Donkey saved from life-threatening condition thanks to 24 liters of cola

By Josie Adnitt via SWNS

A donkey has made a full recovery from a life-threatening condition – after vets treated him with 24 liters of cola.

Joey the donkey was left severely ill after developing a large blockage of food in his stomach, known as a gastric impaction.

Vets at The Donkey Sanctuary devised the plan to treat the condition after diagnosing Joey – and say healthy donkeys should never be given cola.

He was given 24 liters of the fizzy drink in total – six liters per day – via a tube up his nose.

Vets said the cola acted like “drain cleaner”, breaking down the blockage and helping Joey get back to full health.

Jamie Forrest, one of the Sidmouth sanctuary’s veterinary surgeons, said: ““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.”

“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 liters 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.

The 15-year-old donkey stopped eating after his elderly mum Josie died last year which vets believe could have led to him developing the condition.

During his cola treatment, the donkey was placed on a restricted diet, while the sugar in the drink helped prevent a condition called hyperlipaemia.

Hyperlipaemia is a condition common in donkeys and ponies where fatty acids build up in the blood and can be fatal.

Thankfully after four days of treatment, Joey appeared to be on the mend – and a gastroscopy using a camera showed the blockage had cleared.

While he was undergoing treatment, grooms introduced Joey to another recently bereaved donkey, Ben, who had recently lost a close companion.

They hoped a friendship between the two could help them comfort one another over their shared losses.

The two now have a flourishing friendship – and Joey is back to full health following his unusual treatment.

Jamie said: “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. We thought he had the strength to survive the whole time so we persevered with the treatment, and we couldn’t be happier with the result.”