Leila the mule’s ill-fitting pack saddle had caused a painful wound to develop on her withers. Find out how SPANA vets in Morocco eased her pain.
Leila the mule supports her owner, Mohammed, guiding tourists in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Together, they work two to three hours a day helping tourists explore the region surrounding the remote village of Imlil. This work enables Mohammed to support his wife and young child.
The 19-year-old mule climbs steep terrain wearing an old and heavy pack saddle that had rubbed against her withers. In the hot and dusty conditions, the constant rubbing had caused a painful pressure sore to develop. Despite Mohammed’s best efforts to look after his beloved mule, Leila’s wound showed no sign of healing. So, he decided to take Leila to see SPANA’s vets the next time the SPANA mobile clinic visited their isolated mountain community.
At the clinic, our vets examined Leila’s sore wound. They cleaned and dressed the wound carefully, using a soothing ointment and soft padding. Crucially, the vets then fitted Leila with a doughnut bandage – a round, padded bandage with a hole in the middle. They explained to Mohammed that this special shape would keep pressure off Leila’s wound and help the healing process. When treating animals with harness wounds, our vets will give advice to owners on how to prevent future injury.
Mohammed was delighted that SPANA was able to help Leila. He said: ‘Thank you, SPANA. The care you provide to our mules and the information you give us is very helpful.’
Across the world, many working animals, like Leila, are suffering from constant pain caused by ill-fitting equipment. In the low-income communities where SPANA works, proper harnessing is often unavailable, and owners have no choice but to use whatever materials they can find. However, thanks to your kindness, SPANA vets can treat working animals who are suffering from painful wounds and sores caused by ill-fitting harnessing. We are also able to train their owners in how to check, fit and make well-fitting equipment so that working animals are safe and comfortable. Thank you so much for your ongoing support.
