Treating Modibo’s painful back wounds

Modibo the donkey works tirelessly for his young owner, 15-year-old Aboudou, transporting bales of straw from the banks of the Niger river in Ségou, Mali, into the city. But one day, Modibo was bitten by another donkey. As a result, Modibo was left with painful, open wounds on his back.

Modibo is good-natured and Aboudou takes great care of him, so the boy was devastated to see his beloved donkey in such pain. Modibo required veterinary care straight away and Aboudou knew SPANA would be able to help. He took Modibo to SPANA’s Ségou mobile clinic to get him the emergency treatment he urgently needed. SPANA’s mobile clinics are a lifeline for working animals, providing free veterinary treatments, administering essential vaccinations and distributing humane equipment.

At the clinic, SPANA vets inspected Modibo’s wounds. His injuries were thoroughly cleaned with water and a disinfectant solution, and all the infected tissue was carefully removed. The vets also applied a soothing lotion to encourage the wounds to heal faster. They explained to Aboudou how to make up a disinfectant solution at home so he could gently clean the wound without hurting Modibo. Modibo also received a general health check. SPANA vets carefully examined the condition of his hooves, checked his teeth to ensure there were no sharp points causing wounds in his mouth, and gave him a deworming injection.