Nayef the foal’s road to recovery

When Nayef was injured in a road accident, the foal was admitted to SPANA’s stables in Morocco for expert treatment.

At just 10 months old, Nayef is a playful and curious foal. He lives with his owner, Benacer, in a small village, and Nayef’s mother helps Benacer to earn a basic living by transporting goods.

One day, Nayef’s curiosity got the better of him. He somehow managed to leave his enclosure and wandered too near the main road. The road connects two major towns in Morocco and is very busy. Sadly, Nayef was hit by a passing vehicle. Benacer was informed of the accident by his neighbours and feared for the foal’s life. He rushed Nayef to the SPANA veterinary centre in Chemaia, five miles away, for urgent help.

At the centre, Nayef was carefully examined by SPANA’s vet team. Nayef would not put any weight on his right back leg, so he was admitted to the centre’s stables for further investigation and treatment. As soon as he was admitted, our vets X-rayed Nayef’s leg, which revealed the foal had a closed fracture. Luckily, the fracture was not complete, and the bones had not moved, but the team needed to act fast to stabilise it. They gave Nayef a general anaesthetic, then expertly immobilised the fracture and protected his broken leg in a cast.

Nayef had to stay at the stables for 10 weeks while his injury healed. He was monitored closely during his stay, and our vets replaced his cast regularly. The cast was removed after six weeks and the team then gently introduced some physiotherapy to ensure the muscles and tendons in his leg recovered their strength. At 10 weeks, an X-ray revealed his leg had healed perfectly, and Nayef was able to go home.

Benacer said: ‘Many thanks to SPANA. I am grateful for the treatment my animal was given at the stables.’

Thanks to your support, we are able to treat hundreds of thousands of working animals every year. Although many of the working animals we treat at our centres and mobile clinics can return home quickly after receiving the care they need, some seriously sick and injured animals, like Nayef, require longer periods of treatment and a stay at our stables. 

We operate 16 stables across the world, providing working animals with everything they need to make a full and healthy recovery. By becoming a Stable Sponsor, you can help ensure that working animals admitted to our stables receive expert care from SPANA vets, along with nutritious feed, medicines, and clean and comfortable shelter. Thank you for helping to provide a haven for working animals.

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