Donkeys Flashcards
Preventative care for donkeys
Vaccinations: tetanus and equine influenza
Yearly dentals
Farriery every 6-10 weeks
What things do donkeys need (welfare)
Companionship
Shelter (not waterproof)
Anatomical differences between horses and donkeys
Larger ears since evolved in desert
Thicker cutaneous coli muscle which obscures middle 1/3 of jugular (used to support large head)
High tear duct to protect from dust trapping
Where do we NOT do IM injections in donkeys vs horses
Pectoral muscles since these are small and underdeveloped
What is the energy requirement of a donkey and what should their diet consist of
1.3-1.7 % of dry matter/Kg
i.e LESS than horses
Feed barley straw mostly + supplement with grass/hay or low sugar haylage
Difference in foot anatomy between donkeys and horses
Donkeys have very thick soles so are less sensitive to hoof testers
Frog does not extend as far forward so we should never use frog support of heart bar shoes as these make the rotational forces worse; should use pads/glue shoes
What is sham eating
Where a donkey loosk like it is taking in food i.e chewing but not actually eating
Oestrus behaviour of donkeys
Mounting, chasing other females
Herding
Mouth clapping
Winking clitoris
Raising tail, urinating posture
= stronger oestrus than in horses; more like cows
+ can breed all year round
Gestation length in a donkey
Ranges from 11-14 months
Difference in IM sedation onset in donkeys (detomidine and butorphanol)
Much faster than in horses
But use same doses (need more in mules)
What is the definition of hyperlipaemia
> 2.8mmol/L trigylcerides in blood
Risk factors for hyperlipaemia in doneksy
Obesity
Too sudden weight loss
Pregnancy/lactation [or just being female overall]
Increasing age
Underlying primary disease
Stress
What is the maximum weight loss per month we can have without risking hyperlipaemia
<5% BW per month
CLinical signs of hyperlipaemia
- Dullness, - Tachycardia/tachypnoea/pyrexia
- Ileus, abdominal discomfort
- Congested MMs, delayed CRT
- Dry mucous covered faeces
- Cloudy – milky serum/plasma = most obvious
- Halitosis
- Muzzle and head oedema
- Ataxia or neuro signs (= hepatic encephalopathy)
- Recumbency
- Death due to multi-organ failure
How should we treat hyperlipaemia in donkeys
Place pony/foal sized NG tube and give 2-3L warm water, rehydration salts
Rehydration salts
Glucose poweder
Ready brek
+ oral meds
How do colicking donkeys present
Quiet/dull with no interest in food
More rare to act like a horse i.e rolling; big cause for concern
Most common cause of colic in donkeys
Pelvic flexure impaction; often related to poor dental care
How does colitis in donkeys present
dull donkey; may be colicky, may have pyrexia
Rarely have diarrhoea unlike horses
Treating colitis
Key = analgesia
+ IM omeprazole good idea to deal with ulcer risk
Prognosis guarded as can be hard to get on top of the pain
Characteristics of strep zooepidemicus in donkeys
Mucopurulent nasal discharge
Rare to get chondroids
Self limiting with low mortality rate
What is strep zooepidemicus often secondary to in donkeys
equine herpes virus infection
What tests might we do when investigating laminitis
Hoof testers
LIfting alternate legs to check weight bearing
Radiographs
ACTH test to check for PPID
Insulin to check for asinine metabolic syndrome
Management of laminitis in donkeys
Low sugar diet, restrictive grazing but don’t starve
Foot support pads, deep bedding
Analgesia, (ice feet)
What consequence of a white line abscess may occur
Tracking back into pedal bone and osteitis
Are sarcoids common in donkeys and where
Yes
Mostly genital region, ventral abdomen, face/lips, eyes
Things to remember when placing an IV catheter in a donkey vs horse
Thicker skin; should cut down with scalpel
Cutaneous coli muscle can make it harder to se
Should place catheter at a slightly steeper angle
What type of castration do we choose in donkeys
Always go for closed due to larger reproductive organs and blood vessels
Which castration approach to take with colts vs stallions
FOr colts use scrotal approach i.e with emasculator
For stallions use inguinal approach i.e in theatre
Which anaesthetic drug should we be careful with in donkeys due to slower metabolism and overdose risk
Guaphensin (myolaxin)
Which drugs do donkeys metabolise faster than horses
Alpha2 agonists
Ketamine
What is a mule vs hinny
Mule = male donkey + female horse
Hinny = male horse and female donkey
Where do lameness tend to localise
To the foot; poor hoof balance, trimming/shoeing methods, bruisin
Euthanasia options
Free bullet/captive bolt
Chemical (rarely available in resource poor areas)
Severance of aorta using heavy sedation (NB: not safe)
Zoonotic diseases overseas in donkeys
- Glanders
- Bacterial burkholderi mallei
- Rabies = fatal viral encephalitis
- Anthrax (bacterial bacillus anthracis)
- Ringworm (fungal dermatitis)
Insect vector borne diseases of horses
- African horse sickness; via mosquito
- Theleria equi (piroplasmosis); via ticks
- Habromena; via flies
- Trypanosomiasis; via Tsetse flies weakness, neuro signs
How is trypanosomiasis spread and what are the signs
Spread by tsetse flies and causes weakness, neuro signs (african sleeping sickness)
How is african horse sickess spread
mosquito
How is theleria equi spread
ticks
How is habronema spread
Flies
Theatre anaesthesia protocol
Premed: dom, torb, ACP, morphine
Induction: ketamine and diazepam
Local: 5-10ml into cord/testicle
Maintenance: Isoflurance
[may use ket top up]
Field anaestheisa protocol
Pre-med: dom, torb (may use ACp)
Induction: ketamine, diazepam
Local: 5-10ml into cord/testicle
Maintenance: ketamine 1/3 dose every 10 mins + can do 1/2 detomidine dose after 30 mins
What is the triple trip combo for donkeys
Guaphenensin (myolaxin)
Xylazine
Ketamine
GKX
