A satisfying before and after!
During our Equine Team’s recent visit in Chalki, they treated 4 donkeys and 2 mules (100% of the equine population of the small island!), and encountered a specific case involving a donkey with a nasty wound. During the summer, we were informed by our local partners, Donkeysland Γαϊδουροχώρα – το Ελληνικό Κέντρο για το Γαϊδούρι, about the donkey, who had a large wound on his back which was oozing pus, caused by an ill-fitting saddle pack. The donkey was being used to transport his owner daily to his farm animals on the mountain, but his saddle was rubbing and causing the injury. Local residents, tourists and Tatiana from Donkeysland took action to inform the Municipality of Chalki and all together with our involvement, ensured the donkey was treated and not working until the wound was healed.
Our team, with the cooperation from the Municipality of Chalki, organised a visit to the island and took the opportunity to examine the donkey to see how he was doing. We were happy to see that the extensive wounds that had been caused by the saddle pack had now completely healed. The donkey also received full dental and farriery treatment from our team, who are in communication with the owner’s family to ensure the necessary measures are taken to replace the saddle pack so this doesn’t reoccur.
Thankfully, the majority of the equines on the island were healthy, their hooves were in good condition mainly due to the hard stone on the island which naturally wears them down. All equines were given dental treatment for sharp edges and dental overgrowths. Some extra patience and care was required from the team, as almost all the animals were not particularly accustomed to human touch, let alone having their mouths and feet handled!
We would like to express our thanks to the Municipality of Chalki for their cooperation and kind offer of the team’s boat tickets to the island, the kind residents of Chalki for their welfare interest and actions, and our local partners Donkeysland for their cooperation.
Our outreach in Chalki has another important significance for us, as Chalki was the first place visited in 1993 by Dr Janet Eley, veterinary surgeon and founder of our Equine Project, when she inspired a unique project to help the working equines all over Greece. So almost 30 years later, the Equine Programme returns to Chalki, with a team of three professionals, making us proud to have been able to continue, evolve and progress the programme in many aspects, and to have offered our services to thousands of working donkeys, mules and horses all over the country.
