Every year, thousands of working animals around the world suffer from eye problems. Zenebe the horse had painful and irritated eyes and needed treatment to prevent serious complications from developing.
Zenebe has a vital role in his community. The three-year-old carthorse works six hours a day, transporting people and goods to market in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, to help provide a small income for his owner Himan.
Zenebe mainly travels on busy, dusty and uneven roads. In these conditions, it is common for dust and debris to find its way into the sensitive eyes of horses. If these materials are unable to leave the eye naturally and if they are not dealt with properly, they can cause infections, corneal ulcers and other serious and painful conditions.
One day, Himan noticed that Zenebe’s eyes looked swollen, sore and irritated. He set about getting help for Zenebe straight away.
Himan led Zenebe to SPANA’s veterinary centre in Bishoftu for treatment. At the centre, Zenebe’s eyes were carefully examined and cleaned by SPANA vets. They checked if there were any foreign bodies that could be causing the problem, then applied a special stain – which is completely safe for animals – to find out if there was any damage to the surface of Zenebe’s eyes. Diagnosing corneal ulcers, Zenebe was administered an antibiotic eye ointment to treat the infection. Himan was shown how to apply the ointment correctly so he could continue the treatment at home for five days.
They then gave Zenebe a full examination and applied an anti-parasite spray to treat ticks. The SPANA team advised Himan to rest Zenebe for a week so that he could recover fully.
Himan was grateful that SPANA was able to help Zenebe and said he would continue applying the medication as instructed. He said: ‘I have had treatment for my horse before this and he recovered. Thank you for your continuous help.’
Sadly, eye problems are common in working animals. SPANA vets treat thousands of working animals with eye-related problems at our veterinary centres and mobile clinics worldwide every year. With your help, we can continue providing vital treatments to save the sight and ease the suffering of working animals. Thank you so much for your support.
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