An Interesting Case: The Stumpy Pony.

I remember seeing a post on the “Sakkara Equine Clinic” Facebook page (an equine hospital in our area) about a horse they had in their care. The horse had a twisted body and he appeared to be entirely missing a hoof on his hind leg. People asked on the Facebook page what had happened to the pony and had they euthanised him but there never was a reply from admin to what the fate of the pony with the stumpy leg was.

Here are some screen shots from the Sakkara Equine Clinic Facebook page. They are clearly dated 10th December 2013.

 

I did actually think about the pony from time to time because it was such a strange case and because we never did have a reply from Sakkara about what had happened to the pony.

 

Then my head groom contacted me to say that a man had come from the countryside with a horse and he wanted us to pay for the transportation costs! 

So I said yes we could pay the costs and asked for some photos of this new foster case we had sprung on us. 

When my head groom sent through the photos of the same pony from the Sakkara Equine Clinic 6 months ago I was shocked!

I immediately made an offer to purchase the pony, there is nothing we can do too help if the pony does not belong to us. We do not posses the legal power to seize animals from owners. 

We were told no. 

 

I made the conscious decision to allow the pony to stay on our property. At least if the pony was on our property I knew that he would receive, food, water, bedding and medical care. I knew we could work on the owner and purchasing the pony. 

What I didn’t want to occur was to push the owner so hard that he took the pony away and hid it in another unknown stables for the rest of its life.

This pony staying with us was the best chance he had at a peaceful end and the right decision being made for him. 

The team gave him, food, water, shade and a sandy menage to lay in. We wormed him but only so he didn’t pass any parasites to any of our animals. We didn’t have his teeth done or his hooves done, he didn’t have very long left in this cruel world and the stress of both procedures was not worth inflicting upon him.

It wasn’t an easy or quick procedure for the owner to allow us to purchase him. The owner had not listened to the advise of Sakkara Equine Clinic vets to euthanise the pony, and they had taken the pony away from them and kept him another 6 months so why would they consider listening to us? 

 

A deal was made though. 400le was the cost of freedom.

The little pony doesn’t need his legs anymore because he now has wings. ❤

 

 

I do not regret my decision to allow this pony to stay on the property. If I had turned this pony away from our stables because I was worried what people would think then can you imagine where this pony would be now? 

Nothing in Egypt is fair and nothing is ideal! There is no such thing as perfection. Allowing this pony to stay was not a perfect solution to the problem. Allowing the pony to be taken by his owner to an unknown fate was a worse solution! 

This pony stayed with us in our care so we knew he would be comfortable, fed, and loved. The uncertain future he faced if we had turned the case away is an unbearable thought.  He wasn’t a sick pony, he could live for years like this… hidden away in someones stables… overlooked because he wasn’t perfect or useful. 

The right decision was made for this pony. Nothing happens in Egypt very quickly, negotiating with owners is a tricky and sensitive issue.

But we prevailed. The pony is free. This is a success story for this pony.

My heart goes out to the team who cried for the entire final procedure. Life is not fair when the soul is so strong but the body so weak.

 

In heaven all that was wrong is right again. So when we met again you will be whole and able to gallop with the rest of our rescues who are now free.

 

This is the story of how one unfortunate stumpy legged pony stole everyone’s hearts.   

Ashmoona: The rescued Mule from Ashmoon El Munofia (أشمونه بغلة المنو)

Salwa one of the animal activists in Egypt had spent many days trying to organise the rescue of Ashmoona the injured mule from the streets of Egypt. 

 

Her leg is very swollen just above the knee joint and it seems to have been this way for a long time. Possibly a healed over broken leg.

Ashmoona has just been left in the street in this condition to fend for herself after her elderly owner passed away. She has been living off trash and eating the grass out of the middle divider in busy roads.

Ashmoona is in fairly poor condition. She was handed down as inheritance to the man’s children after he died and they obviously don’t have much knowledge about equines to understand that the mule required serious medical intervention and not to just be allowed to walk around the streets eating trash and wandering in front of traffic. 

The injury appears very old and has healed over forming the large and lumpy leg that you can see in the photo. 

Here is the extract from the original Facebook post as posted by animal activist Mariam:

عاجل…أشمونه بغلة المنوفيه، هو علميا مفيش حاجه إسمها بغلة…الطبيعي إن البغل ده نتاج تزاوج الحصان مع الحمار وبيكون الإنتاج بغل ذكر لا ينجب…لكن أشمونه بغلة فعلا بنت !!!
ما علينا…المهم أشمونه أنقذناها من المنوفية صاحبها الرجل بتاع الجاز مات وتركها ميراث بالحالة دي!!! احنا لسه مش عارفين الورم سببه إيه بالظبط لكن حنعرف بعد الأشعه إنشاء الله.
المصاريف طبعا شحتناها علي بال ما حد يتبرع ويساعد في حالتها.
تعويض للورثة 200 جنيه
نقل من المنوفية إلي القاهره 400 جنيه
الأشعه 200 جنيه
العلاج وكشف الدكتور المختص ..لم يحدد بعد.
أشمونه موجوده في جمعية مشروع الحصان..وصلت الصبح.
للتبرع برجاء علي فودافون كاش 01005698459

Ashmoona, The Mulle of Ashmoon El Munofia,rescued today from there and arrived into The Egypt Horse Prohect in the morning,we still don know yet what happened with Ashmoona ‘s hand,but we will know yet tomorrow after applying X-Ray.Ashmoona was an heritage of an orphan kids and their family as it was owned by a poor man died,and left Ashmoona on this status.
Expenses needed urgently:
Compensation for the owners 200 EGY
Transportation from Munofia to Cairo 400 EGY
X-Ray 200 EGY
Medication and Vet Examination unknown yet.

Please help Ashmoona and donate on Vodafone cash 01005698459.

Ahmed arrived with the horse truck to collect Ashmoona after Salwa had organised everything. Unfortunately it was not all smooth sailing. Ashmoona’s most recent owners stepped forward and refused to allow Ashmoona to come into our care.

After paying a release fee of 200le Ashmoona was able to be loaded into a ute and travelled back to the TEHP stables. 

Ashmoona sat down in the back of the ute comfortably and Ahmed sat with her for the entire trip home. She was very calm like she knew she was finally safe and being taken somewhere where she will receive the medical care that she requires. 

 

Ashmoona arrived at the TEHP stables safely and quickly settled in. 

She is already much loved by the team at TEHP and of course the people involved in his rescue. 

Ashmoona is now booked in for X-rays on her leg and a full vet assessment and we will decide what her future holds and the best way to proceed with her case. 

We hope to have the results back soon to update you with. 

Meskeen: Abandoned to die in the streets of Cairo

Ahmed responded to a post on facebook asking for help for a donkey that had been found abandoned on the streets in Cairo. Ahmed rushed to the location and found the donkey is in a really terrible way.

The donkey had collapsed and the owner had just left him in the streets, laying in the searing sun without shelter or food or water. Thankfully a kind passerby had alerted the animal activists who helped us to reach him. The same kind passerby got newspaper and covered the donkey with it to try and protect him from the sun. He was also given a bucket of water and something to eat.

The donkey was distressed and exhausted.

 

Here is an extract from the posting on Facebook at the time of the rescue.

“There are other donkeys at the location who are starving and tied up in the sun, we really need to do something about the welfare of them before they collapse and die in the street. We have already saved one donkey from this area called Saber a few months ago but we found him to late to help him and he died, this donkey may suffer the same fate as it has been so long since he has eaten or had a drink and he seems to have given up fighting. Please lets hope we can save the poor little thing.” استجاب أحمد لآخر في الفيسبوك طلب المساعدة عن حمار. أحمد هرعت الى حمار وعثر عليه بطريقة رهيبةالحمار هو الآن آمنة وعلى الطريق إلى اسطبلات لتلقي العلاج الطبي. هناك الحمير الأخرى في المكان الذين يتضورون جوعا في الشارع.نحن بحاجة إلى مساعدتهم قبل أن تعاني من نفس مصير وانهيار ليموت وحيدا.واسمحوا يصلي سوف البقاء على قيد الحياة هذا الحمار حتى انه سيعرف الرحمة واللطف.

 

The donkey was transported to the safety of The Egypt Horse Project Stables, he collapsed again upon arrival. He was laid down on a bed of straw and given barseem grass to eat.

The little donkey was given fluids via intravenous drip and was also allowed to have another bucket of water. He was wet down to help cool him off because the day was reaching 45 degrees and the donkey was panting in the heat and stress of being travelled. 

The donkey was in a terrible way, he was to receive fluids on a regular basis to prevent dehydration and it was around the clock care to try to save his life. 

Here is another extract from Facebook directly from the rescuers

“It’s been a really tough week for the TEHP team as they battled to recover several serious street rescues. This is Meskeen, his name means someone who is poor and has had to bear alot of cruelty in his life (thats a loose translation so correct me if I am wrong) Meskeen is finally standing although shakily and is obviously in a very emaciated condition. The vet, Dr Mohammed, is coming again today to do a health check on everyone.

Here is an extract from people involved in his rescue “Meskeen,Rescued Donkey from Ezbet ElTorgoman.

“مسكين حمار الترجمان May 20 · إيه رأيكم في المنظر ده؟؟؟ ده روح ضحية الإنسان اللي ربنا كرمه وميزه علي سائر المخلوقات بالعقل والحكمة!!!! الحمار “مسكين” جبناه من عزبة الترجمان و طبعا ده حمار واحد من الفكهانية المجرمين…وده نفس المكان اللي جبنا منه الحمار صابر اللي زوره لزق في بعضه من شدة العطش ومات طبعا. “مسكين” بيكلف كل يوم كرتونة محاليل لأن صحته ضايعه جدا وأكله قليل أوى ومحتاج علاج طويل جدا من كتر الجفاف والجروح اللي في جسمه. حالته في منتهي السوء …بس انا مؤمنه دايما إن ربنا بيعمل المعجزات وبيحيي العظام وهي رميم. “مسكين” دلوقتي في جمعية مشروع الحصان في نزلة السمان مصاريف النقل 250 جنيه 20 محلول و10 رينجر و 10 جلوكوز كل يوم 180 جنيه علاج ومقويات حوالي 400 جنيه لفترة 3 أسابيع. Vodafone Cash Service Mariam Aly 01005698459 Salwa Abdoh 01099830103

What do you see about this view??? This is a result of the human hands upon an innocent soul!! The humans that are supposed had been honored by God graces and had been identified but distinguished over all other creatures on earth by their minds and wisdom!!! This is Meskeen, The donkey of Ezbet El Torgoman, One of the criminal fruit sellers, Is being thrown as you see like a piece of trash with no water or food for days and days. We picked Meskeen couple of days ago, and it need a course of medications, Vitamines,and Fluides to pass this horrible status. Meskeen’s Transportation from Torgoman till The Egypt Horse Project costs 250 L.E Daily Bottle of Fluids 20 + Bottle of Glucose 10 + Ringers = 180 L.E. Medications,Vitamins around 400 L.E. for a period less than 3 weeks.”

 

The donkey was named “Meskeen” he formed a instant bond with the palomino pony you can see in the background of this photo. The vet came to assess Meskeen and found he had improved from when he first arrived. 

Meskeen formed such a strong bond with the palomino pony called Sindibad that they remain together in the same stables to keep each other company. Except of course when it is meal time. Meskeen is separated at every meal time so that the team makes sure that he receives enough food and that he eats all of it, including the medicated feeds which he screws his nose up at!

Meskeen is the thinnest donkey the rescue team have ever seen. He will need months and months of recovery before he can become healthy again. Everyone has their fingers and toes crossed for Meskeen to keep fighting and make it through.

Meskeen was our worst case of rescue to date. He is very loved by the team at TEHP and is a very spoilt donkey also receiving treats of carrots and lettuce. If Meskeen does not make it and passes to rainbow bridge at least we know we tried our very best for him and he is safe from the harsh streets of Cairo.

 

 

 

Kind Words from our supporters.

“My inner strength and self respect is getting stronger every day. Thank you to those who tried to bring me down. You made me who I am today.”

 

“I just wanted to tell you how nice it was visiting TEHP again today. This is my 2nd time visiting, and both times I was greeted warmly. You are doing very important work there, and I wish I could contribute more than a few nosebands–but hopefully I will be able to in the future, insha’allah

Anyways, I just wanted to tell you all to keep up the good work, and I hope to visit again sometime in the future!”

 

“TEHP deserves our honor and help, without this place, many horses and donkeys would have been dead.. if any one who really wants to encourage…… just give a hand, this place needs medicines, fluids, good food for those daily cases.. everyone has to share with anything he can, but he has to share .. we need this place to continue and become bigger and bigger, so positive words are really very appreciated, but actually negative words will not make any difference and from my own point of view are not accepted.. we can say notices but never to change facts and try to converse good to evil.. please all help this wonderful place to become a unique shelter for those who suffered a lot ..”

 

“An issue that i want to discuss it seriously about The Egypt Horse Project!!! some rumors are flying around saying that we or them used to rescue the horses and donkeys to resell them after recovery!!! WHAT IS THE POINT?? Really extremely funny.

Even if we do, Are these animals are able to be sold?? They are most of them having dislocation cases or aged
However Me and Salwa became specialists in rescuing the horrible dislocated horses and donkeys. Please stop talking too much and share in good instead to be a positive one.

There is a woman her name is Ashleigh Lotherington and a man his name is Ahmed Medo both are amazing people who are devoting all their time and life for helping such creatures…A word humanity is too less for describing them.

They never refuse a case,They never give up helping without waiting for any rewards,Till a level that Ashleigh Lotherington NOW IS OUT OF EGYPT SINCE COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO!!! Do any body know why??? She is working in England at a restaurant to cover the rent expenses of the shelter!! And everytime she intend to come,she postpone for the much cases she find it entered and need hands of help.
That’s why i keep on saying all the time please lets help, Ashleigh is a girl like us, Young and beautiful,she left her country,family and friends and she choose to help the helpless in EGYPT.”

في موضوع عجيب ونبي عايزة أقول في كلمتين!!
الناس اللي بتقول علينا أو على جمعية مشروع الحصان إنهم بينقذوا الخيل والحمير عشان يبيعوهم !!!

يبيعوا إيه وينيلوا إيه بس!!! إذا كان كل الحالات اللي بتروح هناك عاهات….ده غير الحالات اللي تبعي أنا وسلوى عبده …بقينا تخصص عاهات مستديمة في الخيل والحمير…اللي مقطوعة رجله واللي مكسورة إيده واللي عنده شلل رعاش واللي حيقع من طوله….فالله يخليكم ترويج الإشاعات واللت والعجن اللي مافي منه فايدة ده بلاش منه وخلينا ناس اجابين وعامليين وخلينا نشير في الخير.

في إنسانة جميلة إسمها اشلي لورثنتن ومعاها مساعد أمير وابن أمره إسمه أحمد ميدو… هم اللي ماسكين كل المسئولية في الجمعية…وعمرهم مارفضوا حالة حتى لو مش لاقيين ياكلو …لدرجة إن اشلي حاليا مسافرة بتشتغل في مطعم في انجلترا عشان تغطي إيجار المكان….وكل ماتنوي تنزل ماتعرفش عشان الحالة المادية صعبة والحالات عمالة تزيد…عشان كده أنا على طول الوقت بفضل أنادي وأقول نساعد عشان الناس دول بجد يستاهلوا … ولو هم وقعوا ومعرفوش يكملو …. كنا حنوادي مسكين وصابر وغلبان ومبروكة ووحيد وغيرهم فين؟؟؟

اشلي بنت شابة زيكم وجميلة ..تركت بلدها وأهلها وأصحابها وحياتها واختارت تساعد الحيوان الأبكم الضعيف.
يا رت تتفرجوا على الصور …ده خيل أو حمير تتباع؟؟؟ ارحموا من في الأرض يرحمكم من في السماء.”

 

The Story of Mish Mish: Saved from Starvation

The Egypt Horse Project was hosting a medical clinic near the bottom of the pyramids treating sick working animals when a young boy brought over 3 horses for assessment. At the time the TEHP team didn’t have a vet on board so were limited to treating surface wounds and trimming hooves and worming the working animals. The boy came with 2 white horses and a chestnut. 

They were all very thin and tired looking but the chestnut pony was by far the worst faring. He stood with his head drooped, a thin piece of rope was tied around his neck as a make shift head collar.

 

The workers of TEHP treated the external wounds found on the ponies and took the phone number of the boy so that he could contact the team should there be any more problems with any of his ponies. It was later in the evening the team had returned to the same area in response to another call about sick ponies when they again saw the little boy and his 3 working ponies. The team was extremely distressed to see that the pony was fully saddled up and that the boy was expecting the sick ponies to be able to work for him.

The chestnut pony now had a head collar on, it was made from chain and had a dirty cloth wrapped around it to form some sort of protection on his nose. The head collar was too large and hung heavily on the end of his nose. The pony kept his head down and his eyes semi closed. The team again spoke to the boy who promised that he would call if he had any issues with his ponies. The team went and saw to the person who had called about the sick ponies and went to get dinner afterwards. They again decided to call past the boy’s area to see the ponies. They found the chestnut pony had collapsed and the boy was unable to get him up again.

 

The pony had many injuries but the worst problem he faced was the extreme emaciation. The rescue team helped to get the pony to his feet and pleaded with the boy to allow the pony to return to the The Egypt Horse Project stables so he could rest and have a good feed. The boy agreed. The chestnut pony walked slowly back to the stables and when he arrived, collapsed again in the sandy paddock.

It was a long night sitting up with the pony and giving him life saving fluids to help him regain hydration and strength. The pony ate his first decent feed in a long time and by morning was feeling much better. He was helped to his feet again and allowed to walk around the sandy paddock. He quickly stole the hearts of the rescue team and his cheeky personality shone through.

It was a long and difficult road ahead for the pony. The next day the owner requested the pony back so he could go to work. The workers of The Egypt Horse Project had no choice but to take the pony back. The founder of TEHP was obviously distraught at the idea that pony would be forced to work when he was so obviously starved and sick. She pledged a sum to purchase the pony and gave instructions for the grooms to tell the boy that she would like to purchase the little chestnut pony.

Over an hour later the grooms returned and they had the little pony with them. The little pony was now never to leave the care of TEHP and would be able to regain health without being forced to work! The pony was bedded down in a stable that was to become his safe area and he was given another feed. It was his lucky day for sure.

 

 

The pony spent the first few days in the safety of his stable but at the end of the first week he was allowed to go into the sandy paddock again and meet some of the other rescues of TEHP. He had freedom for the first time in his life. He was given a new name for his new life: Mish Mish. It means apricot in arabic.

 

The road was to be a long one for the little pony. The hot weather came and brought with it ticks. With the ticks came Equine Babesiosis, a disease which can be fatal to weakened ponies and donkeys alike. The hot weather also caused sweet itch/mange to form on Mish Mish’s back and wither area. It was uncomfortable, weeping and itchy for Mish Mish. He was up and down. The team didn’t think he would make it, he was so emaciated and he often collapsed from weakness and was unable to get up again with out help.

Mish Mish although he struggled for so long, was a very strong pony. He was seen to by a dentist who came all the way from the UK and was aged as only 3 1/2 years old. He had suffered so much in his short life. He wasn’t ready to give up either.

The visit from the dentist was a life saver. Mish Mish could now chew his food properly and he finally gave us the signs he was going to be a successful recovery. He began to gain weight steadily and his energy levels improved and he grew close to another pony called Danny who was in the same condition as he was.

 

 

 Not long after Danny arrived Mish Mish became inseparable from him. They even slept right next to each other at night. Neither of them had the strength in the morning to get up by themselves so they waited patiently for workers to help them each up in turn. Danny was a huge help in boosting Mish Mish’s morale and between the well timed dentist visit, the arrival of winter and the arrival of Danny, Mish Mish became a new horse.

 By the time spring arrived Mish Mish was in much better shape and so was Danny. They had their journey together all through the dark days and into the happy times. Mish Mish had more energy now, he could run for half an hour in the menage playing with Danny and misbehaving without being tired.

 

 Mish Mish has now almost regained full health. He is also realizing that he is now a big strong stallion and no longer an emaciated sick little colt. He has to have his play time monitored with Danny because the two friends push each others boundaries at play time and cause alot of trouble when they pair up.

 

Mish Mish’s story is a great story of success, but it didn’t happen over night. There was days when the team thought it would be best to have Mish Mish put to sleep. He was slow to improve even though he was on a brilliant diet and had all the medicine he needed. The hot weather in Egypt really plays havoc with the sick animals and Mish Mish was no different.

Although we can look back at Mish Mish’s story and congratulate ourselves on such a brilliant success, the team always reminds themselves of those dark days and weeks.

Although not everyone believes animals feel the same feelings as humans the team strongly believes that Mish Mish suffered a severe depression that us as humans alone could not break him out of. He might have had all the love in the world from us but he had suffered so much abuse previously it just wasn’t enough for us to apologize to him on behalf of his old owners for the cruelty. It took the arrival of Danny and the friendship that blossomed to change the sad pony that was Mish Mish. And although Mish Mish is bossy and mean to Danny now at times, without Danny we would not have saved Mish Mish from the depression he had sunken into.

So Thank You Danny for helping to save Mish Mish and thank you to the grooms of TEHP who spent months upon months of working to save Mish Mish’s life. The team will now raise funds to have both Danny and Mish Mish gelded so that they can return to being in the herd situation without jumping on everyone and escaping like the naughty teenagers they are!

The Story of Nagy: Beaten for being unable to work with a broken leg.

Salwa, a well known animal activist was driving through Nazlet el Samman near the famous pyramids of Giza when she came across the scene of an accident.  It was between a car and a small working donkey. He had his leg broken when he was hit by the car and was lying in the road.

Nagy’s owner was kicking him in the head to try and convince him to move off the road. Nagy, being in terrible pain from the injury sustained was unable to get up and unable to to move from where he had fallen. Salwa got out of her car and began a long and loud argument with the owner for his cruelty. 

Salwa was eventually able to convince the owner that Nagy would no longer be able to work in this condition and to refrain from trying to force him to get up again. The owner left and Salwa was able to organise to get a transport vehicle to collect Nagy so he could come to the The Egypt Horse Project stables to see if his life could be saved. 

Here is an arabic version of the story of Nagy:

يسلم إيديكي و عنيكي و قلبك يا سلوي يا روحي … ربنا يعطيكي ويرضيكي ويرزقك ويقويكي ويديكي الصحة والقوة والستر وراحة البال…….هي دي الأيادي إللي تسلم بجد!!!!!!!!!!!!

ناجي ده حمار في نزلة السمان إترقع إمبارح علقة موت من صحبه بكعب الجزمة في عضم دماغه!!! ده غير الشلاليت والضرب بالعصاية علي جسمه!!!! كل ده ليه ؟؟؟ عشان الحمار وقع إتزحلق وإيده إتكسرت…فصاحبه كان بيضرب فيه عشان عايزوا يقوم!!!!!
سلوي بقي كانت معدية بالصدفة مع سواق مدام رندا توفيق…..نزلت طلعت “تيييييتت” وخدت منه الحمار ونقلته لجمعية مشروع الحصان وإتجبس زي ما إنتو شايفين النهارده الصبح علي إيدين الدكتور محمد الدربالة الجميل.

المضحك بقي إن الواد طلع يجري علي ملا وشه من سرعته من اللي سلوي عملته فيه…وساب الحمار.

تكلفة النقل والجبس والعلاج 600 جنيه …. نرجو المساعدة أبوس إيديكم 
Vodafone Cash service 01005698459 للتبرع

Once Nagy arrived at The Egypt Horse Project stables he was immediately booked in to see the vet for a full assessment. A make shift bandage had been made for Nagy so he could travel without being in pain and his spirits lifted immensely.  When he arrived at the vet clinic he immediately began eating the fresh green grass and was not at all fussed with the vet checking him over.  

After assessing Nagy and taking X-rays the vet suggested a cast be put on Nagy to remain in place for 6 weeks so the injured leg could heal. Nagy had a general anesthetic so that his leg could be set correctly and had his cast put on. 

  

 

Nagy woke up after the cast was administered, the medication wore off and immediately got wobbly to his feet and began to eat the green grass again. His old owner had starved him and over worked him and he could hardly believe his luck, regardless of the injury to his leg he was already a happier donkey. 

 

Nagy returned to The Egypt Horse Project after the vet trip to begin the long period of recovery.  He was after a few weeks allowed to go into the menage to interact with the other donkeys and he fell in love with the likes of Mr Donkey and Ghalban who had also suffered serious injury from car accidents. 

Nagy remained relatively pain free for the entire 6 weeks he had his cast on and he managed to walk around the menage bearing weight on his leg within a few days after the cast had been set in place. These are all good signs that he was going to make a full recovery.  The vet came at intervals to check up on Nagy and was very pleased with his progress. 

After the 6 week period Nagy had his cast removed. This was a big day to see what the fate of Nagy would be. Would he have recovered fully? Would he have proper use of his leg again? 

The team at The Egypt Horse Project was relieved. Nagy was okay and able to use his leg again fully. Nagy can now enjoy his time with the other donkeys in the sun and not have to worry about being abused.

Nagy had to under go a vet prescribed worming program to help him to regain full health and gain weight. Here he is not enjoying taking the medication and the TEHP groom trying to reassure him that although it tastes bad (and not likes apples as the box says) it will make him feel much better and he will be able to gain weight faster. 

 

Nagy is the donkey closest to the camera, filling his face with feed as he spends much of his days doing now. He is gaining weight steadily and enjoying the freedom with the other donkeys that The Egypt Horse Project has to offer. 

Without The Egypt Horse Project, Nagy would not have made it so far. He is thankful (as are all of his long eared friends) that The Egypt Horse Project was able to accept his case in an emergency and to pay for vets fees and medications. But The Egypt Horse Project can’t do this without YOUR help. 

If you can help in an way for cases like NAGY then please consider donating. 

For donations details are:

Bendigo Bank
The Egypt Horse Project
Account No: 151651536
BSB: 633-000

Paypal: theegypthorseproject@hotmail.com

The Egypt Horse Project is a fully registered charity. 

Waheed: Left in the trash at Alexandria for 4 days.

A post first appeared on a Facebook group alerting animal activists that a donkey had been located in the trash of Alexandria. Locals said that the donkey had been there for 4 days without, food, water and shade in the blistering heat.

Waheed on the streets

A lovely lady in Alexandria called Sousa immediately responded to the call for help and went to the donkey. She provided food and water in an attempt to relieve the suffering.

Sousa helps Waheed

Between Ann Sherif and Sousa in Alexandria and Salwa and Mariam in Cairo the animal activists organised for a ute to collect the little abused donkey and bring him to The Egypt Horse Project stables in Cairo.

Waheed is loaded into a ute

It was a tough 4 hour journey from Alexandria to Cairo for Waheed who was exhausted, hot and stressed. Waheed was nervous obviously as to what his future would now hold. He was around strangers, the only person he knew and trusted was his old owner who had so cruelly abandoned him to his fate in a pile of trash because he could no longer work and make money.

Waheed is exhausted

After a huge journey to Cairo and to the stables of The Egypt Horse Project, Waheed finally arrived. He was sitting comfortably in the back of the ute with his legs folded under him, protected from the hot winds. He was also very calm when he arrived, he had accepted that things were about to change drastically for him.

Waheed arrives at TEHP

Waheed came off the ute and looked around at all the other donkeys and horses at the stables. They came over to the fence to greet him. He was bright and looked around in amazement but in his eyes there was sadness and pain still. Waheed’s hooves were extremely long and heavy and he had a terrible time trying to walk and it pained him to have to stand for to long.

Waheed arrives

Waheed was forced to to work with his hooves in this awful condition, day after day working for his owner and after showing so much hard work and loyalty just threw him out like he was trash.

Waheed’s hooves

The day after Waheed arrived he was seen to by the vet and the trimmer. He had his hooves treated and he is looking so much brighter and happier already. Waheed has not been allowed to meet the other donkey’s yet because he is undergoing a worming treatment and when he is feeling better and parasite free he will be allowed to spend time with his new family.

Waheed is looking so much better

The hooves are much better

Waheed is now enjoying his time at The Egypt Horse Project in a lovely straw filled stable, with as much food and water as he can possibly have. Waheed’s luck turned for the best and now he is safe, never to be abandoned in the trash or forced to work again.

Waheed is safe

Waheed receiving worming

Waheed

Hamza: Rescued from a accident downtown.

The lovely team of animal activists in Egypt received a message on the 21st of February 2014 about a horse who had a badly injured leg and a wound on his neck. He has slipped and fallen beneath his own carriage and had become trapped. It was the start of a long journey to save Hamza. 

This is an extract of the original message from Facebook:

“This is the message we received online last night.
في حصان مدشدش في القاهرة الجديدة…و صحابه ناس فقرة ومش عارفين يتصرفوا…وده رقم سامح هو منتظر حد يتعاون معاه في إنقاذ الحصان …أنا في الشغل مشلولة ومش عارفة أعمل حاجة ….في حد ممكن يروح يعمل أي حاجة ولو محتاج عربية حنلم فلوس ونساعده

There is a horse laying in the street Near AIS – Gate 5 – New Cairo. He has wound under his neck and his leg seems broken. Can you help him?! his owner contact details: Sameh:. Please if you can help them, they are extremely poor and they don’t know what to do with the horse.”

The rescue team organised to rescue the horse in distress. His leg was first suspected to be broken but it is not, only injured. Hamza was successfully bought into TEHP care, assessed and bedded down for the night in a comfy stable with a warm blanket, a good feed and fresh water.

 

Hamza was initially checked over by a vet who was in the area. His leg was deemed to require special treatment and a semi solid cast. Hamza was then booked in to have the procedure with our regular vet. 

Hamza went to the equine hospital for his cast. He was really good the whole time. Dr. Mohamed administered a field sedative to keep Hamza calm and still whilst the cast was put on. The procedure was very quick and Hamza was back on his way to the stables within the hour.

“Hamza saw the vet with a positive outcome. The leg that was caught under the cart when he fell in downtown Cairo will fully recover. Hamza had to wear his cast for 4-6 weeks.” 

 

Hamza’s cast has now been removed and it has been successful. 

Hamza

Hamza was even featured in a newspaper article at Elwatan News-http://www.elwatannews.com/news/details/440065#.UygtqOSKHzs.facebook

Mazloom: A story of healing, learning and love.

“The Egypt Horse Project although mainly based in Cairo, is more than willingly to step forward in times of need no matter where the case is. This horse was discovered in Port Said, a place where there is no medical services like TEHP, also a place where it is largely dangerous for foreigners to go. This horse has had a serious cut to his leg and without medical treatment proud flesh has began to grow. This horse was negotiated away from the owner by our lovely contacts in Port Said and as we speak is on a horse box headed to us to arrive within the hour. It will be a long process of time and dedication to heal this wound but with your support I know we can do it!”

This was the Facebook extract of the day Mazloom was due to arrive at our stables. It was a tense while we waited for the pony with the serious leg injury to make his way to our doors.  

After an epic journey halfway across Egypt and a massive 5 hour delay due to traffic, Mazloom finally arrives at The Egypt Horse Project stables and into safety.

But when Mazloom arrived he was not what we expected. The sweet and sorry looking pony from Port Said was actually a hate filled monster who wanted nothing more than to hurt us with his teeth or his hooves. Mazloom hated people and the team was terrified of him. But we still had to treat his leg or the infection would kill him. The days were spent bribing Mazloom to tolerate us changing his bandage.

 

Here is a extract from the Facebook page:

“The newcomer is absolutely downright dangerous. He HATES needles. When he bites he means to cause damage. But he must be on antibiotics to help his leg. We finally got the neighbour to agree to help…. Medicine administered and leg bandaged. Have mercy on the vet who agrees to this case he looks so sweet in this photo.”

The meaning behind the name “Mazloom”

 

“Mazloom” is what you say to someone when a great injustice has been done to them. Our new beauty has been called Mazloom by his rescuer Manar Saad. By saying Mazloom you hope that the circumstances will change for the better.”

Everything changed when Mazloom came. Our days revolved around what mood Mazloom was in, would he let us treat him now or should we wait another 15 minutes, should we treat him after he has eaten or before? The temperamental and aggressive pony dictated our lives. 

This was Mazloom’s leg injury when he arrived. It had gangrene and smelt terrible and was incredibly painful for Mazloom.

A lot of proud flesh had grown in a strange shape on Mazloom’s leg. It wasn’t until the second day we realised why Mazloom was so resentful towards humans. 

Inside Mazloom’s horrendous injury someone had tied a thin piece of rope tightly around his leg. This is why the proud flesh was growing the way it was around the injury site. You can really see how bad the gangrene is in this photo.

Removing the string from inside Mazloom’s wound.

The string was doubled around inside Mazloom’s leg. Now that we had removed this there was great hope Mazloom would recover to fully use his injured leg again. 

Mazloom arrived on the 19th of September. The healing process was long and difficult.  Mazloom was a awful patient, he was mean and nasty and hated us being around him, he just wanted to be left alone. We did leave him alone for the most part of the days as we were afraid of what he would do to us if we put him under to much pressure. 

21st of September the leg is clotting and when we remove them it bleeds terribly. Mazloom is not taking well to the needles her requires to prevent infection.

These photos are taken on the 25th of September. By this time the proud flesh is reducing and the flesh is filling in. There is still a lot of bleeding when we clean the area. There is still gangrene present but it is reducing. 

Mazloom always has this grumpy look on his face when we have caught him. Although the entire team is afraid of what he is capable of doing to us, I have been spending the afternoons leaning over the menage fence and watching him and trying to get his attention. He doesn’t approach me but turns his rump and walks away most of the time with his ears flat back. 

This is taken on the 7th of October. Mazloom now wears a support bandage on his his opposite leg to minimise the stress on his good leg. There is a massive improvement of the wound and the flesh has filled in nicely.

On the 9th of October Mazloom has a visit from an Equine Dentist from the UK, Matthew. He is aged as a 8 year old.

Mazloom has the worst teeth out of all of the horses on the property. He has spent a lot of his life eating trash.

This was taken on the 15th of October. 

Look at this face! Can you see a difference in Mazloom?

He has finally found someone he trusts and allows to work with him without showing any aggression. All my afternoons spent watching him and talking to him have paid off. Mazloom trusts me and allows me to care for him.

This photo is taken from the 20th of October. 

Mazloom and Me. He has wormed his way into my heart. What a beautiful pony Mazloom has grown into. He whinnies to me each morning and bangs on his stable door each night demanding his blanket be put on him. He is a confident and loving pony now. 

Mazloom gets a specialised diet to help him gain weight as due to his teeth problems has always been slow. He gets a special midnight feed and loves the extra attention.  

These photos were taken on the 17th of Feburary. The wound has almost entirely healed over now. Mazloom can use his leg like a regular pony and he is now feeling so good he causes a lot of mischief! 

Mazloom has gained weight nicely despite his teeth problems and has many friends. 

Mazloom feels so much better in himself that he often stirs up the other rescue ponies! 

Mazloom has gained weight and looks great!

 

 

 

Bayeha: A car accident victim.

Bayeha arrived at the TEHP stables late one night.

Her owner had abandoned her after she had been involved in a terrible car accident. Thankfully Baheya was found by a kind man in the street who cared enough to take her to the Asuit University to be checked over. Bayeha’s front leg was injured in the accident, she refuses to put any weight onto it. 

The vets at Asuit University checked Baheya over but the man who saved Bayeha from the streets was poor and he was unable to afford the operation that Baheya required. The man contacted people he knew could get help for Bayeha. These people were able to get Bayeha from Upper Egypt to TEHP to receive the medical care she needs. 

 

Baheya is a cheeky character even though she has had a tough life living and working on the streets. She was initially weary of the team at TEHP because she has known nothing but abuse in her past life. She has quickly come around though and she is a good patient and a gentle soul. 

Bayeha under went her operation under the watchful hands and eyes of Dr Derbala. She stayed at the hospital for over a week to recover under the watchful eyes of the vet team. 

 

Bayeha is now recovering well under the care of the team at TEHP. She is friendly and kind and enjoys spending her days with the younger donkeys in the sun. She will never have to work another day in her life. 

Baheya is loving her new life at TEHP

Bayeha trialling a new leg