15/05/2025
ATTENTION NEW DONKEY OWNERS:
Because donkeys look similar to horses, people often mistakenly feed them as they would horses or turn them out on fresh green pastures with their horses; but donkeys are not the same as horses.
Consider a donkey's origins to fully understand its dietary needs. Donkeys originated in Africa, specifically Northeast Africa, near the edge of the Sahara Desert. These donkeys are accustomed to dry, sparse vegetation.
In the U.S., wild donkeys are primarily found in arid desert regions as well, and they, too, are accustomed to dry, sparse vegetation.
They are natural browsers and are used to looking for edibles as they slowly wander along. So you can understand how this instinct to constantly look for food could result in problems if donkeys are allowed access to too much fresh grass (especially in the spring).
Horses have evolved to survive on grassy plains, which differs greatly from a donkey's diet. Keeping donkeys on fresh pasture grass endangers them by putting them at risk of laminitis and possibly even founder.
Your first responsibility is to ensure your donkey has a proper, healthy diet, which includes limiting their grazing time on fresh grass. Although they are efficient grazers, they can quickly become overweight on a diet that includes hours of grazing on grass (especially if the pasture is rich in sugars).
Allowing a donkey to graze on grass all day can lead to significant health problems, primarily due to the risk of conditions like obesity and fat deposits (which can be difficult to reverse) and laminitis/founder (which can potentially be life-threatening).
If you don't have a dry lot and need to keep your donkey on grass, monitor your donkey. If you see him/her putting on weight, you NEED TO limit grazing on the grass to one to two hours a day (during the early morning or late evening hours when the sugar levels in the grass are at their lowest). It is so much harder to take the weight off them than to put it on.
If you start to notice your donkey walking tenderfoot (like barefoot on gravel or eggshells) or unwilling to turn or move, that's a red flag that your donkey is becoming laminitic. This can cause lameness and damage the laminar connection between the hoof wall and the coffin bone. You MUST get that donkey off the grass.
In severe cases, the laminitis will turn into a severe founder. Donkeys are very stoic and won't usually show pain. They don't behave like horses with severe foot pain.
If you observe your donkey taking short steps when walking or see it making subtle weight shifting from one foot to another when standing, that's a sign of advanced laminitis. You may notice the hoof is hot when setting your hand around the donkey's hoof. If it remains hot for more than two hours or you feel a strong pulse on either side of the fetlock (digital pulse), this could signal that the donkey is foundering. If you notice these things, you MUST get it off that fresh grass ASAP.
When a donkey is foundering, you will notice an inability or reluctance to walk or get up after lying down. There might be a visible lameness on a hard surface or when turning a circle. You might notice them leaning back onto their hind feet (known as the laminitis stance), they may stand with all four feet closer together, or they may appear dull.
Dullness usually presents as listless, unmotivated, and generally lacking energy. The donkey may hold its head lower to the ground, and/or turn it's ears downward and out to the side (looking similar to airplane wings), or they might have a decreased or no reaction to stimuli.
If you see a lack in their normal behavior patterns (changes in appetite or chewing behavior), if your donkey displays dullness, not behaving like its usual self, and showing no interest in food or a treat (donkeys never turn down food or treats), this is where it has reached the point of a veterinary emergency.
Laminitis and founder is VERY painful. My vet once said, "Imagine how it would feel to have your fingernail ripped off. That's what laminitis and founder feels like to an equine."
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Jason & Raesha White, Managers
Healing Hearts Donkey Shelter And Refuge-
Spokane, Washington
Email address: [email protected]
Jason's Mobile Phone: (206) 913-3986
Raesha's Mobile Phone: (206) 818 -9046
FB: Healing Hearts Donkey Shelter And Refuge-Northeast Region
DOR recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit EIN # 83-3176076
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