Baladi, a 37-year-old husband and father of four found Latifa the female horse at a market. She was thin and frail, but he was convinced that with the right care, food and recuperation time she could become an important member of his family. Unfortunately, Latifa’s problems were much more extensive than they appeared, and so Baladi decided he must take his ailing horse to the SPANA team for help as soon as possible.
Latifa, which means ‘nice’, would usually be expected to transport people and goods around Chemaia in rural Morocco, but her owner realised that he simply could not ask her to work in the condition she was in. When he brought her to the SPANA centre in Chemaia she was extremely thin, with deep wounds and significant hoof issues. She was also badly affected by parasites and her teeth were in a terrible state, which were both contributing to her malnutrition. All in all, she needed help and she needed it quickly.
Thankfully, our committed team got straight to work administering an antiparasitic treatment to ease her discomfort. They then provided dental treatment, known as rasping, to stop any tooth pain and allow Latifa to take on the nutrition needed to put on weight and make a full recovery. A specialist farrier then trimmed her hooves, and vets tended to the wounds she had that were not properly healed. Baladi was then provided with humane harness to use with Latifa so that when she was fit and ready she could help him provide for his family.
After a period of recovery and monitoring by the SPANA team, Latifa began to put on weight and eventually recovered fully. After long discussions about how to properly care for his animal between Baladi and the SPANA team, he took Latifa home.
Now, thanks to his care, support and quick action Latifa is in a loving home where she works alongside Baladi to make enough money for their family to survive.
Baladi was incredibly grateful to the SPANA vets who saved his animal and promised to tell any other owners with animals in poor condition to bring them to the Chemaia veterinary centre.
Seeing that there would be good rainfall this year I bought Latifa hoping that I could make her healthy after providing a fresh place to graze. Unfortunately, it was the parasites and the bad teeth which were causing her to be so thin. I am grateful to the staff of SPANA for having treated my mare. Thanks to them, and her, I can earn enough to support my family.
Luckily, owners that care about their animals like Baladi are in the majority in the countries where SPANA works. We just need to be on hand to advise and support them in taking the right steps when it comes to animal welfare.
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