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Figure
The donkey (or ass) was the first animal, after the dog, that humans domesticated for work and the first to do agricultural work. Because of its lone association with humans, the donkey seems actually to like human beings and to enjoy working for them (when conditions are right; otherwise it does no more than consent). It is one of the most intelligent of the animals that humans use for work.
Most donkeys are, by nature, gentle animals which makes them particularly suitable for being worked by women. The fact that most of the farming work in Africa is done by women makes it doubly fortunate that the donkey is so well adapted to the African environment.
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Donkey
One of the most important things to be known about donkeys is that each one has its own personality and preferences, each donkey is different from every other. They easily recognise different people and know their ways and owners should, in turn, easily be able to recognise different donkeys and know their habits. The donkey is an animal that forms decided habits.
The donkey is one of the most rewarding animals to train, and once trained can be trusted to do many tasks without human supervision. A donkey will learn quickly both from other donkeys and from humans, and has a remarkable memory, especially for paths and routes.
At 120 - 300 kg, donkeys are not as big in size as cattle or mules and horses, thus not able to give as much pull. For their size, however, donkeys are actually stronger and work twice as hard as cattle each donkey giving an average pull of 25 kg for 3 hours. A pair has no difficulty in pulling a plow at 20 cm depth through previously ploughed, light sandy soils.
For work in irrigation schemes, oxen are generally better suited than donkeys. There, soils are mostly heavy and also water and humidity make this environment uncomfortable for donkeys.
Donkeys can pull carts faster than oxen. It must be born in mind though that carts are not easily used off well-maintained roads.
Best work can be obtained from donkeys if they are worked as a pair. This is because any separation from its friend will cause a donkey unhappiness, and permanent separation may even cause it to die of heartbreak. This tendency to friendship and pairing is, therefore, both an advantage and disadvantage.
A donkey matures slowly and should not be used for work before it is 3 years old. A very well cared-for donkey can live beyond 50 years and give useful work for about 30 years.
Advantages
-Friendly towards humans.
-Willing to work.
-Easy to train and need little supervision in work.
-Strong relative to size.
-Can turn in a small space.
-Live/work more years in good care than other animals.
-Comparatively cheap to buy.
-Can utilise poor food well and need little water.
-Not affected much by external parasites.
-Can survive well in tsetse areas.
-Milk good for humans, especially babies.
Disadvantages
-Friends not easily separated and suffer from being alone.
-Comparatively small in size.
-Breed and mature slowly.
-Need shelter from cold and damp.
-Meat rarely eaten. .
-Manure more fibrous than nutritious.
Farmers need:
-to decide which donkeys may be used for which purpose
-some guidelines for the purchase of new donkeys .
-to decide which of the males should be castrated.
It is the needs of the farmer which must, therefore, decide which characteristics are most desirable, and what further training may be done. Some of the characteristics listed here, such as speed and obedience, are often the outcome of training before the donkey is old enough to be used.
To some extent, a donkey will select itself. An owner will often know what kind of work his or her donkey will like doing best and be best at. A buyer should not choose a donkey until it can be seen regularly in use. A donkey's temperament can often be judged by the way its owner handles it.
Since donkeys often work in pairs, they should, if possible, be chosen in pairs pairs of friends - and that way they will do better work.
2.2.1 Desirable Characteristics
| |
Desired Characteristics for: | ||
|
Item: |
Field Operations |
Carting |
Carrying |
|
Size |
large |
large |
large |
|
Back |
straight |
straight |
straight |
|
Chest |
wide | | |
|
Legs |
straight, well |
straight, well |
straight, well |
|
|
muscled |
muscled |
muscled |
|
Feet | |
concave, large, |
concave, large, |
|
| |
well angled |
well angled |
|
Eyesight | |
good |
good |
|
Temperament |
calm |
calm |
responsive |
|
Obedience |
prompt |
prompt |
prompt |
|
Speed | |
fast | |
Above table summarises the desired characteristics for the three main tasks donkeys carry out.
All field operations require the strength to pull. The Dulling must be done by the chest or shoulder (depending on the type of harness), with the legs providing the power and the back taking the vertical force. since pulling carts is also a draft operation, the characteristics needed are similar to the ones of field operations. However, since the animal will necessarily be operating on roads which other vehicles use, calm temperament becomes even more important. Speed also is important for pulling carts.
Strength of the back and legs are more important in carrying operations than the chest is, although endurance and therefore good breathing still play a vital part. Good feet become most important in carrying, because the whole weight of the load is canted by the donkey's feet.
2.2.2 Sex and Behaviour
The sex of a donkey influences its size and conformation and with a fully mature adult donkey, its reproductive hormones can change its behaviour in an undesirable way.
Female donkeys (mares, jennies), when on heat, will forget their work and friends and follow - if not actually persue - male donkeys of their fancy. Even if there are no males around, they will be restless and disobedient for several days at a time, about once every one or two months when not pregnant. It is difficult to know when a donkey is pregnant. Towards the end of the pregnancy, which is 12 to 14 months long, she will be much more docile than isusual. If the pregnancy is so far advanced, that it can be obviously seen, then she should not be used for work. Once she has given birth, a mother should not be used for work until her baby is about three months old.
Fig. 2.1: The female donkey has two
teats between the back legs and genitals below the anus under the tail.
Fully male donkeys (Stallions, jacks) become difficult to control when they are anywhere near a female in heat: The will leave their work and their friends to pursue her. In addition, they can engage in fights with other grown-up males. stallions are also a danger to very young donkeys who are still with their mothers; the males can bite and kick the foal.
It is obvious, therefore, that the castrate male donkey (gelding is the best type to have for work. The gelding is big and strong but less excitable than jennies and stallions.
2.2.3 Age and Work
Although donkeys should be trained as young as possible, if donkeys do any heavy work before they are three years old, their bones which are still forming and hardening - particularly the backbone - will become deformed into the wrong shape.
A donkey cannot be considered mature until it is about 4 years old.. Mature weight is only reached at about 6 years. A donkey is too old to work only when it becomes a struggle for that work to be done. Donkeys can work up to about the age of 40 years if they are well cared for, but under common conditions it can be expected, that disease and/or parasites will shorten the period considerably.
2.2.4 Conformation
The backbone of the donkey should be level between 'shoulders' and rump (withers and crupper) A slight sag just behind the shoulders or in front of the rump is acceptable, especially in a young donkey.
The legs, seen from front, back and sides, should be straight and nearly perpendicular to the ground.
Fig. 2.2: YES! NO! NO! NO! The legs
seen from the front must be straight
Fig. 2.3: YES! NO! NO! NO! The legs
seen from behind must be straight.
Fig. 2.4: The legs seen from the
side must be straight and perpendicular to the ground.
The feet or hooves of the donkey must be well-angled, concave and of reasonable size. The angle of the feet is to a great extent the result of the care that is given to them, and from the side should form an angle of about 50 degrees.
Fig. 2.5: Seen from the side, the
feet should show an angle of 50 degrees between the fetlock and the ground. The
back of the hoof should be at least 2 cm thick. The hoof should be about 5 cm
across for an adult donkey.
Fig. 2.6: The hoof, seen from below,
should be hollow or concave, so that the weight of the donkey is supported by
the edges of the hoof
The chest of the donkey should be wide and deep to allow room for big lungs, big overall size and strong front legs.
Fig. 2.7: YES! NO! The chest seen
from the side must be deep
Fig. 2.8: The chest seen from the
front must be wide, the width of one hand should be able to fit between a
donkey's front legs where they meet the chest, from the time the donkey is about
a year old.
A working donkey must have good eyesight. We test whether the donkey reacts to movements coming from the rear and on each side of the head, at a distance of about of 10 cm. Close inspection of the eyes is very important.
2.2.5 Behaviour characteristics
To a great extent, temperament can only be properly assessed by spending time with a donkey, and working with it. A donkey with a calm temperament would, in an open field allow a strange human (or donkey) to come quite close before moving away, and when it moves, it will move slowly.
A responsive donkey will be very watchful and, although allow a stranger to come quite close in an open field, will be prompt in backing away from any strange movement.
An excitable donkey will run, probably kicking its heels in the air, when seeing a stranger in an open field.
A good working donkey should be obedient, this means the donkey knows the commands and responds to them quickly.
Especially for carting and carrying, the donkey must be nimble, it must not be clumsy. It should be able to turn round in a space only a little wider than itself and climb up an down steps at least 50 cm high.
2.3.1 Basic Rules for the Training of Donkeys
In many places, where donkeys are used, it is noted that children have most dealings with donkeys. So it is important, that where donkeys are being trained, children should participate in the training as well. The children should know all that is necessary about donkeys.
Children should learn not to throw things at donkeys, or to chase them. Such treatment will simply cause bad behaviour in donkeys.
Unlike oxen, a donkey does not give its best effort and behaviour to a person that it fears, but to one that it trusts and likes. It is, therefore, in the owner's best interest to get the donkey's trust and liking. This can take time, but, after that, working with a donkey is remarkably easy.
The main instrument in training donkeys is the human voice. The donkey's lone ears are very acute, and even when it does not understand words, it is very understanding of personalities and moods. When working with donkeys, therefore, a human must talk as much as possible. Friends and neighbours will cease to think an owner is mad once they see how well the donkeys behave.
Of course a donkey will not understand the meaning of most of the words said around it, but there is a range of words and sounds that a donkey can easily be taught to understand and associate with actions to perform. Such words or commands should be standardised in any area.
The earlier the process of training and familiarity starts, the easier for everyone. It can start the day a donkey is born, if the mother is sufficiently trusting. By the time the donkey is ready for full work three years later, no particular effort will be required.
The presence of any other well-trained donkey makes it much easier to train a new one.
There is no doubt that donkeys learn as much from each other as they do from humans.
2.3.2 Training Steps
The steps for training donkeys are basically the same ones as for training oxen. The donkey differs, however, to some extent, in its reactions to humans and environment and therefore the training approach has to differ as well.
Handling and confidence
Movement towards an animal will
frighten it, and in early training anything that frightens the donkey must be
avoided and all movements must be slow and careful. At first, the trainer tries
- using some maize or other food to lure the donkey if necessary - to be allowed
to stand next to the donkey and to touch it. Using some favourite food, the
donkey will initially allow the trainer to touch it and after a few days will
actually enjoy being stroked and scratched.
After this, it is very easy to get the donkey to allow itself to be touched all over, and to have a rope slipped around its neck. All this should happen within a few days to a week, and it is time well worth spending.
Once the donkey allows approach and handling, things like maize cobs do not need to be used as a lure, but should only be used as rewards for good behaviour in training. Praise words soon become enough reward for the donkey.
Tying and leading a donkey
Put a thick rope or strap which
does not cut into the skin around the donkey's neck, as practised in handling.
At first the donkey will resist being pulled by its rope. Use of its name and
calm voice will soon settle it, and in no time it will be walking obediently at
the tug of the rope. That is the time to reward it using praising words like:
Good! at the same time.
Once the donkey is being led, it must start becoming accustomed to other people. Additional people should be asked to stand still but talking, while the donkey is led up to them and is given time to sniff or try to taste their clothes. After such exercises, leading a donkey into crowds of people will be no problem.
Lifting feet and washing eyes
Lifting feet and washing eyes
are important to maintain these parts of the donkey's body in good health and
they have to be done to a donkey throughout its whole life.
The donkey may not allow the whole action to be performed right away, so training should proceed step by step, with each step rewarded when the donkey allows it. Steps could be seen as follows:
Lifting feet:
- running hand down leg
- brief lifting foot from ground;
- lifting foot right up;
- keeping foot held right up;
- cleaning out sole of foot;
- rasping foot;
Washing eyes:
- touching eye (which will close);
- forcing eye lids open;
- squirting water on eye (which will close);
- squirting water into eye while eye lid held open;
Once the donkey is used to these procedures, it seems to quite enjoy having its feet tended and its eyes washed, probably because this usually serves to relieve some discomfort.
Crossing water
Donkeys have a natural fear of water because they cannot swim. The relative size of their head to their body does not allow this. However, it can be readily appreciated that a donkey which will not cross water is something of a liability in the rainy season.
The sooner a donkey learns to cross running water, both by bridge and by wading, i.e. walking through water, the better. A baby donkey is still small enough to be pushed if necessary; an older donkey is almost impossible to persuade. So an effort must be made to find running water somewhere in the neighbourhood when the donkey is still very small, and a day or two should be spent persuading it back and forth across the water, and rewarding it accordingly. If the water can be progressively wider and deeper, even better.
Running
Once the donkey is used to people, a rope and being led, it must be taught a steady, sustained speed at the command of a human. The trainer (running) and the donkey will have to find a comfortable speed which the donkey takes up immediately when the command is given. Once the donkey is used to speeding up, maintaining a trot or a triple and slowing down again on command, longer and longer distances should be covered so as to build up stamina. For this exercise it is a good idea to accustom the donkey to run alongside a bicycle.
Carrying
Once the donkey is about six months old, it can start its training for lifetime work by handling very light loads. A fair rule is 1 kg for every month of its First just put a sack over its back. The donkey will Jump around at first and, if loose, will gallop away trying to shake the load off. As usual, the use of its name, calm words and reward will do the trick, and quite soon the donkey will make no fuss at all.
After that, two sacks tied together can be used, and then a brick put in each. The donkey will quickly allow the brick to be lifted in and out while the sacks are on its back.
Pulling implements
Once the donkey is 4 years old and ready
to pull loads, it has to get used to the harness and pulling work. The method of
introducing the use of different implements and the commands are the same as the
ones-for oxen, as explained in Part
I.
2.4.1 Introduction
A happy, healthy donkey is one that will do most work for its human owner. If it is not healthy, a donkey cannot give good work. Housing and feeding contribute to their health, so are just as important as the more direct care and prevention of ailments and injuries.
Companions
As already mentioned, a donkey should not be kept alone. It will have one special friend, which will be obvious, and less trouble will be experienced if the donkey is kept with its friend.
Where many donkeys are kept together, mares just about to deliver or with young foals, and stallions, should be kept separated from the herd and from each other - for obvious reasons.
Pregnant mares and young foals can easily be harmed by other donkeys, and stallions can be violent, If females are absent, however, stallions will not give much trouble.
Transport
Donkeys cannot easily be transported in lorries and trucks in the way cattle and sheep are and it is necessary for those selling and buying donkeys to be aware of this. Too often donkeys will die a couple of days after reaching their destination.
Such transport deaths could be for a number of reasons, one of which could be separation from friends, another the sheer terror of the journey. Both of these factors contribute to a nervous reduction in a donkey's blood sugar levels. A period without food will also contribute to transport stress though the donkey digests food slowly enough for it to tolerate a couple of days without food in normal conditions, despite not having a rumen. A donkey suffering from fear or any other nervous upset will also not eat, and the problem is thus compounded.
Just by itself, the drop in blood sugar levels can be fatal, but this can be prevented if the donkeys are given a glucose injection immediately before the gurney begins.
It is far better, and usually cheaper too, to have donkeys driven on foot across country than to have them taken in a motor vehicle. It may be slower, but it has a less disastrous effect on the donkey.
2.4.2 Feeding Technique
Pasture
Pasture is the best source of food for donkeys. So with donkeys the same as with cattle it is advisable to practice rotational grazing, because a pasture which is used too long or too often may become not only exhausted of nutrition, but seriously infested with parasites. As has been said, pasturing sheep along with donkeys may control this to some extent, but no pasture should be used on a permanent basis.
Refer to Part I for information about rotational grazing.
Amount of pasture required: The donkey makes very good use of poor food but this does not mean it should be deprived of food. It will do well on plenty of dry grass, but grass is very far from being the only thing it eats.
If the owner observes what herbs, bushes, trees and fruit the donkeys like, then places can be selected where maximum nutrition is provided.
Donkeys should have at least six hours a day at pasture, but this should not include the hot hours of the day, when they will eat little and simply doze in the shade even if they are hungry. They do most eating in the early morning and late afternoon. Even if they have these opportunities, if they are also spending more then about two hours a day at work, they will need some supplementary feeding if they do such work every day.
Supplements
Although donkeys do not have a rumen, they seem to make good use of the cellulose in plants and require a high proportion of it. Conversely an overbalance of proteins can actually be harmful to them. If a donkey is working and has no opportunity to graze, the following daily amounts are recommended:
200-300 kg donkey carrying 25- 70 kg load at 4 km per hour for 6 hours a day
1-2 kgs grain (e.g. unground maize or sorghum) and 5 kg chaff (waste matter from winnowing sorghum or millet) or groundnut shells. The grain should be eaten before the chaff. Some of the chaff can be substituted with straw. Half the amount to be given in the morning and half in the evening.
Supplementary feed should be provided in clean containers that cannot easily be knocked over by donkeys - and there must be sufficient containers that the donkeys do not fight for priority. If there is one thing that really interests a donkey above all e se it is food.
Old donkeys which cannot easily use their teeth should be allowed to have milled gram and chaff in lesser quantities if they are not working. Young pregnant or lactating donkeys may require another half kilogram of grain. And all fodder should be free of mould.
Even when well fed, donkeys will often seek out their own supplements if they have the opportunity. This is because of the different individual requirements of each donkey. They will search in rubbish heaps and fowl-runs for titbits but should be prevented from doing so.
They might take in substances harmful to their digestion like plastic and meatmeal. Also they might over-eat or eat decaying food with poisonous bacteria or fungi.
Sometimes it could be minerals that they are looking for. Calcium and phosphorous (the most important ones) can be obtained m powder form from farm suppliers and on the whole a 'lick' should not be used as it may encourage over-use and then too much intake of water.
Instead, to every kilogram of grate should be added:
2 teaspoons calcium
1 teaspoon phosphorous
1 very small pinch of salt.
If a block is used it should not include urea which can be poisonous to donkeys.
2.4.3 Water Requirements of Donkeys
A pregnant or lactating donkey, or one working in a hot dry environment may consume as much as 20 litres per day, usually it will be much less than this. It is almost unknown for a donkey to consume more than it needs. so it can be allowed to drink freely.
The main restriction is that a donkey should not be allowed to drink very cold water when it is still hot from working. The water must also be clean: donkeys can be very fussy about their water and may refuse to drink dirty water even when they need it.
Donkeys can go without water for up to three days, but this is not good for a working donkey
If, however, it comes to a choice between good pastures and access to clean water, then donkeys can be taken to the good pastures for two days and given access to the water on the third.
2.4.4 Housing Donkeys
A paddock is the best night accommodation for a donkey. A paddock, however, allows some grazing, although a donkey will not eat grass that has grown on manure or even urine. . As early mornings and late afternoons are important times for donkeys to be grazing, if they are kept in a kraal they must spend the minimum amount of time in it.
Fig. 2.9: A simple shelter, suitable
for donkeys
Depending on the prevailing climate, some shelter must be provided. In the warmer parts of Africa a large, shady tree would be sufficient as shelter. In cooler climates shelter is necessary and the main protection has to be against the rain. Where the winters or the rain are cold, however, some Protection against the night winds really must be provided. A roof supported by three walls backing on the prevailing wind, and with well- drained floor (see Figure 2.9) would allow ventilation and movement for the donkey, while providing sufficient shelter.
Barbed wire should not be used for enclosing donkeys. If they see enough space, many donkeys will try, and some succeed to get through or jump over a barbed wire fence, and can injure themselves. On the other hand a donkey will not use great force to get through a fence, so poles do not have to be very large or heavy.
TETHERING for grazing after pasture.
Where fences are absent and donkeys cannot be let loose because of the damage they might do to people's crops, then the only option that an owner may have is to tether his or her donkeys i.e. to tie them to a tree or post.
For this, the donkey must have a wide collar which will not cut its neck, and a rope which allows the donkey to move away from the tether point at least 5 times its own length.
There should be nothing along that length that will catch the rope and ideally the donkey should be able to move in all directions around the tether point However if the tether point is a tree, the donkey could easily wind itself around it - thus limiting its grazing - and not all donkeys are intelligent enough to unwind themselves again. The presence of a fence is therefore often helpful.
Naturally the tether point must be chosen so as also to allow the donkey the maximum amount of eating: a good variety of plants that the donkey likes to eat (i.e. not only grass) must be within its reach.
Even when there seems to be plenty for the donkey to eat it should not be left tethered in the same place for more than 3 hours. Food can be brought to it but it is easier, of course, to move the donkeys.
2.4.5 Preventive Health Care of Donkeys
Like any other working creature, a donkey that does not feel well will not do good work. As for cattle (see Part I), the health of a donkey can best be checked by regular, daily contact and familiarity with the donkey when it is healthy. Then, when changes occur, they will quickly be seen and appropriate measures can be taken.
An owner's main task is to prevent any harmful effects of work on the donkeys. Regular, work because it is physical exercise, strengthens the muscles of the animal, improves its circulation and breathing and increases appetite.
On the other hand, overwork - such as pulling or carrying loads that are too heavy and for too many hours in the day without proper time for resting and eating - can be harmful.
Overworked donkeys will suffer from fatigue, loss of weight and general weakening which makes them susceptible to disease.
Castration (Gelding)
This is an operation that really must be
performed on most male donkeys. It is usually not done before the donkey is
about 10 months old. Because at that time the testicles have not yet descended,
it will be necessary to cut them out. This creates an open wound that should
drain and may take a couple of weeks to heal, so must be carefully managed to
prevent infection. It is most unwise to perform the operation in the rainy
season when bacterial and fungus infections are common, but even in the dry
season the wound must be kept clean and disinfected twice daily until it closes
(see under "SKIN" for wound treatment).
From about the time a donkey is 2 years old it is possible to use a burdizzo which does not create an open wound if it is used over a clean cloth and so is less inviting of infection.
However, its results are not so reliable and it has to be very professionally used.
Also if the donkey is too mature it may retain the unwanted behaviour of a stallion even after it has been successfully castrated with the burdizzo.
Feet
Feet are a vital part of a donkey's working equipment because a donkey which cannot walk, cannot work.
The under-surfaces of each foot should be checked out daily during the rainy season, especially if ground conditions are sticky. They should be regularly cleaned with a hard sharp stick, to make sure no decayed matter stays lodged in them and that no stones or thorns remain to irritate them either. During the dry season, checking once a week will be enough.
In wet conditions donkey hooves may get soft or overgrown, so the growth and condition of the hooves should be watched to ensure that the shape remains as it should be. If necessary, a hoof can be filed to the right shape, this may also be necessary in very young donkeys to correct the shape of the legs. The hoof and the frog (see illustration in module on 'SELECTION') can also be shaped straight with a very sharp knife.
In dry conditions, especially where surfaces are hard, donkeys' hooves may crack and split.
Regular rubbing with oil but particularly neatsfoot oil will help to prevent this and a nick made m the hoof at the top of the crack at right angles to it will help to stop the crack spreading.
Hoof knives and hoof-picks are obtainable in shops where horse equipment is sold but are also easily made by a local blacksmith.
If a donkey is lame and the hoof is hot to the touch something is causing inflammation. Look for a wound or a thorn. Very often the inflammation can be reduced by a hot soak (a rag soaked in hot salt water pressed to the inflammation until the temperature equalises) or by soaking the foot in a solution of copper sulphate - blue crystals cheaply obtained from chemists or farmer suppliers. A plastic gallon bottle with the top cut off just enough to insert the hoof is the ideal thing for doing this.
A donkey seldom likes its feet to be wet but one way of keeping a foot standing in a bucket of water is to tie one of the donkey's front feet up with a belt.
Skin
A donkey easily bleeds and its skin is easily broken, so skin wounds (lesions) should be.
Prevented as much as possible by correctly using the correct equipment for work. This should ensure that anything that comes in contact with a donkey's skin is soft and does not rub or cut.
If prevention fails and a wound occurs it must be quickly dealt with. First of all it must be kept clean with twice daily washings. Hydrogen peroxide which is fairly cheaply obtainable in chemists is very thorough as an initial cleaner especially if decayed matter is in the wound.
The wound should not be left wet but encouraged to dry as quickly and cleanly as possible. If it is to be covered with oil or vaseline (or insect-repellent 'stockholm tar') it must be thoroughly cleaned and dried first.
The application of a strong solution of common salt (sodium chloride) may sting the donkey but it promotes healing while it disinfects. The covering is better if the salt is mixed into a paste using clean water and very well-sifted wood ash. This is particularly suitable for wounds facing downwards such as castration wounds.
Mild alkalis such as cooking soda (sodium bicarbonate ) or acids such as vinegar (acetic acid) diluted in water have a similar effect mainly discouraging fungus and bacteria. Brown sugar (not diluted) or honey can help if applied to a wound which has become septic i.e. inflamed and exuding pus
Eyes
Often, donkeys suffer from weepy eyes. This is most likely a bacterial inflammation spread by flies. If it is not soon remedied it can get worse and eventually cause blindness for the donkey which would reduce the working effectiveness of the animal.
Washing out the eyes with a very mild antiseptic or even with clean water is usually enough to remedy this condition if caught early enough. Washing can easily be done with a plastic squeezy bottle such as those in which washing up liquid or toilet cleaner is sold. Before such a bottle is used for a donkey's eyes, its original contents must be very thoroughly cleaned out.
Effective mild antiseptics that can be dissolved in water are cooking soda, which is a mild alkali, and common salt.
The washing should be done twice a day. If the eyes do not improve within a week and completely recover within two weeks, then will be the time to use a commercial antibiotic eye powder or spray.
PARASITES
External parasites (ectoparasites)
The donkey's habits of mutual grooming, rubbing itself against trees and rolling in sand and ash indicate that it is sensitive to itches, but these habits also rid the donkey of most of the important external parasites.
Parts of the donkey which may harbour parasites are under the tail, between the legs and inside the ears. Parasites in these places can often be removed by hand (but make sure they are properly killed) or by use of tick grease which is commercially available. A non- irritant insecticide such as 'Malathion' mixed with Vaseline is also effective particularly against the mange mite.
Only if absolutely necessary, and if the level of the dip allows them to keep their heads above water (because they cannot swim). donkeys can be dipped like cattle but some of the dip chemicals in use are harmful to donkeys such as 'Triatix'. Dipping should therefore only be used as a last resort.
Donkeys generally love to be scratched by people especially around and inside the ears. If done as a daily habit, this routine is also an effective way of parasite control.
Internal parasites (endoparasites)
Especially on poor and over-used pastures, donkeys can be very seriously affected by internal parasites causing lung infections, diarrhoea, weight loss infertility, abortions and eventually an early death. These parasites, therefore, represent a serious economic threat.
Removing manure, rotation of pastures and ensuring that supplementary feed is always clean, are all things that can help keep parasitism under control particularly where donkey numbers are low.
In many countries a twice-annual anthelmintic programme (to control internal parasites) for donkeys, is recommended. Donkeys should be treated for parasites at the end of the rain and again at the end of the dry season. Foals as young as a month old can be included in such a programme.
Effective control is provided by the drug 'Ivermectin' and in its paste form 'Eqvalan' which is easy to administer through a donkey's mouth (see Drenching' below)..
Figure
2.4.6 Curative Health Care of Donkeys
Some frequent diseases and ailments and their treatment
|
Symptoms |
Ailment |
Treatment |
|
1 Limping muscle or joint hot to touch and/or swollen: possible inability to rise from living down. |
Torn muscle or ligament sprain |
Apply cold soak to swollen area. Rest from gentle exercise If donkey cannot rise from sleeping or rolling it must be helped up and during the day kept in a standing position, either in the crush pen or by means of a cloth sling round its belly hung from branch of a tree - the animal to be in the shade. |
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2 Limping: no obvious muscular trouble; no obvious lesion; two or more feet hot; weight put on heels; some fever. |
Laminitis (founder) |
Reduction in diet protein. cold soaks for feet. Exercise, but not work. Antihistamines administered professionally |
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3 Persistent diarrhoea (scouring) abnormal rolling; stomach kicking. |
Colic acidosis but needs professional diagnosis. |
Restriction of diet but increase of liquid especially with cooking soda. If the donkey has taken in urea from a cattle lick. then diluted vinegar rather then cooking soda should be tried. Plenty of exercise but not work. If acute pain persists professional help should be obtained as soon as possible. |
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4 Prolonged constipation (more than several days) |
Constipation |
Molasses or 1-2 litres cooking oil. depending on the size of the animal. to be given as a drench (see below). |
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5 Avoidance of other donkeys and people; strange behaviour; moving in tight circles; eventual paralysis. |
Rabies |
There is no cure. Once this is correctly diagnosed, the animal should be shot straight away and buried |
Donkeys can share Nagana (trypanosomiasis) with cattle. But it is more likely that they get their own form of the disease known as dourine which is not spread by the tsetse fly, but by other flies. Many donkeys will not show symptoms of this even though they have it and so they act as carriers.
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