Nowzad Donkey and Equine Sanctuary in Kabul, Afghanistan, March Update
Your generosity has touched our hearts, and we are incredibly thankful for your contribution, that has allowed the rescue, treatment, and owner education of horses in Afghanistan. Your funds are distributed to our partner organisation, Nowzad, who run the Equine Sanctuary there in Kabul and this team wants you to know, “Your amazing donations are going to such good use.” Here, they provide an update on the recently rescued brown horse in February, which you all helped make happen.
Brown horse progress
We recently took in a brown horse for hospital treatment.
Unfortunately, we are at absolute full capacity at the equine sanctuary now so we couldn’t keep it here for the long term under our care. However, we are really pleased to report that our brown horse made a full recovery and was returned to his owner on the weekend. Dr Reshad has received assurances from the owner that he will take much better care from now on.
There will then be plenty of follow-up visits to ensure the owner is maintaining the horse’s welfare and care. In fact, Dr Reshad will make his first check-up visit to visit Brown Horse on Monday. We will certainly let you know in our next update how this went. We are likely to use our incentive scheme too, where good care is rewarded with certification and donated brushes, buckets, first aid kits etc.
We will be looking very shortly to expand our equine sanctuary in Kabul, to a more rural location with more land to take in more rescues. This will certainly be our aim for 2024.
Dr Reshad’s mobile clinics
18 March 2024 – At least 20 horses treated and proper care education provided to owners
Dr Reshad’s mobile clinic visit was a huge success. Dr Reshad had arranged to revisit the area again where the brown horse was rescued from and, lo and behold, at least 20 other owners had brought their horses for rabies and tetanus vaccinations, full de-worming and treatment for wounds.
The Nowzad team was also able to distribute information leaflets on the proper care and husbandry of equines, which was very well received apparently. All the owners and their young children made a commitment to listen to Dr Reshad’s words and let Nowzad know whenever their horses need treatment or booster vaccinations. We are so thrilled that news of the mobile clinic is spreading throughout the local communities.
March 4, 2024 - Basic equine first aid demonstration
During Dr Reshad’s treatment and outreach visit, he took the opportunity to show owners and handlers some basic equine first aid (many of the medicines we now have “onboard” being funded by AAA’s contribution!), including how to administer IV fluids.
Coats
Thanks to the generous support of Animal Aid Abroad donors, 50 coats have been made available to keep warm the horses and donkeys at our sanctuary or any that Dr Reshad visits on his clinic rounds.
A very big thanks from Nowzad again to Animal Aid Abroad and their amazing supporters!
Summary of horses and donkeys treated by the mobile veterinary team in Kabul during March 2024
Horses
A total of 117 horses were treated for a range of medical issues including limping, respiratory problems, joint problems, weakness, diarrhoea, malnutrition and more. Please find key figures below:
18 horses hoof trimmed
4 horses had leg wounds treated
20 horses tetanus and rabies vaccinations
27 horses dewormed
6 harness wounds treated
Donkeys
A total of 53 donkeys were treated with:
20 vaccinated, 20 dewormed
11 were provided harnesses
One horse was treated for a hospitalised leg injury and another for P.T.S.