The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
Issue link: https://thehorse.epubxp.com/i/936432
20 TheHorse.com THE HORSE March 2018 susceptible to melanoma, despite many being gray, they do get sarcoids, sarco- mas, and other tumors that you might be able to identify by hand. Keep an eye out for any signs of joint pain from osteoarthritis that comes with age. Although it might be hard even for a veterinarian to detect, donkeys could show some signs of the condition. The main sites are in the upper joints—hip, shoulder, spine—unlike competition animals, whose lower joints are more frequently affected due to overuse. And don't forget good deworming programs, including for lungworms. Don- keys don't develop disease in response to lungworms, our sources say, but they can carry and shed it, making them a source of infection for horses, which are suscep- tible to lungworms' effects. Keeping Old Bones (and Ears!) Warm Donkeys aren't meant for the cold. "They come from hotter climates and don't grow woolly coats, so they do feel colder," Thiemann says. Researchers have shown that donkeys grow a longer—but not thicker—hair coat in winter. And they definitely seek shelter more frequently than ponies do. "Their hair coat hasn't developed to be as cozy for them in cold winters as horses' and ponies' have," she says. And they feel the freeze all the more as they grow older. Blanketing is a good idea but, given their particular shape (longer backs, thin- ner build), custom-made blankets work best and cause less rubbing, our sources say. Heat lamps in barns can also help keep them warm, Thiemann says. And a good supply of low-calorie forage helps their bodies generate heat, McLean adds. As for those ears, "they're more suscep- tible to frostbite," McLean says. Con- sider putting bonnets on long ears in the winter, and keep them indoors when the weather's both cold and wet. Long Ears, Big Hearts Donkeys and mules are highly social animals that need lots of attention. And those needs continue into old age. They need stable companionship, familiar en- vironments, and, if they've learned to like people, human interaction. "Old donkeys are very sweet, often very inquisitive, and they want to help me on my vet rounds," Thiemann says. "If they've had a positive relationship with humans all their life, they'll follow you around the field. But if they've had nega- tive emotions with humans, they can be challenging and feisty. Whatever mistakes you've made in that animal's emotional upbringing will come home to roost when they're old." McLean agrees. "They're researchers," she says. "They really do like interaction and are very social. Of all equids, the don- keys are like big dogs; there's just some- thing about their souls. The mules, as well. I've found a really unique bond with mules that I've yet to find with a horse." So get out there in that field with them regularly, and give them plenty of atten- tion and activity. Take-Home Message The beloved donkey or mule can make a delightful companion or even sporting animal. If he's learned to feel safe around humans, he can be a true and trusted friend well into old age. But his stoic dis- position might mask the effects of age. It's time to get past the idea that donkeys and mules don't need scrupulous care because they're tough and, instead, provide them with the treatment, warmth, companion- ship, and attention they need, throughout their golden years. h Long in the ... EARS Saying Goodbye Donkeys might suffer in silence a long time, and it's up to us to make the difficult decision to let them go in peace. But while euthanasia might ease one donkey's suffering, it might increase another's. Donkeys and mules bond so closely with their buddies that losing one can be especially hard—enough, in fact, that they might stop eating. "It's quite a high-risk period for the donkey left behind," says Alex Thiemann, MA, VetMB, Cert EP, MRCVS, veterinary surgeon at The Donkey Sanctuary. "It's important for him to come to terms with the loss." At The Donkey Sanctuary, handlers often keep the friend present while the companion is euthanized. "We offer him a feed and let him stay with the body for a half an hour or so, so they're not just braying and trying to understand what happened," she says. "Afterward, we ensure he gets lots of attention, and we find another companion for him very quickly." —Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA Donkeys grow longer, but not thicker, coats in winter, so you might want to blanket your old longear during cold snaps. PAM MACKENZIE PHOTOS Many donkeys and mules are highly social animals, so give them plenty of attention and interaction.