This is a good time to share an episode from our trip last month. It was a “first ever”, but it wasn’t funny for the horse!
At the end of our long day at Nan Doti, Pastor Wilfrid came to us and said that a farmer had brought a horse and asked if Dokte Mark would look at it. Animals are very valuable property in Haiti and the farmer really wanted to take care of his horse. The horse had very nasty abscess the size of a football right in front of his hind legs. Being the good sport that he is, Mark agreed to look, said “Sure! We’ll fix it!” … then he asked about the horse’s temperament and returned back to his table to finish seeing patients.
In the meantime, the farmer hobbled the horse and tied it to a tree, so that it wouldn’t be any ‘trouble’. We were soon done seeing patients. As Mark walked back toward the horse, Bob Myers volunteered to take a look at the poor animal. Bob and his wife raise llamas, so a large animal was no worry for him! Yes, indeed, Bob got right to it, lanced the abscess, debrided it, peroxided it, and gave the farmer instructions on caring for the open wound.
The horse was also given megadoses of antibiotics to fight off infection. The farmer sure was grateful for all of the medical attention for his horse and it made a comical ending to our day. At the end of the day, we hope he had a healthier horse and both Bob and Mark have something else they can add to their resume!
