The American Fondouk, an animal hospital specializing in horses, mules and donkeys, has operated in Fez since 1927. A new director, Dr Gigi Kay, took over in August, 2011, and renovations have begun.
Started in 1927 by American tourist Amy Bend Bishop, the American Fondouk is the only American equine hospital operating in Morocco. The American Fondouk is overseen by a board and relies for its funds on private donations. As running costs are around $25,000 per month, this is a considerable commitment.
There are ten others equine hospitals run by the British organization Spana.
For a mule or donkey owner who depends on the animal for his family’s livelihood, the loss of it can be devastating. So the role the Fonduk plays is an essential one of making sure that the animals can continue. And, on a larger scale, the Fez Medina would not be what it was without them.
Dr Gigi Kay
Before beginning at the American Fonduk in August, Dr Gigi Kay was the Veterinary Director for a working equine hospital in Luxor, Egypt and before that, Veterinary Director of Spana in Morocco.
Originally from England, she was brought up in the Middle East. Her family was constantly on the move, with her diplomat father and archeologist mother. “I always wanted to be with horses, even before I could walk,” she says.
Gigi was 17 when she first came to Morocco for three years, then spent five years living here when she was with Spana. She is married to an English doctor, Dick Hooper, and has recently returned from a stint in Sydney.
She enjoys the personal care she is able to give her patients at The American Fondouk.
The Fondouk treats around 20 animals a day that come through its doors and another 20 which are held in recovery stalls. The two vets and eleven other staff are constantly busy. “It should really be a three vet practice,” she says.
Many of the injuries they attend to are mules and donkeys that have run-ins with cars; abscesses and wounds caused by hobbles and inappropriate harnesses and colic from animals eating plastic bags. The clinic’s resources are modest, but Gigi has plans to make the stalls bigger and to have a proper operating area. The clinic will shortly get a weighing machine so they can better judge the amount of anesthetic to administer.
“This is an ideal job for me,” Gigi says. “I like making broken animals better.”
Dr Gigi Kay wants to encourage people to visit, with the aim that the Fondouk can generate some of its own money through donations.