# Urgent help needed



## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

Hi,

I am hoping someone on here will be able to give me some advice.

One of my horses has been seriously ill and needs ongoing vet treatment. She is recovering slowly but without this treatment she will not recover.

I am looking for ideas to help raise this money. I know this is a long shot, but I need to raise £650 before Monday, then in the region of £3000 for her ongoing treatment.

If anyone has any sensible ideas, I would love to hear them. I have sold pretty much everything I have to sell, which has paid for her treatment so far, so I am now totally out of ideas.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Sorry to hear your mare is so ill. Isn't her treatment covered by insurance? 

Don't know what to suggest really, but have you tried speaking to a horse rescue for advice? They may be able to suggest a vet who would be more reasonable or even be able to help themselves?

Good luck


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

Thankyou.

She is insured but the insurance wont pay as it is classed as a very rare complication of a pre-existing condition.

I have spoken to the welfare charities and unfortunately due to the high demand of welfare cases at the moment, and also lack of funds, they have been unable to help.

She is through the worst of it but as she is not completely recovered without the ongoing treatment she will relapse. I managed to sell pretty much everything I had to pay for her previous treatment, which got her off the critical list but she still desperately needs further treatment if she stands any chance of recovering.


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## VickiGS (Feb 13, 2013)

Have you thought of a car boot sale? I know you've said you've sold everything that you can, but have you ha a full clear out? It's amazing what we class as rubbish, others will buy. I earns £300 on my last car boot.

Could family and friends help with a loan?

What about baking and selling cakes/bread/muffins etc at a car boot? 

My friend grabs clothing bargains from chatty shops and sells them on eBay at profit. This may not be a short term fix but it might help you in the long run?


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

Thank you for your suggestions.

I have been doing car boot sales for the past 6 weeks to get money for her treatment so far. I have now run out of stuff to sell.

Apparantly you need a licence to sell any food products at a bootsale. It was an idea I looked into, although i doubt anyone would want to eat my cooking.

My parents are both retired so do not have much money, and I do not have a large family. Any family members that could help have already helped as much as they can.

I have now hit a brick wall, and am getting desperate. I have cleared out absolutely everything I have, even down to clothes/shoes etc. If I had anything left at all, I would sell it in an instant. Anything to help her. I'm happy to go without if it means she recovers.


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

Sorry to hear about your plight.

Set up a 'Giving' page for donations. Put up some pictures and a spiel from your vet about the horses diagnosis/pronosis and what the next steps are - not unlike a blog.

People interested in the welfare of a horse will donate - I am sure you can also claim back the tax on these donations.

This is a longer term thing but foreign coins lie around in just about every household because you cannot exchange them but a charity can do so in bulk and it's amazing how these can grow. I think though to make it work you would have to get some company such as Thomas Cook or a currency trader who has shops all over the UK to agree to take the money in for you which may mean you need to set up an account. Then publicise it on your 'giving' page as another alternative. Some people may wish to help but are not cash flush but may have foreign coins they could give.

If I can think of anything else I will let you know.


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

thank you for your ideas. I will definately look into setting up a giving page. Hopefully it wont be too complicated as im not too good on computers.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Sorry to hear about your horse. Can you tell us more about the condition and treatment.


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

summerstime24 said:


> thank you for your ideas. I will definately look into setting up a giving page. Hopefully it wont be too complicated as im not too good on computers.


Here you go it seems simple enough and good luck.

Online fundraising donations and ideas - JustGiving


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## nickmcmechan (Aug 1, 2009)

What is the condition?


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

The condition she initially had was colic, which resulted in a displaced colon. She then developed toxic collitis, which is extremally rare, which meant her body was full of toxins. She couldn't walk and had trouble standing up as her legs was so swollen and full of toxins. This is the condition which very nearly killed her. She was on the critical list for over 3 weeks and I spent all of those 3 weeks sleeping up the yard with her.
The vet was having to come out daily to her to give her huge doses of intraveneous antibiotics, steroids and painrelief, as she was too sick to be transported to the hospital for treatment. The vets said the journey would of killed her, as the toxins had increased her heart rate to a dangerous level, which meant that she would of suffered a heart attack en-route, due to the stress. Initially the vets didn't think she would survive. She was also undergoing reiki and I had a spiritualist healer coming out to her every other day.
She has recovered from the toxic collitis but she is now severely lame, with suspected laminitis due to the huge doses of steroids that she was on. Laminitis is a condition in which if not treated then the pedal bone (in the foot) rotates and drops and eventually comes through the sole of the foot, which would then mean euthansia.
She is currently on box rest and only allowed 10 minutes walk in hand each day to prevent her from stiffening up and keep the swelling in her legs down.
She needs x-rays and possibly an MRI scan to definately diagnose her. To start with the treatment consists of pain relief, remedial shoeing and a complete overhaul of her diet by a nutritionist. I'm not sure of what other treatment is entailed but I know it is a lengthy process, but has a very good recovery rate if treated. The vet has said that with treatment her chances of a full recovery are about 90 - 95%, as she has only just developed it.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

Will the vets do a payplan option for you.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

summerstime24 said:


> Thankyou.
> 
> She is insured but the insurance wont pay as it is classed as a very rare complication of a pre-existing condition.
> 
> ...


Isn't that just typical of an insurance company, when you really _desperately _need them...isn't there an Ombudsman which deals with insurance companies? I recall my TB mare cost me more to insure than my car at one point, but they did cough up when she went down to Liphook. The only thing they would not pay for was the cost of her livery there as they say you would have to pay for her if she was home with you...well yes, but nothing like as much as their livery costs. Did you get her vetted before buying and did the vet say she was OK?


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

I did not get her vetted when I got her, as I knew the dealer I bought her from, and she knew the people that owned her. She was in the same home all her life. (she was 8 when I bought her). They bred her, but when they got made redundant they was unable to afford to keep her, which was when I bought her. 
I know her full history and she had never been ill previously. I had owned her for just over a year when she got colic. When she got the colic, her insurance had run out the day before and I was in the process of getting quotes, hence she was not covered. (I couldn't believe the timing, bad luck or what). As the toxic collitis was a result of the colic, this was excluded from her insurance, and now she has suspected laminitis as a result of the toxic collitis, this is also being excluded.
Unfortunately there is nothing I can do about this in the way of complaints, and it has now left me in this very bad situation.
The vets won't do a payment plan due to the amounts involved.


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## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

I am so sorry to hear about your Horse.
You could ask about helping out at a stables or a stud farm in your area in Lou of donations for your Horse.
Also what about the PDSA can they help or maybe ring the Horse welfare Charity and see if they can help.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

How about have a sort of open day where people can come and groom and learn about horses for a small donation say £1 per person.


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## suze23 (Jun 3, 2011)

credit card?

i lost my horse last year due to colic and ulcer complications.... the treatment and other bits were around £7000


although i do sympathise.... charities are not appropriate.... i paid for my horse - i was broke by the end of it and still lost her

imo ask your vets for a payment plan - sorry this kinda of thing bugs me (asking charities - they are full with neglected and starved animals....!)


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

The pdsa only do small animals and the welfare charities are full to breaking point.

The idea of doing an open day where people can groom and learn about horses is brilliant, but unfortunately not viable because of insurance. My horse is very big,17.1 so could do a lot of damage if she kicked someone or trod on them. She's not nasty but is grumpy at the moment as shes not well and is also stressed due to not being able to go out, so I wouldn't trust her at the moment. Also it wouldn't be fair on her being pulled about when shes poorly.

The vets have flatly refused to do a payment plan as her treatment so far has cost £3,500. I have paid £2,500 but still owe £1000, for which a payment plan is already in place.

I will try the idea of doing jobs at local yards in return for donations, that seems feasible, as long as they go for the idea.

Thank you for all your suggestions so far. The more the better.


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

You would have thought rspca could help, after all they are not doing anything else with their money.

If i think of anything i will let you know, sadly i dont have £3,000 otherwise i would have offered. xx


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

I have tried pretty much everyone. Its amazing how little help is out there for larger animals. There is plenty for cats and dogs but nothing for horses.

Thankyou that is very nice of you, i appreciate the thought. To be honest, I wouldn't expect anyone to have that sort of money available, or much less for anyone to even think about offering to pay it. A lot of peoples attitudes are "its just a horse. Put it to sleep". That's not an option for me, as she stands a very good chance of a full recovery, and also she has fought so hard to survive the toxic collitis. Apparantly it has a fatality rate of about 99%, which proves how much she wants to live.I have to give her every chance. I owe her that much at least. I love her too much to just give up on her, especially when I know that her chances of a full recovery are brilliant. Also that would mean she went through all that pain for nothing. How can you destroy an animal that has fought tooth and nail to survive a deadly illness and then pts over a perfectly treatable condition.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

I would think about forgetting the MRI scan, especially if the vet already suspects the condition. Sometimes its less costly to treat for what is suspected than the costly tests!

I dont know what to sayl. Have you set up a donation page yet?


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## VickiGS (Feb 13, 2013)

Oh I'm really sorry to hear that. I hope you find a way soon! The just giving website is really good, my friend set one up for his bike ride marathon and he got about £800 on it by circling it online and via Facebook, work etc.


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

Im trying to set up a just giving page, but I can't seem to link it to my facebook page. For some reason I can't seem to access my facebook page, despite my username and password being correct. It keeps coming up with "we don't recognise the device you are using" and also "no verification process available at the moment"


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Can anyone help with this?


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## catcoonz (Aug 4, 2012)

sorry i cant help as not very good with technology, maybe post in the horse section and somebody can help more.


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

Comfortcreature and Malmum are good at this sort of thing - not sure if they are online at the moment but you could try a pm and see if they can assist you.


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

Just to add, i have some stuff to sell, which has kindly been donated to me to &#345;aíse money for summer v&#283;t bill. It has been added in for sále section.


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## Lel (Mar 21, 2012)

Sorry to hear about your horse.

There are lots of 0% credit cards, some will offer you 0% interest on new purchases for 12 or even 18 months. I suggest you apply for a couple of these. You can then pay your vet bill now and spread the cost over the duration of the interest free offer.

So if you put £4000 on your credit cards and have a 12 month interest free agreement, this means you can pay £333 per month instead of needing to find it all upfront.

So long as you pay it all off before the end of the interest free period then you will not pay a penny in interest.

I see you are selling donated items; you might want to advertise them on preloved or gum tree too.

Do you have the option of working overtime in your job, or maybe getting an extra part time job like bar work or admin/call centre work?

Have you looked at ways to cut down on your own shopping bills to save money?

Finally have you looked online for any meds or feed you will need for your horse. It could be worth you shopping around for feed as there can be a huge difference in price.

Good luck


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

summerstime24 said:


> The condition she initially had was colic, which resulted in a displaced colon. She then developed toxic collitis, which is extremally rare, which meant her body was full of toxins. She couldn't walk and had trouble standing up as her legs was so swollen and full of toxins. This is the condition which very nearly killed her. She was on the critical list for over 3 weeks and I spent all of those 3 weeks sleeping up the yard with her.
> The vet was having to come out daily to her to give her huge doses of intraveneous antibiotics, steroids and painrelief, as she was too sick to be transported to the hospital for treatment. The vets said the journey would of killed her, as the toxins had increased her heart rate to a dangerous level, which meant that she would of suffered a heart attack en-route, due to the stress. Initially the vets didn't think she would survive. She was also undergoing reiki and I had a spiritualist healer coming out to her every other day.
> She has recovered from the toxic collitis but she is now severely lame, with suspected laminitis due to the huge doses of steroids that she was on. Laminitis is a condition in which if not treated then the pedal bone (in the foot) rotates and drops and eventually comes through the sole of the foot, which would then mean euthansia.
> She is currently on box rest and only allowed 10 minutes walk in hand each day to prevent her from stiffening up and keep the swelling in her legs down.
> She needs x-rays and possibly an MRI scan to definately diagnose her. To start with the treatment consists of pain relief, remedial shoeing and a complete overhaul of her diet by a nutritionist. I'm not sure of what other treatment is entailed but I know it is a lengthy process, but has a very good recovery rate if treated. The vet has said that with treatment her chances of a full recovery are about 90 - 95%, as she has only just developed it.


Had a pony with severe lammy.. Most cases wont need xrays just a flat diet and a good farrier... I dont know the ins and outs of toxic colitis, but have had a friend who's horse suffered with it.. and unfortunately didn't pull through....

I dont know how big or what type of horse.. But know i had to feed the oldest soaked hay possible we did have xrays.. also checked for other things in her bloods.. Bound her feet with extra padding under neath and kept her on a good clean deep litter for support and bute and aspirin .. And honestly this pony was booked in to be PTS.. we had even arranged her to be picked up and where it was going to happen.. Im sure it will be on here somewhere.. But with everything we did.. she kept going... and turned into a cracking jumper on the right surface.. xxx
Best of luck with your horse xxx


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## summerstime24 (Feb 14, 2013)

Just a quick update on summer. The vets now do not think it is laminitis, but there is definitely something going on inside her feet, they just don't know what.
She is now lame on both front feet. She has had nerve blocks which has revealed its definitely her feet.
Both the vets and farrier are stumped. She definitely needs x rays to show what is going on. 
I have now set up a donation site on go fund me, which is available through Facebook, under summer time.
Thanks for all your suggestions so far, but I am still in despetate need of money to help with her further treatment.


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