VN August 2020

Vetnews | August 2020 49 and we needed to get help. This I did and the army caught 5 heavily armed terrorists, one of who was a brother or our domestic worker. What could the outcome of this have been? I hate to think. Number one on my list was old Mbeje, a wizened elderly man. He was a stockman for one of the farmers in the district. A wiser man I have not met. Although aged he still got to work on a daily basis and it was he who was a fountain of knowledge, also quite prepared to criticise me and my veterinary work if he felt fit. This man could count a herd of cattle waiting for a gate to be opened with extreme accuracy whilst sitting astride his horse. One day he was lying in the grass next to the crush pen and I was busy removing a really stinky afterbirth“You supposed to be clever. Do you not call yourself Doctor?” he retorted. “You wife will want nothing to do with you for weeks with that smell!” On the next visit Mbeje presented me with a plant and suggested I make a tea of it and dose the cows that had retained placentas. It was a wild rhubarb collected in the vlei's known to the Africans as umgope. On analysis it was found to be remarkably high in oestrogens. The next lesson was on the removal of sarcoids in horses. I had found Mbeje a horse which had been condemned because of an extensive sarcoid below the left ear. A few months after he had acquired the horse, I saw him riding along the road and stopped for a welcome chat. The horse was magnificent, and I did not recognise it as the mare I had found him. He assured me it was, and I obviously asked what had happened to the sarcoid. He took me into the bush and found a umhlonlo tree – Euphorbia ingens – the Candelabra tree. He broke off a “leaf” and took the white latex and said it should be applied twice daily with extreme care as it burnt badly. I have used it successfully ever since. Often, we can get encouragement and support from the most unexpected sources and these four gentlemen were amazing sources for me. Unfortunately, they are all no longer with us. RIP my dear friends and mentors; I would love to spend an hour or two chatting to you at this stressful time. I am sure you would offer some relief. v Regulars I Life plus 20 Life plus 20 without parole <<< 48 SAEVA CONGRESS 2021 - CALL FOR PAPERS The 2021 SAEVA Congress will be held over 4 days, from the 18th to the 21st of February 2021, in the Western Cape, South Africa. The Congress committee of SAEVA invites scientific abstracts for presentation as short (30 min) oral presentations. Papers reviewing recent advances, or relating to research into matters concerning relevant topics that may be of interest to equine veterinarians, will be considered. Scientists, Private practitioners and State Veterinarians, are encouraged to submit abstracts. Single case reports will also be accepted if of exceptional interest. Presentations not accepted for oral presentations may be selected to be presented as posters. The submission of an abstract implies the author’s willingness to present the abstract at Congress. The presenter of each accepted abstract will receive free registration at Congress for the day of his/her presentation. However, travel, subsistence and accommodation expenses will not be offered. Authors wishing to submit abstracts must be able to present on any day of the congress. Deadline for abstract submission : 15 September 2020 SUBMIT: www.bit.ly/saeva2021-papers