Life-saving operation gives Dougie a fresh start

Dougie, six, was brought to the attention of our Welfare team after a member of the public sent in photos of the huge sarcoid, which is a type of skin tumour.

Donkey Welfare Adviser Charly Wain urgently went to assess Dougie at his home in South Yorkshire.

She says: “When I arrived, I saw that Dougie shared a field with two horses but wasn’t bonded to them. I could immediately see the large, ulcerated and pendulous growth between his back legs, which looked red and sore.

“I knew Dougie needed help as soon as possible. Sarcoids respond better if treated early, so it was important to find Dougie’s owner as soon as possible to discuss whether there were any plans in place for veterinary care.

“His hooves were also slightly overgrown, and there was no shelter in his field.”

Charly made enquiries to locate Dougie’s owner, enlisting help from other welfare charities such as the RSPCA.

She soon managed to get hold of Dougie’s owner, who confirmed they were aware of the growth but had not yet sought veterinary advice.

The owner agreed to relinquish Dougie into the care of The Donkey Sanctuary, and with the support our Leeds sanctuary, arrangements were made to transport him for further assessment and treatment.

Charly adds: “Dougie was already a very nervous donkey – when he was originally purchased by his owner, he was extremely wary and fearful. However, the owner had spent a great deal of time building up a relationship with him, which made the process of handling and loading much easier for us all.”

Dougie was taken to a nearby holding base, where further veterinary examinations uncovered a second smaller sarcoid on his abdomen.

After consultation with experts, the decision was taken to operate on the tumours, and Dougie was transported to the Rainbow Equine Hospital in Malton, North Yorkshire.

Charly says: “We were hopeful of a positive outcome. The size and extent of Dougie’s sarcoid meant the decision to operate had to be fully considered and informed, as with sarcoids there is a chance of reoccurrence.

“Had any more sarcoids been found, or the larger tumour been too deep to remove, the veterinary surgeon would have had to consider euthanasia as the only option.”

Thankfully, the tumours were successfully removed, and Dougie returned to the holding base where he could recover, with plenty of love and care from his grooms.

There is still plenty of work to be done on building Dougie’s confidence and helping him overcome his fear around people, but his future now looks much brighter.

Charly adds: “I am very glad that Dougie is on the road to recovery. The Donkey Sanctuary has been able to offer him the stability and compassion he needs for the rest of his life.

“Now he has recovered from his surgery, Dougie will be joining a small group of donkeys at a holding base, and they will eventually travel down to one of our Devon sanctuaries together.”