(Disclaimer: the following article is my experience on a potential lameness. If you are in any doubt, at any time, about the health of your animal, then call your vet. Do not hesitate.)
It is one of those decisions that I hate. Do I need to call the vet or not? There are so many factors involved in one of these decisions. Obviously first is the animal’s need. Having the vet out is not known by many animals as the most pleasant experience, however good the vet. So if its not really necessary then it would seem better not to. But it is much better to call earlier rather than later. If a situation has deteriorated then it can mean a lot more veterinary intervention which could have been avoided.
Then there is the timing. Invariably whatever is going to happen, happens on a weekend, or in this case a bank holiday weekend. And don’t forget this isn’t just a matter of popping an animal into a carry basket and going to the surgery. With donkeys it is always a call out job and over a weekend that means an emergency call out rather than just the standard ‘farm calls’ that are bookable during the week.
And finally there are the circumstances of the problem. In this case Pru - its always Pru - or very often. Margo tends to get real emergency things like something stuck in her eye - vet call, no hesitation. Pru goes for the more under cover stuff when she might need a vet or she might just need to stand in the sun for a while and rest. Anyway, in this case, Pru had had a little bit more grass on Thursday than she had of late. I had also got some nice new barley straw which I had decided to feed along with their hay, i.e. a change of diet. And Pru is so sensitive to things now that any slight change can have an effect. And the straw was so nice I had got a bit carried away and given quite a large section of straw the day before.
Finally of course there is her general medical history. She has laminitis and has had for many years now. She also has bad hips. And both donkeys were in season leading to some boisterous playing around and probably Margo jumping on Pru’s back, not to be recommended when you have bad hips.
So when she came out of the stable just occasionally lifting her back hoof off the ground on Saturday morning, what do to?
Well Friday night I had checked their feet and there was some heat in that hoof. (Always keep a stable diary and keep a note of such things, as well as what you have fed them that day.) But there was no heat Saturday morning. I checked the foot carefully, cleaned it out and checked the white line which didn’t seem to have any stones or holes. The white line is the part of the hoof between the sole and the outer wall. It is where donkeys commonly get something called seedy toe and as the white line disintegrates is can lead to little tiny bits of soil or stone tracking up into the hoof and causing an infection. This creates an abscess which often needs poulticing and certainly needs veterinary and perhaps farrier intervention. (Image from: http://www.miniaturesforu.com)
I walked her up and down the yard and there was no sign of lameness. Her back was dipped gently and naturally. (Another tip - watch your animals closely and get to know how they carry themselves. They will show signs of pain in their body. If Pru is uncomfortable on her feet, she will hump her back in an effort to relieve pressure on her feet.) And she was looking relaxed and happy. She ate her breakfast and tucked into the hay (with less straw this time) quite happily.
I checked on her later in the morning and then again towards the end of the afternoon. She was wandering round the field with Margo. So perhaps she had just slept oddly. Perhaps her back was aching from Margo leaning on her. Perhaps the straw was too much of a quick diet change. Perhaps it was all of those. But for the time being anyway we don’t need to disturb the vet. Thank goodness.
As I said at the start, this is just my experience. I am not a vet but I have got to know my animals over the years and I would recommend you do the same. Watch them and learn from them, and if you are in any doubt then get the vet out. Most surgeries provide a 24 hour service and if they only come check your animal and say it will be fine then that is much better than missing something serious.
- Check your animals every day
- Watch and learn how they move, what they do
- Don’t ignore any signs of unhappiness - not eating, drinking, interacting with companions
- Keep a stable diary and make a note each day of what you feed and anything unusual - it really doesn’t take a minute and can be invaluable
- Check your donkey’s feet regularly and learn their natural temperature and condition
- Have the farrier out regularly
- If in doubt - call the vet!
Happy donkey-ing!
Resources:
