Spana vets treat Leyla the unlucky donkey

Her concerned owner, Abed, found her in a distressed state first thing in the morning. He immediately brought her to the team of SPANA vets for assessment and treatment.

Leyla works with Abed to plough his fields, helping to provide food for his family and vital transport so that his children can attend school.

Thankfully, the injuries that Leyla sustained were not life threatening, and after a thorough examination by the SPANA team, she was treated for a tendon injury. The treatment involved dressing the damaged joints and tendons at the clinic and keeping her in for observation.

After a week, Leyla was back to full health and could return home with her owner. When she was discharged, SPANA vets advised Abel to ensure that Leyla, and any other animals he had, were kept in safe environments overnight to avoid this kind of thing happening again.

Abel said: ‘Without SPANA I could not afford treatment for Leyla and I would not be able to plough my fields, so my donkey and my family would suffer. I am very grateful for their help.’

Agriculture counts for almost half of Jordan’s output, and in rural areas people still rely heavily on working animals to support their income. SPANA has been working in Jordan for 27 years, treating more than 3,000 working animals a year. We also run an extensive education programme that reaches over 2,500 of tomorrow’s animal owners every year. This is only possible because of the kind support we receive from people like you.