we devoted a year to making her days pain free.
Towards the end of the year we felt we could no longer watch
her in pain. Before making the appointment to end her time
with us, she miraculously rallied back, wanting each day to
walk out to graze with that bright, happy look in her eye. It was
an amazing sight to all that knew her. We were blessed with
another good year. I promised my girl and myself, should she
have another episode I would not make her go another day in
pain.
Then it happened. I walked out to the barn and saw the look
on her face. She was not at the stall door with her excited
whinny to go out and graze. She was pointing her foot,
obviously in pain. Her grimacing face and stance said it all.
A vet was out to examine another horse and I told him I was
afraid I had a crisis. Would he please x-ray my mare’s hoof?
I took one look at the film and knew it was over. There would
not be another rally, only waiting for the inevitable. I had to be
brave, I made a promise. After making her as comfortable as
possible, we euthanized her.
What made this so difficult was she looked like a beautiful,
healthy horse the day we lost her. We had a few days for those
who loved her to say good-bye. It was truly the most difficult
choice we have had to make; however, it turned out to be the
most peaceful. Knowing that pure love gave me the courage, I
was at peace.
Letting go…what a hard concept to grasp. The fear of letting
go pains us in these dreadful seasons of life. Once we are able
to truly understand “letting go” we can hopefully, in time, have
a sound mind when going through our loss.
114
JUNE 2018