When a horse began showing signs of an infectious disease, vets from our partner Addis Ababa University College of Veterinary Medicine (AAU) stepped in to provide him with essential treatment at our Bishoftu centre.
Bula is a five-year-old horse who transports irrigation water from his home in Hidi, a town in the northern Amhara region of Ethiopia, to local farms. This important work helps crops to grow and enables his owner, Ameha, to earn a living to support his parents.
Ameha noticed some small growths had formed around his horse’s eyes and became concerned when they started to burst and turned into open wounds. He took Bula to our centre in Bishoftu, run by our partner, for treatment.
At the centre, Bula was examined by vets and diagnosed with a highly contagious, fungal disease called EZL, short for epizootic lymphangitis, and known locally as ‘biche’.
The vets cleaned and drained the nodules around Bula’s eyes and gave Ameha a tincture of iodine to apply to his wounds daily. Our team also advised Ameha to keep his horse clean, keep him away from other horses, and avoid using the infected harness to prevent the disease from spreading.
Ameha said: “Bula is helpful in agricultural activities in which I and my parents rely on for our livelihood. Thank you for treating my horse. Other vet clinics I know do not have medicine to treat biche.”
In Ethiopia working animals are often affected by infectious diseases, which thrive in the hot and humid climate. These animals are the lifeline of their communities – transporting people, taking children to school and carrying goods. AAU travels across central Ethiopia to raise awareness of diseases and provide veterinary care to animals in rural areas. Many of these animals might otherwise lack access to treatment. Through their weekly clinics and by hosting training sessions, the team offer working animals a real chance of recovery and a future free from debilitating disease.
But during the summer rainy season, the pressure on the team grows. Certain diseases spread rapidly and the team see more and more working animals at their mobile clinics, in urgent need of help. And rising feed prices are pushing owners into an even more difficult situation.
Your support helps raise awareness of infectious diseases and ensures working animals, like Bula, have a chance to recover. We’re committed to transforming the lives of working animals around the world, but we can’t do it without your help. Thank you so much for your ongoing support.
