Euthanasia Assistance

Can people with no money get a veterinarian to euthanize their horse for free?
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Q. Some veterinarians and shelters will take care of your pet for free if you have a low income or are out of work. Can people with no money get a veterinarian to euthanize their horse for free?

Carrie, via e-mail


A. First, does one of the following statements, developed by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), apply to your situation?

  • Is the horse’s condition chronic or incurable?
  • Does the condition suggest a hopeless prognosis for life?
  • Is the horse a hazard to himself or his handlers?
  • Will the horse require continuous medication for pain relief for the remainder of his life?

If so, some veterinarians might euthanatize a horse at a reduced cost or at no cost to end the animal’s suffering. Some clinics even have an emergency fund for this purpose. However, if the horse is merely an unwanted horse, there might be a different solution

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Lydia Gray, DVM, is Medical Director and Staff Veterinarian for SmartPak Equine. She was previously the executive director of the Hooved Animal Humane Society in Woodstock, IL, and an Owner Education Director for the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
313 votes · 313 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!