Only two nights ago, this horse suffered a terrible injury. She was hit by a passing scooter and as a result, received a large wound to the top of her front leg. Every step must have been agonising pain for this poor animal. Despite having an owner, many equines in this part of India do not have a safe place to stay so are often wandering the streets, increasing their risk of traffic accidents and injury. Lack of education amongst owners also means that in cases like this, wounds are left to fester, with little idea of how to help their animals.
Luckily, WVS India were here to help!! Yesterday morning our team were notified about the horse from a number of people who had seen her roaming the streets of Ooty and saw she needed urgent medical attention. Our vets arrived and immediately saw the wound was incredible contaminated and the infection was getting worse. The owner had sprayed anti-maggot spray on the wound in the hope that this would help it heal. Immediately our vets ensured the horse was away from the road so they could take a closer look! They placed loops around the wound in order to dress it and began a course of pain medication and antibiotics.
In time, the dressings and antibiotics should begin to work and she is expected to make a full recovery; but it will be a long journey for this animal. It will take around two months for the large wound to heal completely and our vets will be visiting her daily to change the bandages and check on her general health to ensure her condition improves.
The owner now also understands how such accidents can be prevented. He is keeping the horse in a friend’s shed for the time being in order for her to recover and until he can find permanent shelter for his animal. This will prevent her from being another of Ooty’s street horses, at daily risk of life-threatening injury.
Thanks to WVS India, the level of knowledge amongst owners and the health of their animals is improving and our team are dedicated to continue this important work. Because every animal matters!!