A BRIDGWATER vet swapped the south west for West Africa to care for sick and injured animals and help rescued primates prepare for a return to the wild.

Dr Louise Ash, who is clinical director at Quantock Veterinary Hospital, flew 3,000 miles to spend two weeks volunteering for charity the Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust (GHDT).

During her trip, she treated horses suffering from catastrophic burns after their stables caught fire and cared for dogs hurt in road collisions, including setting fractures and performing amputations.

She donated her time and veterinary skills to the charity and the animals in need.

Louise took equestrian equipment and medical supplies donated by clients and colleagues at Quantock Veterinary Hospital in The Drove, including an ultrasound machine that proved very useful during her visit.

She also raised £661 through a raffle and other activities and this sum has been matched by VetPartners, the larger veterinary group Quantock Veterinary Hospital is part of, which is supporting GHDT as its charity of the year.

Bridgwater Mercury: Louise performs surgery on an injured dog.Louise performs surgery on an injured dog. (Image: Dr Louise Ash)

Louise said: “Volunteering in The Gambia was the most incredible experience and it was so rewarding to see how my efforts made a difference for people and animals. The charity doesn’t have its own full-time vet, so relies on visiting volunteers like myself."

On why she began this venture, she said: “Treating the animals there is a far cry from caring for pets in our fully-equipped, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital here in Bridgwater and you just have a stethoscope and a small amount of medicines to deal with what can be very serious injuries or illnesses.

“You have to think outside the box and use whatever is available to you. For example, to treat some horses that had been badly burned, we made a soothing balm from aloe vera plants that grow locally.”

As well as improving the welfare of working horses and donkeys so they so can help people in rural areas make a living, the charity cares for all kinds of animals and Louise’s small animal veterinary skills were put to good use.

Louise said: “A pack of semi-stray dogs live on the beach, where they were abandoned and left for the tourists to feed. We set up a mobile clinic to give them vaccinations and routine care to help keep them healthy and neutered them to help keep the population down."

During her trip, Louise also worked with a group of patas monkeys rescued from the pet trade.

She added: “The monkeys were being rehabilitated so they can eventually return to the wild. I helped make parcels of food using leaves to encourage foraging behaviour and teach the monkeys the skills they need to survive away from captivity.

“Another memorable visit was to a zoo, where I shared advice with the keepers to help them improve welfare standards. This included giving them some easy and affordable enrichment ideas to help make life more interesting for a pack of hyenas and resident primates.

“I would love to help even further by arranging for zookeepers from the UK to visit The Gambia and share best practice to make more of a difference to the animals in the zoo.”