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Equine Outreach Medical Clinic, Nepal

In June, Animal Nepal witnessed the birth of Victory, the first foal to be born at the Nepal donkey sanctuary. Victory is the daughter of Bruna, whom we rescued on March 5. Bruna at that time was pregnant and suffered from a lame front leg and refused to work, which was why she was abandoned by her owner. Fearing a miscarriage, Animal Nepal rescued the donkey. Bruna improved quickly and gave birth to a beautiful white coloured foal in June.

Victory is a cuddly foal that enjoys spending time with volunteers and visitors. Unfortunately, due to the proximity of donkeys like Maya and Clover, she recently started suffering from a fungal skin infection.

In the photo she enjoys a cuddle from volunteer vet Sivan Ritter, who, with the help of Animal Nepal’s ‘donkey whisperer’, Dr Sudeep, treats Victory daily with a sulphur-based medicine.

On April 11, Dr Sudeep Koirala received a phone call at 5 am in the morning. An aged working donkey had given birth to a dead foal and its uterus had prolapsed.

Dr Sudeep immediately drove to Priya Brick Factory.

Anna, a 14-year old white mother donkey, was in bad state. During the difficult birth, her uterus had come outside. Dr Sudeep first cleaned the uterus using povidone iodine. He then proceeded by providing a painkiller and antibiotics injection. After that he slowly and carefully pushed the uterus back in, blocking the exit with a bottle until everything was back in place.

Once the uterus was in its original position the mother donkey was able to relax.

“I had been working intensively for a few hours on this challenging job, and only when the donkey felt fine could I relax as well,” says the Animal Nepal’s Equine Outreach Programme veterinary coordinator.

Treatments such as these are just one of the countless examples in which medicines, supported by Animal Aid Abroad, are saving the lives of Nepalese donkeys. Animal Nepal in the first half of 2011 treated over 2000 equine cases. From simple interventions such as vaccinations and de-worming, to complicated procedures such as treating colic and dystocia (in which the fetus has died inside the womb), medicines are needed to alleviate the suffering of Nepal’s working equines.

Animal Nepal would like to thank Animal Aid Abroad supporters for enabling us to support a growing number of equines working in Kathmandu’s brick factories!