One treatment saves two lives
Hardworking donkeys Touru and Gao work tirelessly for their young owner, 14-year-old Modibo. Every day, they transport heavy bags of building sand from the banks of the Niger river in Segou, Mali, into the heart of the city.
Not only do the donkeys help to earn a small income to support Modibo’s parents and siblings, but they also carry water and work the land on the family’s farm.
The donkeys are well cared for by Modibo and are usually healthy. But late one afternoon, when Modibo and his donkeys were on their way home after a gruelling day’s work, a reversing truck clipped Touru, injuring his right hind leg. After the accident, Touru found it difficult to walk more than a few steps at a time and was clearly in significant discomfort when standing.
After the young owner gave Touru a few days to recover from his ordeal, Modibo was upset to find that his beloved donkey’s limp only seemed to be getting worse. Modibo was devastated, he knew that if Touru’s condition worsened further, he wouldn’t be able to work – and without the income generated by his donkey, Modibo could no longer afford to keep him. To make things worse, the full burden of work would also be passed onto poor Gao.
Thankfully, the concerned owner had heard about our member SPANA, and sought out their vets’ help. With the aid of his faithful donkey Gao, Modibo used his cart to take the injured Touru to the Segou mobile clinic to receive the emergency treatment he urgently needed.
At the clinic, Modibo stroked the donkey’s head to soothe him while SPANA vets inspected Touro’s leg. The owner watched very carefully and asked the vets questions. The vets began by thoroughly cleaning the cuts and applied antibiotic ointment. The cooling sensation offered Touru immediate relief and would encourage faster healing. Then, the team vaccinated the donkey against tetanus and administered anti-inflammatories to ease his pain and protect him from infection.
They prescribed a course of painkillers and gave Modibo instructions on how to regularly clean Touru’s wounds. Touru was brought back the following week for a check-up and, thanks to the hard work of the vets, he made a full recovery. Modibo was extremely grateful for the treatment Touru received from SPANA. Modibo said: “The vets help us treat our animals. I’m very glad SPANA is here in Segou.“