Ayya the donkey had lost her appetite and was becoming weak. Within a few days, she became too lethargic to stand up. Her concerned owner tried everything she could to coax her donkey to eat but with no success. If she didn’t get veterinary help soon, she worried Ayya might pass the point of recovery.
SPANA mobile clinics are a lifeline in remote areas of countries like Tunisia. Our vehicles travel thousands of miles each year, bringing supplies and veterinary treatment to animals who would otherwise succumb to their illnesses and injuries. When Ayya’s owner saw the SPANA vehicle pull up at her local souk, she quickly ran to fetch her poorly donkey.
Well-versed in spotting the tell-tale signs of parasites, SPANA vets suspected a a severe parasitic infection of the blood.
Parasites are a chronic issue for hundreds of thousands of working animals around the world. Once they’ve infected a donkey like Ayya, they can cause malnutrition, infection, anaemia and even death if left untreated. Undetected by the human eye, many owners don’t even know their animal has parasites until it’s too late.
Luckily for Ayya, once diagnosed, the treatment is simple. The vets gave her a dose of Ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug, to flush the parasites from Ayya’s system. They recommended Ayya’s owner feed her easily digestible food to get her strength up and let her rest in a cool, shaded area for a few days while she recovered. They also asked her to bring Ayya back to the clinic in a month’s time for a follow-up treatment.
Without SPANA’s continued presence in these regions, animals like Ayya wouldn’t have access to the critical treatment and care that so many veterinary cases require. With time and regular follow-up treatments, Ayya is expected to make a full recovery.
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