| EUTHANASIA OF YOUR HORSE |
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Euthanasia is a difficult subject to consider, but our aim is to provide a humane and painless death for your horse. Having any animal put down is a distressing experience, so it is a good idea to plan ahead in order to avoid rushed decisions under difficult circumstances. If you have any questions or worries, discuss it with your vet who will be accustomed to helping with such sad situations. There are several choices to be faced, which include: HOW IS IT CARRIED OUT? There are two methods of euthanasia commonly used: 1. Lethal injection The horse is given an overdose of anaesthetic-type drugs by intravenous injection. A sedative may be given first. The horse looses consciousness and slowly collapses with death occurring shortly afterwards. If this method of euthanasia is used then the options for disposal are limited, as they will have to be either buried or cremated. 2. Shooting This method of euthanasia results in instant death of the horse. Again a sedative may be given first. The muzzle of the gun is placed on the horse’s forehead. It will fall down instantly with its legs extended and blood may pour from the nose. With this method there are involuntary movements of the horse’s legs and occasional gasps for a short period of time after the horse is dead, which is normal. Not all vets carry a gun so this needs to be booked specifically. HOW TO DISPOSE OF THE CARCASS? The options for disposal of the carcass are limited and depend on the method of euthanasia and the health of the horse when it died. Cremation: Cherry Tree Pet Crematorium is the company most commonly used by the practice to provide a collection and cremation service. Cremation is costly, but available regardless of the method of euthanasia. The ashes may be returned in a special casket if requested, either as a small amount of token ashes or as a separate individual cremation. If your horse is cremated you can choose to pay for an individual cremation and have the ashes returned to you in a box for burial usually a large wooden casket. It is important to think about what you will want to do with the ashes when they are returned to you, as many people who have paid for ashes to be returned, subsequently choose never to collect them. Hunt kennels/disposal to the zoo: Provided the horse was not put down by lethal injection or was not suffering from a disease making it unsuitable for consumption, many hunts will use the carcass as food for the hounds or alternatively some equine carcases may be taken to the zoo. Burial: You need to check with your local Trading Standards Office whether this is permitted. The European Union Regulations do not allow burial of pet horses as they consider the horse to be a food animal. At the time of writing, DEFRA does allow burial of pet horses at the discretion of the local authority. Each case is considered on an individual basis. SHOULD I BE THERE? Rest assured that everyone concerned will want your horse’s last minutes to be peaceful. The people involved are professionals who care about animals and are used to dealing with this sensitive task. If you are able to be calm and relaxed during the procedure, then your presence is likely to be reassuring for your horse. If you are visibly distressed, then it may be better to ask a trusted friend to do this for you. Your vet may require you or someone on your behalf to sign a consent form. In a yard of several horses it is obviously essential someone is there who knows which horse is to be put down. NOTIFICATION OF THE INSURANCE COMPANY If the horse is insured for loss of use and a claim is going to be made, the insurance company must be notified in advance. With the exception of an emergency situation, the permission of the insurers is needed otherwise the claim may be invalidated. If a horse is destroyed on humane grounds, it must meet certain criteria to satisfy the requirements of a mortality insurance policy. The British Equine Veterinary Association guidelines state that euthanasia should be carried out if ‘the insured horse sustains an injury or manifests an illness or disease that is so severe as to warrant immediate destruction to relieve incurable and excessive pain and that no other options of treatment are available to that horse at that time’. The insurers should be notified as soon as possible. They will require a veterinary certificate confirming the identity of the horse and the reason why it was destroyed and may also ask for a post mortem. COSTS It is the horse owner’s responsibility to arrange for collection, cremation or disposal and to pay the company concerned. We normally use and recommend Mr David Funnell, Cherry Tree Pet Crematorium, High Halden, Kent. (Tel: 01233 850929). The costs of disposal are: • To Cherry Tree Pet Crematorium for disposal to the zoo= £165 + VAT. Collections for zoo disposal out of hours or at the weekend may incur further charges • To Cherry Tree Pet Crematorium for cremation no ashes = £290 + VAT • To Cherry Tree Pet Crematorium for mass cremation token ashes = £340 + VAT • To Cherry Tree Pet Crematorium for individual cremation ashes = £520 + VAT These fees will be payable directly to the Cherry Tree Pet Crematorium at the time of collection. As well as this there is a fee charged for the actual euthanasia and visit (where required). Currently Bell Equine charges £64.65 (+VAT) for using a gun, plus sedation (usually £25-30 + VAT) and euthanasia by injection costs £64.65 (+ VAT), plus the injection itself (usually £62.76 + VAT for Thoroughbred sized horse, more for a heavier horse) plus sedation (again usually £25-30 + VAT). The other additional cost would be for a post mortem, which may be required by your insurance company (but rarely covered by insurance) and the costs for this would vary depending on the time taken. Occasionally we will ask you, if we can perform a post mortem to help all of us to know more about the diseases affecting the horses under our care. In such cases we would not charge. If you do not want a post mortem performed, please tell us and we will respect your wishes. FURTHER HELP If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us, either on the main office number 01622 813700 or speak directly to the vet looking after your horse. If you have any specific or concerns or complaints, please feel free to contact any of the partners. |
