Horse Illustrated Magazine

The holidays are upon us, and some very special people are working hard to ensure animals in need overseas are getting the care they need. The American Fondouk is a charitable, U.S.-run animal hospital in Morocco that has been providing free veterinary care to the working animals of Morocco for 80 years. 

Operated by the Boston-based Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), the American Fondouk’s modest staff of 10 treats over 80 animals a day, more than 22,000 annually, all free of charge. Most of these are working animals: donkeys, mules and horses that are a poor family’s transportation or only hope of getting water or harvesting. Unfortunately, due to the economic climate and a public that is uneducated about proper animal care and nutrition, these silent employees are often inflicted with pressure sores, hernias, tumors, malnutrition and other severe maladies.

Nearly 100,000 of Morocco’s poorest population depend on the free veterinary care of the American Fondouk to survive. On any given day, dozens of people line up each morning at the gates of the American Fondouk.

“People frequently travel 20-30 miles with their animals so that we can provide the necessary care,” says Dr. Denys Frappier of the American Fondouk. “If the American Fondouk did not exist, we estimate that 7,000 animals would die within the first three months followed by the families whose lives depend on them.”

The hospital receives no government funding, instead relying solely on the support of individual donors from both the United States and abroad. To make a holiday donation toward the Fondouk and to view photos and a video, please visit www.americanfondouk.org.