Brooke Pakistan research

The Brooke Pakistan programme has established a dedicated research resource to work on topics relating to service provision and community engagement,  clinical issues and policy-related topics. The team aims to share details of their work at national and international level.

Addressing lip lesions in working donkeys

In 2013 at the UFAW Symposium in Barcelona, Brooke Pakistan presented preliminary findings of research investigating the effectiveness of building owners’ capacity in awareness and management practices and the introduction of a new bit in addressing lip lesions in working donkeys. The abstract for this presentation is available on page 8 of the symposium proceedings. A manuscript describing this work is currently being developed for peer reviewed publication.

At the International Colloquium on Working Equids in 2014 in London, Brooke Pakistan contributed several pieces of evidence, including the following topics.

Working to address hoof problems

Poor awareness regarding foot care, poor terrain and non-availability of trained farriers and health care providers can lead to relatively higher prevalence of lower limb conditions including hoof problems and lameness. This work was designed to address these problems. 

Understanding the role of donkeys in the lives of women

Little documented evidence was available on the role of donkeys in the lives of women in Pakistan. This study aimed to address that gap. 

The effect of a radio awareness raising intervention in Jacobabad

This study is believed to be one of the first in Pakistan to investigate using radio to communicate equine welfare messages to owners.

Addressing croup lesions in cart donkeys in Jacobabad

A study of cart pulling donkeys in Jacobabad indicated high prevalence of lesions between the base of the spine and the tail base which owners believed were linked with collisions against the cart. This work piloted the use of a redesigned cart shaft to address the problem.

In April 2016 an abstract summarising Brooke Pakistan’s work was included for the first time in the proceedings of the four-yearly international Equine Infectious Diseases Conference that took place in Buenos Aires.

Gastrointestinal parasites

A study into the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites and the effectiveness of locally available licensed deworming pharmaceutical products reported the frequency and severity of infections in four centres and the differing response to deworming treatments in each centre. The abstract was published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

This piece of research was kindly funded by the Phoebe Wortley Talbot Charitable Trust.