Healing Hearts Donkey Shelter and Refuge - Northeast Region

01/04/2025

Founded in 1969, The Donkey Sanctuary is dedicated to improving the welfare of donkeys. Learn more about our work and how you can help here

01/04/2025

DONKEYS AND HORSES ARE NOT THE SAME.

Every now and then, it's good to remind people that Donkeys are not the same as horses. The biggest mistakes that people make is to treat donkeys like horses. Donkeys should be treated more as though they are an exotic pet.

Although horses, donkeys and zebras all evolved from a common ancestor, divergence (the biological evolutionary process) indicates that the zebra and donkey are more closely related to each other than either is to the horse.

Unlike horses that have evolved to survive on grassy plains, donkeys have evolved to live in the desert and are accustomed to dry sparse vegetation. They have extremely efficient digestive systems and easily gain weight on green pastures.

They are browsers by nature and are used to looking for edibles as they slowly wander along so you can see how this instinct to constantly look for food could result in problems if the donkeys are in an area with too much fresh grass.

Being overweight can lead to serious and potentially fatal health problems, including laminitis, founder, overgrown hooves, white line disease and chronic abcesses,
arthritis, liver disease and metabolic disorders.

Because you are an experienced horse owner but are new to donkeys, I encourage you to learn as much as you can about them so you're completely ready to adopt a donkey.

My donkey Facebook business group page was created to educate donkey owners, the general public and people who are interested in learning more about donkeys to form a better understanding of these unique animals and their needs.

Go to my Donkey Facebook Business page, "Healing Hearts Donkey Shelter And Refuge" to learn about us and our organization and go to our Facebook group page, "Friends Who L❤VE Donkeys" to learn about donkeys.

I also HIGHLY recommend checking out The Donkey Sanctuary of the UK's website, www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk to take advantage of their 50+ years of experience working with and researching donkeys.

The Donkey Sanctuary provides relevant up-to-date resources on donkey care, welfare, behaviour, nutrition and veterinary topics.

Their recordings of live webinars are created to help owners, handlers, carers and the employees of organizations across the world find the information they need to improve the lives of their donkeys. As they continue to run new monthly webinars, more recordings will become available.

Even us experienced donkey people gain so much high quality, up-to-date information from their experts. Go to:
https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/knowledge-and-advice/webinars

Healing Hearts Donkey Shelter And Refuge-Spokane
Jason & Raesha White-Managers

Jason's Mobile Phone: (206) 913-3986
Raesha's Mobile Phone: (206) 818 -9046

Email address: [email protected]

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Founded in 1969, The Donkey Sanctuary is dedicated to improving the welfare of donkeys. Learn more about our work and how you can help here

12/28/2024

Q&A SESSION REGARDING FEEDING CHRISTMAS TREES TO DONKEYS...

Q: Since donkeys eat wood, is it safe to feed our donkeys our old Christmas tree?

A: I have answered this question on numerous occassions after Christmas has ended. Yes, it "IS" safe to feed donkeys old Christmas trees, but under certain conditions...

According to AI Overview, "While donkeys can technically eat Christmas trees, it's not recommended to give them a whole Christmas tree as the needles can be difficult to digest and potentially cause digestive issues; however, small amounts of pine tree branches (without decorations) can be considered a safe treat for donkeys as they are natural browsers and enjoy the fiber in the bark and foliage.

Key points to consider:
Check for chemicals.
Avoid giving a tree that has been sprayed with chemicals or artificial snow, as this can be harmful to the donkey.

Moderation is key:
Only offer small portions of pine branches and monitor your donkey for any signs of digestive upset.

Safe alternatives:
If you want to give your donkey a holiday treat, consider offering them safe fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots, or pears."

HHDSAR SIDE NOTE: it is much safer to feed them trees that have been purchased from a christmas tree farm rather than a commercial christmas tree lot or shopping center. The farmer knows what, if anything, he sprays on his/her trees.





Photo credit: Carnation Christmas Tree Farm over by my son's house

12/25/2024

12/14/2024

Please watch this video and consider donating to the post I submitted below...
If you have trouble donating from the post below, you can also donate on my donkey business website at www.hhdonkey.org or just pop a check in the mail payable to HHDSAR and address it to 121 Keystone Rd., Riverside, WA 98849. Thank you.

12/01/2024

GIVING TUESDAY is just 3 days away. Please take a moment right now to mark your calendar for December 3rd?

Giving Tuesday is a great "GIVING" day when people all over the world take the time to remember those who are most in need and open their hearts and wallets to give them a financial boost to get them through the upcoming new year. That is especially true for Healing Hearts Donkey Shelter And Refuge.

The worst financial crisis in years has pushed the price of food, medicine, and other animal care essentials higher than we have ever seen them. Your gift on GIVING TUESDAY would help us provide our donkeys (and future donkeys) with all of the intervention needs to help so many donkeys who, otherwise, would be trying to survive neglect, being passed off from one bad phome to another, end up at an auction house or, worse yet, end up in the kill-pen pipeline.

We’ve got some plans in the works that will get us and our donkeys involved with helping those in need in our community. That means there will be a lot of work ahead of us, and your donation would make it that much easier for us to get things done and thrust us forward.

I know you have a lot of non-profits to choose from. My only ask is that you consider setting aside a little bit for us. Even smaller monthly donations go just as far as one big one. For example, a monthly donation of $5 over one year goes just as far as one $60 donation.

Please, mark GIVING TUESDAY (December 3rd) on your calendar and reminder. Or better yet, DONATE TODAY so you won’t forget. Just go to www.hhdonkey.org and tap on the DONATE button to get started. Thank you in advance. Your support is important to us and would be more appreciated than you could ever imagine.

THE BIGGEST GIVING DAY OF THE YEAR IS ALMOST HERE!

Giving Tuesday is an annual day of giving that takes place every year on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, it lands on December 3rd. It is a national day of giving where people generously donate to the non-profit organizations they support the most.

We know you have a lot of choices when it comes to donating; won't you please save the date for us this year?

We are moving in a new direction in 2025 to include our donkeys in areas of school age Equine Assisted Learning and adults struggling with mental, emotional, and social well-being.

We hope you’ll think of our donkey shelter and refuge, and more importantly, our donkeys this . There's no better day of the year to give.

We are raising funds for both our Riverside WA and Spokane WA sites. Go to www.hhdonkey.org to donate on our website

11/30/2024

THE BIGGEST GIVING DAY OF THE YEAR IS ALMOST HERE!

Giving Tuesday is an annual day of giving that takes place every year on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, it lands on December 3rd. It is a national day of giving where people generously donate to the non-profit organizations they support the most.

We know you have a lot of choices when it comes to donating; won't you please save the date for us this year?

We are moving in a new direction in 2025 to include our donkeys in areas of school age Equine Assisted Learning and adults struggling with mental, emotional, and social well-being.

We hope you’ll think of our donkey shelter and refuge, and more importantly, our donkeys this . There's no better day of the year to give.

We are raising funds for both our Riverside WA and Spokane WA sites. Go to www.hhdonkey.org to donate on our website

11/24/2024

11/23/2024

GIVE YOUR DONKEYS IVERMECTIN RIGHT AFTER THE FIRST FREEZE.

Ivermectin is an effective medication against botfly larvae, making it a good choice for this post-frost treatment.

Bot flies lay eggs on your donkey's legs during summer, which hatch into larvae that then migrate to the donkey's stomach where they develop.

Once the first freeze occurs (when water in the water buckets and troughs start freezing over) the bot flies become inactive and stop laying eggs, so treating "after" the first frost ensures you are targeting the existing larvae in the donkey's stomach.

This is the best time to target botfly larvae, which are most effectively killed at this stage when they are developing in the horse's stomach after the botflies have laid their eggs on the horse's legs during warmer months.

Since the first frost usually marks the end of botfly activity, treating after this point ensures you're targeting the maximum number of larvae without potential reinfection from new eggs.

If you found this information useful or interesting, please share it with other donkey owners and wannabe donkey owners.










Healing Hearts Donkey Shelter And Refuge-Spokane
Jason & Raesha White-Managers

Jason's Mobile Phone: (206) 913-3986
Raesha's Mobile Phone: (206) 818 -9046

Email address: [email protected]

Physical Address: 3914 N Garfield Rd
Spokane, WA 99224
USA