Find out how vets in India provided vital treatment to Dhumo the brick kiln donkey when he was suffering from a painful wound on his back.
Dhumo is an eight-year-old donkey from Anklav, a city in western India. The hardworking donkey has one of the toughest jobs in the world. Dhumo works in a traditional Indian brick kiln where bricks are made by hand for use in the construction sector. Every day, Dhumo hauls backbreaking loads of bricks so that his owner, Vikram, can scrape a living to support his wife and children.
It’s punishing work for both Dhumo and Vikram. In such an extreme environment where the workload is extremely physical and temperatures are sweltering, Dhumo is at constant risk of severe injury and illness.
One day, when Dhumo and Vikram had finished another exhausting eight-hour shift, Vikram discovered that Dhumo had developed a painful wound on his back. At some point during the day, the homemade carry pouches Dhumo wears across his back to transport bricks had started to rub into his skin. Sweat, dirt and the enormous weight of the bricks he carries had exacerbated the injury. Dhumo’s wound had become swollen and infected.
Thankfully, Vikram knew what to do. Their brick kiln is visited regularly by SPANA’s Indian partner DSWA (Donkey Sanctuary Welfare Association). Together, SPANA and DSWA provide brick kiln donkeys like Dhumo access to vital veterinary treatment and care. Vikram took Dhumo to the vets at their mobile clinic.
Our vets examined Dhumo’s wound. They cleaned it thoroughly with a disinfectant solution, then applied a soothing ointment. Next, they administered painkillers to make Dhumo more comfortable and started him on a course of antibiotics to treat his infection.
Vikram was shown how to keep Dhumo’s wound clean and how to administer the antibiotics. He was also advised to rest his donkey for at least a week until the wound had healed. Finally, our vets showed Vikram how to avoid friction wounds in future.
Vikram said: ‘Thank you for helping my donkey. Without you, I would have nowhere else to go.’
Dhumo is just one of the thousands of working donkeys who toil away in India’s brutal brick kiln industry. Their work is unforgiving and their access to professional veterinary care is limited. Thanks to your support, SPANA can be there for brick kiln donkeys. Your kindness enables mobile clinics to make regular visits to brick kilns to provide veterinary treatment and lifesaving vaccinations to the donkeys who work there. We’re also able to offer owners transformative training and advice in good animal care. Find out more here.
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