Posted on 03/06/2004 10:54:43 PM PST by Selene
Whirlwind Treatment of Afghan Herds Aims to Win Hearts of Rural People
GOSHTA DISTRICT, Afghanistan -- The village square seemed deserted when the U.S. military convoy arrived, except for a dog or two snoozing in the sun. But as word started to spread, a lone boy approached on the back of a rickety donkey. Then a girl appeared pulling a balky heifer on a rope.
By noon Monday the spot was swarming with herds of sheep and goats, the air was filled with panicked bleats and cowboy whoops, and mayhem reigned. American and Afghan veterinarians chased runaway oxen, wrestled recalcitrant cows and straddled goats like bicycles, expertly squirting syringes of yellow goo into the animals' mouths and then letting them go.
The chief targets of the mission in this remote rural district of Nangahar province were intestinal worms, liver flukes and especially foot-and-mouth disease, the highly contagious virus that is the scourge of Afghan livestock. In some areas, it is reported to kill up to 40 percent of all infant sheep, goats and cows.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Kudos to the military veterinarians working in Afghanistan:
Dr (COL) Lyle JacksonAnd also a toot of the horn for the vets in Iraq:
Dr (LTC) Don Couch
Drs (MAJ) Guy Hohenhaus and Ted Hankes
Dr (CPT) Theresa Brinn
Drs (COL) Mike Gants, John Huntley, Irving McConnell, and Mohammed Ibraheim
Drs (LTC) Jose Lozada and Ami Sawtelle
Dr (MAJ) Christopher Lanier
Drs (CPT) Mike Tygart and CPT Kelly Brooks
Dr (1LT) James Fikes.
Keep them safe while they keep our soldiers and military working dogs healthy!
Amen to that . And our military are the best of the best.
To any Freepers who only read the excerpt: It's well worth it to click on the link and read the whole article . This is a great story. MOO BUMP
Wow. That is just a staggering number... we had a vetcap with two vets for three or four days and we treated perhaps 3,000 (I'd have to check my diary to be sure). Everyone should click on the source link and read the story. Amazing.
We believe that treating the livestock (and the people) was an important factor in keeping safe. The animals we saw were generally in better condition than the farmers' kids, though! We were in a remote area in the Hazarajat, in Bamian province. Seems like the way they treated animals was the same, though. Donkeys would have a hole cut in each sinus which the locals said enhanced their breathing at altitude.
It's just like the doc says in the article, you're totally exhausted but having more fun...
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
thanks for the flag.
GOSHTA DISTRICT, Afghanistan -- The village square seemed deserted when the U.S. military convoy arrived, except for a dog or two snoozing in the sun. But as word started to spread, a lone boy approached on the back of a rickety donkey. Then a girl appeared pulling a balky heifer on a rope.
By noon Monday the spot was swarming with herds of sheep and goats, the air was filled with panicked bleats and cowboy whoops, and mayhem reigned. American and Afghan veterinarians chased runaway oxen, wrestled recalcitrant cows and straddled goats like bicycles...
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Great post, Selene.
Thanks for the ping, struwwelpeter!
Bless our Veterinarians in Afghanistan ~ winning hearts and minds, saving lives
~ with help from the awesome US troops who protect them!
~
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