Horse clinic on Sumba Island

From 2-4 December, a veterinary aid team visited Sumba Island:

Dr Peta Hitchens (epidemiologist)

Dr Dinar Arifianto and Dr Peni Wahyu (Indonesian vets)

and Dr Esther Van Herwaarden (Melbourne vet).

The team was joined by local Sumba vet Dr. Umbu Jara Sipul, and vet student Frits Francis.

Veterinary examinations were conducted on 62 village horses (including 11 mares with foals) over 3 days. Clinics were held at Hoba Wawi (next door to the Sumba Foundation Malaria Clinic) as well as a mobile vet clinic in the villages.

Horses were wormed, given vitamin injections, and fed. Only a few required wound treatment, or treatment for other ailments.

On a sample of horses, faecal worm egg counts and blood samples were taken to screen the health status and possibility of infectious diseases. The main issues observed were poor body condition score and parasites.

The team were supported by Carol Sharpe with funding from Nihi Sumba.

Thank you to the team for a job well done, and plans are in place for another clinic next year.