AWOL Case History ~ Operation to remove a Tumour from a Donkey

This is a case from June 2010 where a male donkey had a very large tumour in a very private place that had to be removed.

We needed to plan this operation carefully as at this time we didn't have the AWOL Medical Centre.

We cleaned the area as best as we could and placed out everything that we needed as you can see here. We also had backups of everything in a cooler bag just in case and other items in another cooler bag just in case the donkey had an acute reaction or a bad bleed as it was very close to a major artery.

The operation was undertaken under local anaesthetic so it was extremely important that the donkey was securely held down as any attempt to stand up during the operation could prove fatal.

Here you can clearly see the tumour and just how large it is.

Dr Mohammed carefully works to remove all the tumour without snagging the major artery.

Dr Mohammed holds the tumour now removed from the donkey.

Careful stitching was required and then the operation was over and the donkey would be able to stand up.

A very successful operation is complete and the donkey is up and walking.

The brown mark on the neck is where we sterilised the area with diluted Betadine before giving the necessary injections.

We monitored his progress over the next few months and still see him and his owner on a regular basis as we are out in the villages.