24 litres of cola sees Joey back in good health
A DONKEY has bounced back to health after a potentially fatal condition was treated by vets with the most unlikely remedy – 24 litres of fizzy cola drink.
The cola was administered by a vet in carefully controlled conditions via a tube up the donkey’s nose that led directly into his stomach.
Fifteen-year-old Joey, who lives at the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon, had stopped eating after he lost his elderly mum Josie in November last year.
Soon after that, Joey developed a large gastric impaction, meaning he had a solid blockage of food in his stomach that he was unable to get rid of.
Vets at the animal welfare charity devised a plan to treat the blockage.
Jamie Forrest, one of the sanctuary’s veterinary surgeons, said: “Intensive treatment was required to resolve the impaction.
“As well as pain relief, we flushed Joey’s stomach with cola several times a day to dissolve the solid.
“We used six litres of full-sugar cola a day, spread out over three treatments, for four days, to soften and dissolve the impactions in his stomach so the ingesta could once again travel to his intestine.
“In essence, the cola acted like a drain cleaner. It eats away at the firm matter and eventually softens it to a point where it can pass.”
After four days of treatment, Joey was showing signs he was well on the mend, and another gastroscopy revealed the blockage had cleared.
With Joey now back to full health, he has thrown himself back into life at the Sidmouth sanctuary. Jamie added: “We are really pleased with Joey’s recovery.
“It was touch and go for a while whether we continued treatment, as the impaction was quite severe.
“Thankfully, he pulled through.”