By Heather Walker (Communications Officer)
08 Feb 2011

Today I follow round the Brooke mobile veterinary team as they respond to emergency calls in the brick kilns. I feel like Rolf Harris in an episode of Animal Hospital!

The first patient we see is a 15-year-old donkey who is suffering from lameness on his hind leg. Brooke vet Dr Ammr and Brooke farrier Lotfy inspect the donkey – mid kicks – and see there is an infection brought on by the wet bedding in the stable. The Brooke team remove the shoe, clean the infection, replace the shoe and then bandage the area – showing Shabaan, the stableman, how to do this next time.

Shabaan says he cleans out the stable once every four months which Dr Ammr says isn’t enough. “I thought my donkey had hurt his leg from being kicked by other donkeys but Dr Ammr tells me this is not the case and I need to clean out the stable more often. I will try to do this but it is difficult as I have so many responsibilities with my job and with my family”.

As we pull up at our next stop we are met by the sound of howling dogs – we exchange worried looks –horses and donkeys are one thing but I’d rather not get rabies. To our relief this ‘pack’ of dogs turns out to be four playful puppies! Their mother was sadly killed by a car so Khaled – the stableman we are visiting – has taken them in. Acts of kindness are so rare in this harsh climate so it is all the more special.

Khaled’s donkey – is over 20-years-old (ancient in this environment), isn’t eating and is refusing to work.

Dr Ammr inspects him and finds out his teeth are so overgrown and sharp that he is unable to eat and therefore has no energy to work. The Brooke team carry out ‘teeth rasping’ to file down the teeth and Grandpa Donkey will soon be on the road to recovery.

Ever heard the phrase ‘as stubborn as a mule’? Well I can now vouch for that! The next patient is a ten-year-old mule which has stopped eating and won’t let anyone come close. Dr Ammr notices a large abscess on the mule’s neck which has been caused from a bite which has become infected. The mule is obviously in a lot of pain and rears up and kicks anyone who is close by. In the end it takes about eight men and a sedative to calm the mule down, so Dr Ammr can treat it. He drains the abscess, treats it with antibiotics and then bandages it up.

Dr Ammr tells the stableman, Ali, to separate the mules and donkeys into different stables to stop them fighting but it’s not as simple as that. “I can’t afford to house the donkeys and mules in separate stables, if I could then I would do this but sadly I can’t”.

As we head back to the jeep a brick kiln owner’s son, Mohammed, rushes over to Dr Ammr to ask him to look at a 20-year-old mule who has been working a lot more slowly and sluggishly than normal. Dr Ammr checks the mule’s eyes and immediately concludes that the mule is suffering from a blood parasite due to the presence of thalaziasis (eye worm). This is an infection which can be transmitted from other donkeys and mules and affects the body condition and liver of an animal.

“Unfortunately this sort of disease is very common and difficult to prevent particularly as this brick kiln is close to sewage works and the mule shares a stable with lots of donkeys” says Dr Ammr.

The brick kiln owner, Mohammed, realises that in order to prevent the disease from spreading to other animals, he needs to separate the mules and donkeys and ideally position the stable further away from the sewage works.  “I don’t want other mules and donkeys to come down with this disease as well – it’s not good for my business and it’s especially not good for the animals. I will build a new stable for the mules to separate them from the donkeys and move them further away from the sewage works” adds Mohammed.

This is a great outcome for both the Brooke and the animals and shows how collaborating with and influencing others works wonders and real results can be achieved.

The final visit of the day (and the last of my trip) is to treat a 15-year-old donkey that has a wound on its back caused by the shafts of the cart rubbing against the skin. Dr Ammr treats the donkey with antiseptics and bandages. He also advises the owner, Reda, to use smoother edged shafts which are wider so won’t dig into the donkey as he pulls the cart which the owner agrees to do.

Dr Ammr also inspects the stable where the donkey sleeps and he is saddened by what he finds. “This is one of the worst stables I have seen here – there is hardly any bedding and no fresh water. The conditions are so cramped, it would be impossible to house one donkey here let alone seven”.

Reda listens to Dr Ammr and seems embarrassed by the state of the stable and agrees to try and improve it with more bedding and clean water.

“Bad animal husbandry is very common in these brick kilns. I try to encourage the owners and users of the animals to provide the animals with adequate stables but it is an ongoing battle” sighs Dr Ammr.

Check out the photo gallery on Flickr or visit the Brooke website