Find out how SPANA’s partner in Ethiopia helped a horse who was suffering from the agony of harness wounds.
Kayo is 10-year-old horse from the central Ethiopian town of Bishoftu. He works six hours a day, six day a week as a ‘gharry’ – a carthorse who provides a taxi service by transporting people and goods around Bishoftu. This hard work enables his owner, Girma, to earn a living and support his wife and child.
Girma brought Kayo along to a veterinary centre in Bishoftu run by SPANA’s local partner in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa University – College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture. He’d noticed Girma was suffering from wounds on his chest and withers. Despite his best efforts to treat the wounds himself, they would not heal.
At the centre, Kayo’s wounds were examined by vet Dr Hanna Zewdu. She told Girma that his horse’s wounds had been caused by his homemade harness which was rubbing against his skin. Because Kayo wore his harness every day, the continued rubbing and pressure were stopping his wounds from healing.
Dr Hanna administered some pain relief to Kayo. She then cleaned his wounds thoroughly and applied a soothing zinc oxide ointment. Girma was advised to rest Kayo for a week and was shown how to keep his wounds clean and dry during the healing process.
Dr Hanna then spent some time explaining to Girma how to fit a harness and which materials were appropriate to use. She gave him some harness padding, made from affordable and easily accessible materials, and helped him fit it correctly. Girma was also invited to a community training session to find out more about preventing harness wounds.
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.
In Ethiopia and beyond, our teams are providing lifesaving veterinary care to treat these injuries. But more than that, we’re offering essential training to teach owners how to create safe, well-fitting harnesses that will protect their animals from future harm. These harnesses can be made using locally available materials. Learning to make them can even generate income, supporting families and boosting the local economy. Find out how you can help provide treatment and prevent suffering for working animals like Kayo’s here.
