Pregnant Wassima was in a bad way when she was brought along to SPANA by her worried owner, Tahiri. Thankfully, our vets in Morocco were on hand to help.
Wassima, which means handsome in Arabic, is a vital member of her family. Without her, Tahiri and his six dependents would have no means of bringing in an income. She not only works on her owner’s farm, but also takes produce to and from market and collects water for her family and neighbours – she is absolutely essential.
When Wassima became pregnant, her owner and his wife could not continue to ask so much of her, so they bought a young horse to help. Unfortunately, while pulling a cart with Wassima, the horse became spooked and bolted, dragging poor Wassima in to the path of a car, badly fracturing her jaw in the process.
Thankfully, Tahiri learned about SPANA from a neighbour so, without hesitation, he brought his beloved donkey to our centre in Chemaia.
To relieve Wassima’s pain and ensure that the treatment was as effective as possible, SPANA vets gave her painkillers and sedated her immediately. They then cleaned her wound before performing skilled surgery that ensured she was given the best opportunity to heal properly. She was prescribed vital antibiotics and anti-tetanus injections to support her recovery and make sure she didn’t suffer any secondary infections.
Because of her injuries, Wassima couldn’t eat solid foods at first so SPANA vets made sure she was getting the nutrition she needed through a tube while she recovered. This was especially significant for the safety and healthy growth of her unborn baby, which was an ever-present consideration when treating Wassima.
Because of your kindness, SPANA vets were able to care for Wassima for a full month, guaranteeing her complete recovery before returning her to Tahiri and his family.
Three months later, SPANA vets paid a visit to Tahiri’s farm, and were delighted to find that Wassima was not only back to full health, but had given birth to a healthy donkey foal – the whole family had fallen in love with the new addition. Tahiri said:
‘It is a miracle that Wassima is still alive amongst us. When that tragic accident happened, I worried that it was the end for her and I was desperate. My neighbour, Brahim, advised me to bring her to SPANA’s Chemaia centre. The vets told me they would do their best to save my donkey, and thankfully they could. Thank you SPANA, without you, I would have surely lost Wassima.’
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