Vets on the Road Gift

Every morning, Lalla helps her owner by pulling cartloads of rubbish back and forth between Mali’s capital, Bamako, and the vast Badalabougou dump. Her job is difficult, and one day, struggling under a particularly heavy load, Lalla collapsed as she tried to make her way through the debris. The waste contained hazardous materials, like sharp pieces of metal and glass, which caused a painful cut as she fell. Lalla was at risk of contracting tetanus, a bacterial infection that thrives in dirty environments and, without proper treatment, can be fatal. Thankfully, SPANA’s mobile clinic visits the rubbish dump regularly, so her owner was able to ask for help. The team disinfected and dressed Lalla’s wound, before administering antibiotics and a tetanus vaccination. She also had a leg X-ray taken to rule out possible fractures, luckily escaping without any bone damage. Thanks to our mobile clinic, Lalla soon made a full recovery and was protected from deadly tetanus in future.