Amigo's $US20,000 vet bill begins to bite

The cost of the Tennessee horse's veterinary care is approaching $US20,000 and owner Gary Sanderson says he faces no choice but to bring Amigo back to his Luttrell pasture.

"Is he ready? Probably not." But he says he has no choice as he is unable to take on any more debt.

"You can't get water out of a dry sponge."

Amigo has been in the care of the Large Animal Clinic at the University of Tennessee since January 17, having being impaled in his pasture by a branch which penetrated his chest cavity.

The 90-centimetre stick was removed in an operation - all performed with Amigo standing up - but the accomplished Arabian endurance horse was given only a 2 per cent chance of survival.

Gary says he got a credit card dedicated to animal care and was able to max that out with $US10,000, repayable over a period of up to 60 months at an interest rate of 14 per cent.

His partner of five years, Kara Disbrow, has a similar card with which she can cover another $US5000.

"She loves me. She loves the horse. She is willing to do the same thing.

"I don't think I could have made it through this without her," he told Horsetalk.

"I have never been in this much debt before," he confessed.

He is going to take on a 20-hour-a-week part-time job, on top of his full-time job in health and safety in the nearby city of Oak Ridge, in a bid to make inroads into the debt. He is cutting back on expenses around home, such as axing cable TV, to meet Amigo's bills.

Gary said the medicines and supplies alone had cost $US11,500 to date, and he had used the credit card to meet a majority of that cost.

However, once the cost of veterinary care was added, the final bill would be around $US20,000.

Racking up any further debt was simply beyond him, he explained.

"He has got to come home. I think he should stay there. He should get well enough. But we are out of options, financially," he said.

Gary said he already had commitments meeting a student loan from his graduate degree and a personal loan for an automobile.

"I just wish I could have better news in the financial department."

Amigo's recovery is being followed by nearly 3500 fans on Facebook, and since Gary reported this weekend that the horse would have to come home, they have rallied with promises of donations, either directly to the clinic for Amigo's care or through Paypal.

Donations surged from around $US1250 to about $US2000. However, while Gary was on the telephone to Horsetalk, Kara reported a $US500 donation had been given through Paypal.

"I don't know who that's from yet. You don't know how much that will help."

Gary said he realised how difficult things were for people with the depressed economy and appreciated all those who had donated towards Amigo's care.

He realised that many of those who had given $US5 to $US10 probably couldn't afford to do so.

He was touched by the efforts of some. For example, a 4H horse club was donating the proceeds of a show to Amigo's care and some veterinary students were running a dog wash to raise money for Amigo.

Gary said he had already told the clinic that Amigo would have to come home, and he understood they were meeting on Monday to discuss the situation.

Amigo's health continues to improve and he is even spending time outside on nice days, which makes him much happier. "I think he is fed up with being inside."

His pen bears a sign: "I am in my vacation pen outside. Please check on me periodically. Gracious, Amigo."

He is still on antibiotics and is being tube-fed twice a day to ensure he gets adequate protein.

Amigo after a ride in 2009 - pic from Daniel Johnson

His odds of survival have gradually improved since his operation. He has faced life-threatening infections and laminitis, at one stage had a seizure (most likely from a blood clot that went to his brain) and battled a serious allergic reaction to donated plasma.

His wound is still open and packed with antibiotic gauze, but is closing nicely. The antibiotics currently being administered are working well to knock back Amigo's infections.

Gary said the initial estimate for Amigo's care was $US3000 to $US5000.

"To be honest, I didn't think they expected him to live."

He said it was likely Amigo was not far from being able to come home in any case, and they would give him the best of care in his pasture.

The clinic had to pull out all the stops to give Amigo a chance at life.

Cutting-edge procedures including receiving blood platelets from another horses, plasma from two different donors, time in a hyperbaric chamber to aid healing, and experimental tube-feeding.

The debt may be mounting, but Gary had just wanted Amigo to have a chance at a future.

"The horse's life is what's important to me," Gary says. "Just because something is busted up is no reason to give up on a life."