Vets on the Road (Half Day) Gift

Pablo works in the Badalabougou rubbish dump, a hazardous site in Mali’s capital city, Bamako. The donkey and his owner, Nafa, navigate mountains of rubbish daily, risking injury and serious diseases. Their work is fraught with danger, as they must avoid shards of glass, scrap metal, and other hazardous objects. One day, Pablo’s fetlock became painfully swollen after it knocked against a piece of hard metal. Nafa was worried, knowing that Pablo’s injury needed immediate attention to avoid agonising lameness. He took Pablo to the SPANA mobile clinic visiting the site.

The team examined Pablo’s injury, then administered an anti-inflammatory painkiller to relieve his pain and reduce swelling. Due to his work environment, they also gave Pablo a tetanus vaccination to help build his immunity against the deadly disease. The vets praised Nafa for acting quickly and provided guidance on how to administer the oral painkillers, advising him to return in five days to monitor Pablo’s progress.