Tekki the donkey developed agonising wounds from a poorly fitted harness.

Harness wounds cause working animals terrible distress

In many countries where we work, harness wounds are some of the most common conditions seen by SPANA veterinary teams. For working animals, these injuries are more than just painful, they can be life-threatening.

Where well-made harnesses are hard to come by, owners often have no choice but to make do with what they have, using materials like plastic, wire or rough ropes. Unfortunately, these makeshift harnesses can cause deep, infected wounds that cause terrible suffering.

In Mali and beyond, our teams are providing lifesaving veterinary care to treat these injuries. But more than that, our teams develop the animal welfare knowledge or owners so they can create safe, well-fitting harnesses that will protect their animals from future harm.

Will you donate today to stop this suffering and give working animals the care they deserve?

 

When Tekki arrived at the mobile clinic, he was in visible distress

Amou’s agonising harness wounds

Amou is a six year old donkey from Mali who helps his owner, Yaya, eke out a living by transporting refuse to the dumps. Day after day, Amou pulls his cart using a poorly fitting neckband that rubs his skin raw, leaving a painful open wound.

As he works, the wound becomes worse and increasingly at risk of infection. In hot and humid climates where bacteria thrive, untreated harness wounds can quickly turn deadly. Even small injuries can become gateways for serious infections such as tetanus – a disease which can cause a slow and painful death.

Fortunately, Yaya knew to take Amou to the SPANA mobile clinic that regularly visits the dumps. The sore on Amou’s neck was red and raw, and he flinched whenever the vets tried to touch him.

The team gently cleaned his injury, applied a soothing ointment and gave him pain relief to ease his suffering.

With guidance from our team, Yaya added soft padding to Amou’s harness and a breeching strap to his cart so that it would no longer slam into Amou’s back and risk injuring him when it came to a stop.

Harness wounds cause unbearable pain in working animals, but they are preventable. With your support, SPANA can provide urgent treatment, safer harnessing equipment and develop the animal welfare knowledge of owners, sparing animals like Amou from a lifetime of misery.

Will you donate today to prevent harmful harness wounds and deadly infections?

 

How your support could give relief to working animals suffering from agonising wounds

Many owners don't understand the devastating effects of ill-fitting harnesses on working animals. With your help, we can change that.
Our vets provide urgent treatment to relieve pain and treat infection, even in remote locations.
We equip our clinics with specialist medications and equipment to make sure animals get the care they need.
We deepen animal owners knowledge on the importance of proper padding to prevent future suffering.

Thank you

Your generous donations will be used for projects such as those featured in this appeal and where they are required the most to help animals in need. We would be so grateful for whatever you can give to this vital appeal. Thank you.