The frost was settling in on the dark roads as I headed up the Wicklow hills to my next call. This was an unusual one to say the least. An old client whom I hadn't seen for quite a while had just phoned the emergency number to seek help for an old donkey. The donkey mare had been attacked by dogs and she was none the better for her traumatic ordeal.

My client had retired from active farming several years ago when he sold up his herd of cows and fetched development prices for a tidy parcel of land. To keep his interest alive, he leased out a few acres of the remaining uphill fields to anyone who wanted pasture for grazing. The only animal of his own was this old donkey mare that he had been given many years before.

Some early snow was falling as I pulled into the yard and almost immediately I could see my client over the stable door with a very sorry looking donkey on a straw bed inside. Her wounds were deep enough and two of the bigger ones around the neck would require stitching. But that was not the only concern.

This donkey was in shock and was not coping well with the experience of a dog attack. Dog attack is something we see often enough here in Wicklow where the sheep farmers are under constant threat of substantial sheep kills in any one night of havoc. As a veterinary surgeon in the area, there is nothing more distressing than having to euthanase a flock of animals that have suffered a catastrophic mauling by dogs. But I would have to say that I'd never before experienced an attack by dogs on a donkey.

There was no question of euthanasia in this case as my client wanted everything done to save his mare. Shock was her biggest problem and immediately I set about putting her on a drip. Heat was sourced in the form of an infra-red lamp and the stable was made as draught-proof as was physically possible. The straw bed was added to and the stable made as comfortable as possible for my ancient patient. Our wish would have been to move her back to the hospital but that was simply not possible this December night. Before long we could see the effects of our efforts as the mare began to recover from her ordeal. The wounds were next, and with some hot water from the kettle and light from a builder’s lamp, we set about closing those gaping holes.

CARE & RESPONSIBILITY

The conversation kept coming back to the responsibilities of dog-owners and how the public so often fall short when taking responsibility for the animals under their care. Those few words feature a lot in the veterinary profession - "Animals under our care". When it comes to veterinary surgeons, the words, "Animals under our care" take on a whole significant meaning altogether.

It is those few words that join us to the emergency service that is to be found in every parish in Ireland. As veterinary surgeons, we must provide emergency cover for the animals under our care as the need arises. This can be at any hour of the day or night depending on the circumstances. It's what binds us to being available for every foaling, every colic, every open wound that may crop up and it's what binds me to my badly mauled donkey in a stable high up in the hills of Wicklow. It also binds us to any medicines we wish to prescribe.

The Veterinary Council oversees the profession and if we wish to prescribe an antibiotic for an animal then we must also ensure we are there to care for the veterinary needs of that animal in the depth of the night if necessary. Hence the instant service in every parish and the ability to call a veterinary surgeon to any animal on any farm in this country. That's our responsibility and we're happy to do it. But there's also the owner's responsibility to the animals in their care. What amazes me every time is the lengths our clients will go to, to care for their animals.

And I've often witnessed how upsetting it is for them when a few uncaring dog owners fail to live up to their own responsibilities. But that's only a few and most Irish people would do anything to correctly mind their animals. Sometimes that takes effort and a little thought. We mustn't forget that this cold and wet winter period requires a lot more effort on our part to ensure our animals are well cared for.

It's not too hard to remember the horse in training or the pony in active competition or the hunter getting ready for the New Year’s day outing. Those horses are under our noses on a daily basis. No, the real effort arises when it comes to the broodmare still out in the field. Or the batty mare that is now retired from breeding and is never in for the winter. A bale of silage every now and then as the ring-feeder gets low is as much as she may get from week to week.

Worse again is the old family pony whom we never sold on and is condemned to solitary confinement in some sheltered paddock for the rest of his days. What sin did he commit that warrants such solitary imprisonment for years on end? "Ah but it would be cruel to put him down," I hear. Nay, it's more cruel to leave him on his own in a field for time immemorial. They are creatures of company and to find any pal for him would go a long way towards making his life more worthwhile. At least visit him daily. And bring him a scoop or two of hard feed on a regular basis. Take off his winter rug and check his skin underneath. Check his body condition and increase his hard-feed accordingly. Check the skin for lice or mud-rash and keep up his worming programme. The pasture parasites are still active, especially this year, with such a long and mild autumn. Get the feet done regularly, and when the veterinary surgeon is next in the yard ask them to check his heart, lungs and teeth and correct accordingly.

These are the hard things to do when it comes to animals under our care and the spectrum varies right across the range. From my client with the donkey who goes to every effort, to the irresponsible and probably ignorant owners of the dogs that attacked her. We see the lot.

Enough of the ramblings and let's finish treating my donkey. Stitches in place; bandages where required and antibiotics to stem infection. An anti-tetanus injection and some painkillers were next on the list and before long I was placing my instruments back in the bag.

The red hue of the infra red lamp sent a warm low across the newly fallen snow as I headed back to my jeep. Well, that was one well-looked after member of God's good creatures I thought, as I headed back down the hill to my own warm bed.

Denis Doyle MVB MRCVS is a veterinary surgeon in Wicklow town and is a member of the Equine Group of Veterinary Ireland

Email: hq@vetireland.ie

Telephone: 01 4577976