Anyone know of funds available for operations Help VERY URGENT!

appaloosahoney

appaloosahoney

New Member
Oct 15, 2006
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Sunny Devon
Hi

A friend of mine needs to pay over 3000 for an operation to her TB's leg to remove bone chips. She has no insurance and the operation may or may not be successful. She is beside herself with worry about her boy, let alone finding the money to pay for it. They are not rich and he was not insured. The operation is not optional and she may well get a call during the procedure to say that it hasnt been successful and that they advise letting him go. Does anyone know of anyone that we can apply to for some help with this. I tried the PDSA but to no avail. To be clear, I'm not asking for any members money, just their ideas. Time is short, the operation is scheduled for next week and we have run out of ideas. She is such a good person and so dilligent and loves this horse so much. Any ideas however random would be welcomed. Please post or PM me - surely with our combined numbers we must be able to come up with some ideas. I know that for most of us this is the worst case scenario, and if we can find some sort of solution then maybe any of us who find ourselves in a similar situation will be able to find a solution.

Please please rack your brains

Thanks

Kim
 
Can she take out a loan or an overdraft?
My own horse needed several thousand pounds worth of treatment for osteomyalitis a few years ago, and I know that if I was not able to guarantee where the money was coming from, the vet couldn't treat him. Afterall, it's a lot of money for them to risk if they permit her to pay it in installments, as if she can afford say £100 a month, the surgery are looking at two and a half years to pay it off. Fortunately, I was covered by insurance and it's for this very reason that I would never risk not having appropriate veterinary cover.
I feel awful for your friend - as you say, this is the very worst situation that we all try to avoid. However, unless she can somehow either come up with the cash, either by approaching a bank or her family to borrow the money, I can't really think of another alternative. If she speaks to her vet, they may permit her to pay off a lump sum and then pay the remainder in installments, but as I said, I know my own veterinary practises would never go ahead for the large figures we're talking about here.
I really hope that something comes up for her. Please send her my best wishes :(
 
I am sorry but this is the risk you take when you don't insure...not getting at your friend I don't insure any of mine.

The first thing is to talk to the vet as to the need for the operation, is it lifesaving and how successful will it be. My vets know I self insure (ie save an equivalent amount in case of emergencies) and are very good about only doing treatments that are essential and will work. In these days of most horses being insured I feel there are a lot of almost experimental works being done by vets which are not neccessarily in the horses best interests.

Her best bet is to try to get a bank loan to pay for the operation if it is essential.
 
Aww, so sorry, I know that I would sell my husband if I had too ;-)

Have you thought about getting your friends to do a car boot sale, you must be able to find some odds and ends between you to sell. What about a garage sale or even approaching the organizers of your local fetes and ask if you can have a brick a brack stall, a cake stall, that way you and your friends can all bake cakes. Ask an adult to set up an ebay account, sell your unwanted items on there. Raffles are a great way to raise money, perhaps you could get friends and family to sponsor you and your friends to do something.

There must be lots of ways where you can raise some money, especially if you get all your friends to contribute.

Good luck :)
 
If her vets Know her well, I would get her to approach them about an installment plan. £3000 is alot of money to find if you are unable to get credit cards/overdrafts/loans. Hope all works out for her.. must be a stressful time xx
 
When a friend's horse needed colic surgery the horse hospital allowed her to pay in installments over a year. My friend took on an extra weekend job to be able to meet the cost. Her horse made a full recovery.
 
I know this feeling well and certainly feel for your friend... Max had to undergo surgery and although he is insured the insurance only met 75% of the costs, luckily I had a friend who leant me over £1k to meet my shortfall. Anyway, I'm dont know if it would be worth approaching the Royal Vets College - only reason I am thinking this, is after I paid them for Max's bill, I got a load of raffle tickets through, stating that all proceeds go to their charity to help save animals that need surgery.. not sure who exactly this pertains to though...
 
Ditto EML's suggestion - some loan companies can turn applications around in just a few days.
 
I am going to sound brutal and you are going to hate me.

First loss is best loss! as my uncle ( a livestock farmer) tells me all the time, and I am inclined to agree with him.

If you take out a loan and it all ends in dispair, you will be on a finaicial hiding to nothing. If you bite the bullet and let him go without the financial layout and added to that the potential loss of the horse on top, at least you will have saved the horse the suffering and you the financial devastation.

You need to have a long, hard, frank talk with the vet, and tell him he isn't going to get his money in one go, 30 days after the invoice is raised.....see how he reacts then!

Some vets have a strange ideas about how operations are likely to turn out.......... especially if they fiind out they might have to wait for the cash!.

Insurance dictates whether an outcome is favourable or not.

Sorry, cynical old rat bag speaking, who has been around a bit.
 
What a horrid situation to be in, buts thats why i always argue the point of insuring a horse!!

I take it she has no family she could try for a loan? I had a friend trade in her car for a cheaper one to raise cash for her ponies operation, is this an option??? or Id say try for a credit card or loan as the others have mentioned

All quite drastic and no doubt going to cause financial probs down the line but if she wants to save her horse.......:confused:
 
with the amount of animals i have its not viable to insure them,
iv just had a big vet well , and i pay my vet weekly ,
i did tell him before any treatment was carried out though

sending good luck vibes to your friend and her hoss
 
She could try shopping around to cut the cost

I know this sounds terrible but I found out quite by accident that the cost can vary dramatically.

I was told by our vets that my horses treatment would be well over my insurance limit. Its a long story but I pushed for her to go to the Liverpool Vet Hospital instead and was quoted about £1,000 less. The surgeon said they usually turn around this type of operation for less than £2000 unless something goes wrong.
 
Thanks for all your ideas, keep em coming. I particularly like Wally's post about having a frank talk to the vet about the possible outcome and payment...funny how that can change things isnt it.

I know that it will mean a great deal to her that you have all taken the time to post about this and I shall get onto the Royal Vets college asap

Thanks again
Kim
 
I would definately echo Wally's post it seems like the only truely sensible option unless there are other vets that would carry out the proceedure?

Good luck to you what ever you choose xx
 
We are lucky, that our vets are mainly agricultural vets, and the farmers and crofters here are brutally realistic. They will get treatment if it is reasonable, if not they will shoot and burry and animal, and the vet knows this. He either makes reasonable charges and gets the custom, or he goes under.

AS I have trolled through life, I have come to realise that modern vet techniques with the all singing, all dancing technology they have at their fingertips has not really advanced things much for horses and cattle.

In the old days a vet would be no more than a skilled field surgeon, doing what he could literally in the field, (where the horse, to my mind, is far better off)

These days they won't touch them unless in a specialist hospital after a traumatic horse ambulance journey, which, to my mind, does too much damamge.

If a horse had a broken leg, he was plastered in the field or shot. I know of at lest two horses who were plastered in the field and lifted into a small paddock on the front loader of a tractor. It might be three if we count Monty's mare. No box rest, just restricted ares to graze. Both horses made full recoveries and went on to a ripe old working age.

Friend had a horse whose leg was repairable according to new, fancy vet, but he had to operate in the surgery......the horse broke his leg entirely getting off the lorry at the vet hosp and had to be PTS there and then, had the vet gone for it in the field, the horse might have survived.

I tend to have a lot of respect for vets who still use "kitchen table surgery" it's often a better bet.
 
Again I agree with Wally, if I had known my boy had a 40% survival chance with the operation he had I would never have put him through it. I would have ended it there peacefully with him in pain but not as much as he was after 2 operations when he still deteriorated.

A good vet is one who is honest and doesn't faff about relying on new technology and taking silly risks, but knows whether the horse will pull through the injury/illness by the horse itself.

If the vet doesn't think you're horse will come through the surgery, I wouldn't risk it, they will HAVE to do a post mortem if he/she dies in their care and I would HATE the thought of that happening to my horse, I'd rather know that they had gone quietly and with dignity.

But I do understand how hard a decision it is to make xx
 
When I had Rambo put to sleep, there was some discussion of operating to remove his eye.

Maybe it would have given him a few more months/years, but I don't think so. More importantly, they wanted him to go to the clinic. Rambo wasn't going anywhere. The only consolation I had with Rambo's death was that it was quick, easy ... and in a field of lush grass with his buddies in sight. I would never have forgiven myself if he'd been scared and lonely at the clinic. Obviously at Rambo's age, it was an easier decision to make, but I think it's the same for every situation: the owner knows how much the horse can cope with, be that travelling, operations, recovery. Rambo would not have coped and any operation would have been for me, not him. And yes, it did also mean that I was not financially crippled.
 
Rambo was so lucky Soot, wish I had been brave enough with Cheyenne, but vet never made it known to me how much of a risk there was with the op!

As it was he still got to go in a field munching and with his best friend in sight and with everyone who loved him around him. I just wish I'd done it sooner before he lost the spark in his eye x
 
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