Klana receives the help she needs
Every day, Klana pulls a cart for her owner Ely, in Mauritania’s capital city, Nouakchott. Under the hot Mauritanian sun and in such a dusty and arid climate, the seven-year-old donkey’s homemade harness started to rub against her skin. Over time, the constant friction from the harness led to painful wounds developing across her nose and around her chest.
Sadly, poor harnessing and ill-fitting equipment are common problems for working animals. In the world’s poorest countries, proper harnessing is often unaffordable or unavailable, leaving owners with no option but to use makeshift materials, which can be uncomfortable, abrasive and cause cuts and sores.
Ely had tried his best to make sure Klana’s harness fitted her, but he realised that she now needed help as soon as possible. Luckily, he knew exactly where to go. He had heard about the care provided by our member SPANA vets at the nearby mobile clinic and took Klana for urgent treatment.
At the mobile clinic, SPANA vets gently disinfected each of Klana’s wounds to make sure they were all clean. They also provided Ely with some comfortable padding and showed him how to position it correctly to protect Klana from any further injury. This padding is a simple solution to reduce injuries and wounds in the future – and will make Klana’s working life much more comfortable. They also gave Klana a general health check and administered anti-parasite treatment.
Ely was thankful for the help he received from SPANA and was delighted that Klana’s discomfort had been eased. He said: “I am so grateful that SPANA could help my donkey and I have learnt a lot from the vets today. I will tell all my friends to come here with their animals.”