Khalid, his horse Barakota, and their dog Roujy
On Friday, March 22, Barakota was admitted to the Brooke-Cairo clinic. The 10-year-old horse was seriously weakened and had wounds. The boy who brought the horse is called Khalid Together with his cart horse, he collects waste cardboard in his hometown of Kerdasa, 15 kilometers from the Brooke clinic in Cairo. Khalid knows Brooke because Kerdasa is one of the permanent locations of a mobile clinic. Khalid's horse was found to have babesiosis, a parasitic infection in the blood transmitted by ticks. Babesiosis is colloquially called equine malaria but has nothing to do with malaria. A dog hopped around them, which turned out to be part of the group. Khalid said the dog’s name was Roujy, that it was three years old, and that the three were inseparable. The boy lives with his mother, his sister and his niece. He goes to school every day, until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. In the morning, during school hours, his mother collects cardboard from the garbage piles with a cart and horse... Then the horse is given a few hours of rest until Khalid comes home from school. From 4 o'clock until late in the evening, Khalid and his horse Barakota continue collecting cardboard. Veterinarian Dr. Ahmed Nabil decided to hospitalize Barakota to monitor his health, administer medication and treat the wounds. When the carers brought the horse to the corral, Khalid prepared to leave. The dog became increasingly restless and refused to leave the horse's side. Roujy barked, jumped at the keepers and tugged at their pants. He didn't bite, but he was incredibly fierce, as if he wanted to prevent them from taking the horse away from him. Khalid explained to the carers that the dog would not leave the horse because the two have been together since Roujy was born. The animals sleep in the same place and Roujy sits on the cart while collecting cardboard. Clinic carer Hassan's nickname is “The Cuddler”, because he calms even the wildest horse or donkey (see Brooke News winter 2023/2024). Hassan loves all animals. He felt that separating horse and dog would be too stressful for the dog. He offered to keep Roujy at the clinic during the treatment period. He would ensure that the entire staff would take care of the dog. During the period that the horse Barakota spent in the hospital, the dog became friends with all the animals in the clinic, who tolerated his presence without any problems. Hassan and his fellow carers ensured that Roujy had a safe place to sleep in the hallway of the clinic, and that he was fed every day. At first, Roujy would regularly sniff around looking for his friend Barakota, but he calmed down within a few days as he became attached to all the carers, veterinarians, and the horses and donkeys in the clinic. Carer Hassan was his greatest friend. Barakota was getting better day by day; he was given anti-parasitic drugs and anti-inflammatories, in addition to extra food to help him gain strength. On Tuesday, April 2, Khalid came with his mother and his niece to pick up the horse and dog. Roujy was overjoyed to see Khalid again. Veterinarian Dr. Hammad gave the boy a few instructions on how to further strengthen his horse and keep it in good health, for example by keeping the horse free of ticks as much as possible. They agreed that they would meet regularly in the town of Kerdasa, where Khalid lives, on the visiting days of the Brooke mobile team. Khalid's mother explained that the horse is the only source of income for the small family, which pays for the rent of their house and daily food. Khalid talked about his bond with Barakota, who he has known most of his life: “Barakota and Roujy are my very best friends.”... See More