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Okay, thats a LOT more information. In this case, sue the (insert word I can't use on this board to describe someone rather unsavory).
I know you weren't bashing vets. The only reason I suggested that everyone on the "fire the vet" bandwagon should chill a bit.. is because we DIDN'T have the whole story. And Vets for the most part, are extremely educated.
As for you being "dirty" the day he came? Lord, if my vet ran into me anywhere off this farm, he wouldn't recognize me. My friends joke that I always wear the same dress when going out because my jeans perpetually have horse poop on them.
If you've been there 7 years, there is no reason for them to not allow you to make payments.
I still maintain that it might have been in the Vet's mind that the best thing WAS to put the horse down. You yourself said in the first post, on the first thread, that it looked a lot worse in person. Vets are human and can be wrong too.
Yes, he should have done more. But you've picked up where he missed (several) beats, and the result is.. Booger should live out the rest of his life.
The only thing I disagree with is that Vets are obligated to do the best they can to help a money regardless of whether or not an owner has the ability to pay. Vet care is not human medicine. You are a responsible animal owner, so you probably don't see this side of it, but for those of us who have worked in animal clinics.. trust me when I tell you that there are a ton of people who are simply NOT capable of administering care on their own, and if Vets did everything they could regardless of whether or not they could be paid, they wouldn't be in business. Sure, there are exceptions to thisand some really dedicated, generous docs out there. But the cases of animals who are put down because the owner can not afford the care are pretty high. Should the vet have figured something else out, or maybe done more gratis? That's arguable.
I have 26 horses, which loosely translates to me having no money left over at the end of the month. (Or at least, not as much as I'd like!). I recently had a farm dog hit by a car, this farm dog was also the house dog, and the offending driver hit her in the driveway (mile long driveway). In all fairness, Pandy (dog) chased cars. We tried, very hard, to break her of it. But we knew eventually it would happen. We failed as pet owners in that the last little while.. we'd slacked on watching her, and the worst possible thing could have happened. Fortunately, people drive slow on our driveway and she lived. But the initial estimates of repair surgery for her were between $7,000 and $9,000. Could I have scraped together the credit to do it? Yes. Is it logical, regardless of how much you love her, to spend that much money saving an animal when that amount will feed and care for everything else on the property for 4 to 5 months? No. We brought her home knowing that she would probably end up being put down. Fortunately we found a vet who suggested an alternative method of treatment (Basically, let her heal on her own with some vet care mixed in for guidance).. and Pandy is fine. If this was a possibility, why didn't the first vet suggest a much more affordable (Around $1200 total) treatment plan that would save the dog? Who knows.
I'm sorry if I jumped to the wrong conclusions about your situation, I assumed (apparently wrongfully) that you were not in a position to go thousands of dollars deep on caring for this horse, and unable to haul him to a University. I was suggesting that maybe the Vet inappropriately judged you beause of this.
I still stand by my congratulations though, on the care you've given, and the progress you're making.
