Abnormal maternal behavior in a donkey as a consequence of neophobia

Abstract

A case of a neonatal donkey who was persistently trying to suckle was presented. His dam, a feral donkey, was biting and kicking him occasionally and threatening him frequently. A full history was taken. The cause of the persistent suckling was probably hunger because the dam was not supplying enough milk. The lack of milk was secondary to lack of drinking water. Water was available, but the jenny would not drink from the bucket supplied. She had been moved, at foaling, from a paddock with other donkeys to a stall with which she was not familiar. Before foaling, she had never drunk from that particular bucket. When she was moved to an enclosure with another donkey and a different water bucket from which she was willing to drink, the suckling attempts decreased and her aggression ceased. The diagnosis was neophobia on the part of the jenny with secondary excessive suckling by the foal and tertiary aggression toward the foal by the jenny.