Nene the donkey was in pain, struggling to walk more than a few steps at a time. Read how SPANA vets intervened to get Nene back on his feet.
For many remote communities in the West African nation of Mali, life is difficult. For Moala, who lives with a disability, his donkey Nene is an absolute necessity. Every day, Moala depends on his son and Nene to make a small income delivering fresh water and firewood to local homes.
When Nene became lame, Moala knew that without intervention, his ability to support his family was in serious jeopardy.
The money earned from water delivery goes to fund Moala’s children’s education and Nene even pulls them to and from school every day. Central to all of his family’s hopes, dreams and aspirations is Nene, who sy.upports the whole family.
One day, while Nene was pulling a cart carrying water back to the village, he stumbled and cried out in pain. Moala’s son rushed to examine him but didn’t see any obvious injuries and the pair continued home. However, the next day, Moala came out to Nene’s shelter to find the donkey hobbling and favouring his right back leg.
As both owner and donkey were unable to travel, Moala knew that his only hope was in the form of the SPANA mobile clinic, a critically important lifeline in otherwise unreachable regions of the country. For animals too sick or injured to walk, this service means the difference between immediate medical help and unnecessary suffering.
Moala immediately called Dr Amadou and his team to come to the rescue. Within two hours, the team were with Moala and Nene, carefully examining the donkey’s foot to identify the cause of his lameness. The vets realised that a small piece of rock had pierced the side of his hoof and was now painfully embedded in the flesh. As a result of an infection, an abscess had formed and without intervention, might spread and cause permanent lameness.
The team first disinfected the area before lancing and draining the abscess. Finally, they removed the sharp piece of stone and Nene’s relief was immediate.
The vets dressed the injury after showing Moala how to keep the wound clean and free of debris while it healed. They left the grateful owner with a full course of antibiotics to fight any infection and anti-inflammatories to ease Nene’s pain.
Across much of the developing world, many of those living with a disability rely on working animals like Nene, providing independence and financial stability. Moala explained what Nene means to him, saying;
“I am disabled and rely on my donkey. I couldn’t survive without him. I have known about SPANA’s work for a few years now and always turn to them for help.”
