Donkey in Extremely Poor Condition is Recovering after Being Rescued in Cáceres by El Refugio del Burrito

Shakira, a mare donkey who came in to our care in an extremely poor condition on the 20th April is making a good recovery at El Refugio del Burrito's Badajoz farm, after her rescue, coordinated with the Vet Clinic At Cáceres University, and help from our staff and vets.

It was late in March when, following a visit to the veterinary clinic to check on one of our rescued donkeys who was recovering in there, one of the cleaners at the vet clinic told us about a donkey he had recently bought from some gypsies. The donkey, a middle aged mare, seemed to have problems when walking and had an unusual hump on her back. Her hair was very overgrown when we first saw her. Later on, we discovered she had stringhalt on both back legs, which made her rear wobbly when walking. Hence, she was nicknamed after the renowned singer Shakira by her ex owner. He asked if we could take care of her, as she seemed to be a poor state and wasn't going to be of any use to him.

Once the paperwork to rescue her was ready, we picked her up and drove her to our Doña Rosa farm in the nearby Badajoz province. When she arrived, she was in an even worse state than when we first saw her. Most of her hair had fallen out, due to a skin infection and a large amount of mites. She was very thin as she had worms and due to having problems with her teeth. The results from her blood tests showed she was also suffering with active babesia (a blood parasite), which made her defence system very weak.

Dave Sowden, Farm Manager at Doña Rosa, says "The state of the animals we often rescue is unbelievable. We don't even want to imagine the ordeal they have been through before getting to us. After clipping Shakira's hair and undergoing a course of medication, we are happy to say that we have stopped the active babesia and got rid of the mite, worm and skin problems".

Shakira's hair is slowly growing back, and thanks to the extra feeds she is receiving, she is getting stronger every day and putting on weight.

Your help is vital for us to keep helping donkeys like Shakira have the life they deserve. Any donation, no matter how small, will be gratefully received.