An eye infection was threatening Ahmina the donkey’s vision. Read how SPANA vets soothed her discomfort and restored her sight.
Ahmina’s eyes were painful and she struggled to keep them open in the harsh Moroccan sunlight. The skin around them became raw and itchy as her condition worsened. The five-year-old donkey was in so much discomfort that she stopped frequently to itch her face against trees in a bid to find some relief. Without treatment, there was a high risk that Ahmina might lose vision in one or both eyes.
Eye parasites like habronemiasis are a common problem for working animals in this part of the world. As animals forage, they can easily pick up tiny organisms that make their way into their circulatory systems. Without treatment, these parasites can cause all types of problems, from blindness to malnutrition and even death.
Ahmina’s owner, Moukhtar, was extremely worried for his donkey’s eyesight. With a family to support, Moukhtar relies on Ahmina to work on his small farm, tilling the soil and fetching water. That’s why at the break of dawn, 65-year-old Moukhtar and Aminha made the two–hour long walk to the local souk where the SPANA mobile clinic was waiting.
Luckily, the condition can be treated with injections of an antiparasitic medication called Ivermectin. After administering the drug, the team cleaned the wounds around Ahmina’s eyes to stop them from becoming infected and applied a soothing ointment. Moukhtar was sent home with an extra tube of the treatment and instructed to treat Ahmina’s eyes three times a day for several days.
When the mobile clinic returned two weeks later, Ahmina and Moukhtar were waiting for the second injection of Ivermectin, which would protect Ahmina from developing symptoms again in the future. Already, her eyes were much less swollen and her vision had improved.
Moukhtar was incredibly relieved and grateful for SPANA’s intervention, promising to return in the future should Ahmina need help. His donkey is his lifeline here and thanks to our team’s help, he can now better look after Ahmina for years to come.
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