Donkey Sanctuary Research Articles

Retrospective review of herpes virus positive cases at the Donkey Sanctuary, UK from 2023 to 2024

Retrospective review of herpes virus positive cases at the Donkey Sanctuary, UK from 2023 to 2024

After a wealth of welfare experience I landed my dream job at The Donkey Sanctuary.

From an early age Jo Hockenhull was acutely aware of the plight of equids and how animals' behaviour reveals a huge amount about their wellbeing, leading to a distinguished career in animal welfare research.

Assessment of community-based intervention approaches to improve the health and welfare of working donkeys in selected areas of Sidama region, Southern Ethiopia.

Although efforts have been made by certain non-governmental organizations, like the Donkey Sanctuary, SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad), and Brooke Ethiopia, to change the attitudes and practices of donkey owners toward improving the health and welfare of working donkeys, their impact has not been assessed so far. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess and compare donkeys' health and welfare problems in community-based intervention areas versus non-intervention areas in selected districts of Sidama regional state, Southern Ethiopia. For the animal-based welfare assessments, 200 donkeys each were selected and included from intervention and non-intervention areas. The selected donkeys were then assessed for their welfare and health status using five important parameters, namely, body condition score, presence and severity of wounds, behavior, presence and severity of lameness, and presence of other signs of illness/diseases. The prevalence and severity of lameness and wounds on donkeys managed in non-intervention areas were higher than those observed in community-based intervention areas. The prevalence of lameness in the non-intervention areas (25.5%) was over two times higher than the prevalence in the intervention areas (12%). Likewise, over 37% of the donkeys in the non-intervention areas were wounded, of which 64% were suffering moderate to severe wounds. Moreover, donkeys in the intervention areas had better body condition and were alert and friendly upon human approach. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.01) between the intervention and non-intervention areas in all the considered parameters, namely, the presence of lameness, wound, body condition score, demeanor, and response to approach. Based on this study's findings, the community-based intervention approach was found to improve the health and welfare of working donkeys. Therefore, comprehensive and continuous equine health and welfare promotion through community-based intervention approaches should be designed and implemented to improve the welfare of working equines in the country.

Dental health and management practices of donkeys in the UK: What should we be considering?

SummaryBackgroundSeveral studies have shown dental disease to have a high prevalence and severity in donkeys. Limited studies have assessed the possible relationships between poor dental health and the management and health care of donkeys.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify relationships between dental health and current management of donkeys in the UK and to provide recommendations to improve practices to help donkey welfare.Study designObservational cross‐sectional survey.MethodsA total of 596 donkeys surrendered to The Donkey Sanctuary (TDS) over a period of 30 months were included. Analysis was performed on three categories of information: entrance information submitted by previous owners and welfare professionals, pre‐admission clinical examination records and arrival medical examination data.ResultsNo statistically significant differences were identified between dental health and provision of bedding, or diet types. Agreement between external professionals and experienced TDS staff was weak in reference to recognition of dental pathology, age and body condition score (BCS). Over 25% of donkeys with severe dental pathology also had poor BCS (1–1.5). The majority of donkeys had no indication of previous dental examination.Main limitationsEntrance information was not gathered and recorded in a structured manner.ConclusionsRegular prophylactic dental care seems to have poor uptake amongst the owners of the study population, but this is perhaps, in part, aligned to the nature of the sanctuary. Owners are yet to take dental health into consideration when allocating a diet or bedding types to their donkeys, presenting a risk of colic/choke in those fed long fibres with an inability to process them adequately. The Donkey Sanctuary should continue to offer accessible means of education to reach both professionals and owners alike, and this may be well served by the implementation of the new, online, Donkey Academy.

Donkey discourse: Corpus linguistics and charity communications for improved animal welfare

A corpus linguistic approach has been applied to examine the representation of donkeys in public discourses for an international equid welfare charity (The Donkey Sanctuary) with a view to improving the British public's understanding of the roles of donkeys, in Britain and worldwide. By increasing understanding of public perceptions, this study aims to support improvements in donkey welfare through targeted education. The study explored patterning in public discourses about donkeys (online and print news and social media) using corpus linguistic (CL) techniques and tools, supplemented with methods from discourse analysis. The findings highlight key representations of donkeys in public and media discourses that are not present in informed discourses about the animals. In this paper, we examine the results of the corpus study from the perspective of one current aim from The Donkey Sanctuary's public engagement strategy: to promote understanding of donkeys as sentient beings with the capacity to experience a wide range of emotional responses to events or situations. We found that donkey experience is more subtly represented in the discourses than other aspects of donkey lives, such as actions and behaviours, which have more obvious, overt representations. The results demonstrate the value of applying the CL framework for researchers and practitioners involved in textual analysis for charity communications and public awareness campaigns. We discuss the implications that our findings have for donkey welfare—and animal welfare more generally—as well as what such a methodology could offer other organisations providing public education and/or relying on philanthropic support from the public.

A Novel Method for Rearing Orphaned Donkey Foals with Behaviour in Mind

The suckling behavior of donkey foals has rarely been explored, with most orphans being reared on protocols based on the assumption that their behavior and physiology do not differ from horses. An orphaned donkey foal at The Donkey Sanctuary was reared on an artificial suckling system, enabling the analysis of suckling behavior in an orphaned donkey. Milk formula was accessible 24-hours per day via the artificial system and suckling behaviour was monitored, revealing that the foal suckled at a variable rate, with suckling durations, frequency and quantities differing from what was outlined in the standard bottle-feeding protocol for equines.

Anatomical differences between equids.

Reviewed by Alex Thiemann, senior vet at the Donkey Sanctuary.

Control and Prevention of Epizootic Lymphangitis in Mules: An Integrated Community-Based Intervention, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

From 2010 to 2017, as part of a wider animal welfare program, The Donkey Sanctuary piloted an integrated, community-based model for the control and prevention of epizootic lymphangitis (EZL) in cart mules in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Stakeholders included muleteers, service providers, and transport and animal health regulatory authorities. Interventions included muleteer education, wound prevention, harness improvement, animal health professional training, treatment of early EZL cases, euthanasia for advanced cases, and review of transport services and traffic guidelines. The project followed a participatory project management cycle and used participatory learning and action tools to facilitate stakeholder engagement and ownership. Participatory and classical epidemiology tools were employed to raise and align stakeholder understanding about EZL for effective control and prevention and to evaluate the progress impact of the model through annual prevalence surveys. During the intervention, the annual prevalence of EZL reduced from 23.9% (102/430) (95%CI: 19.8%−27.0%) in 2010 to 5.9% (58/981) (95% CI: 4.4%−7.4%) in 2017, and wound prevalence from 44.3% in 2011 to 22.2% in 2017; trends in the reduction of the prevalence maintained in the face of a mule population that increased from 430 in 2010 to ~1,500 in 2017. While non-governmental organization (NGO)-led interventions can facilitate change by trialing new approaches and accessing new skills and resources, sustainable change requires community ownership and strengthening of service provision systems. To this effect, the project raised muleteer competence in mule husbandry and EZL prevention strategies; strengthened veterinary competence; facilitated more mule-friendly traffic, transport, and waste disposal guidelines and practices; supported mule-community bylaws to control EZL; and established a supportive network between stakeholders including trusting relationships between muleteers and veterinary services. To advance the intervention model in other endemic areas, we recommend elucidation of local epidemiological factors with other stakeholders prior to the intervention, early engagement with veterinary and transport service regulatory authorities, early development of bylaws, exploration of compensation or insurance mechanisms to support euthanasia of advanced cases, and additional social, economic, and epidemiological investigations. In line with the OIE Working Equid Welfare Standards, we suggest that integrated community-based interventions are useful approaches to the control and prevention of infectious diseases.

Cross-sectional study to identify the prevalence of and factors associated with laminitis in UK donkeys.

Laminitis causes lameness in donkeys, but its prevalence and factors associated with disease remain uncertain. To determine the prevalence of and identify factors associated with laminitis in donkeys. Retrospective cross-sectional study. All donkeys at the Donkey Sanctuary, UK, October 2015 to March 2019 were included. For animals that had laminitis during this period, age, sex, weight, body condition score, and the onset date and type of each episode (first or recurrent, acute or chronic) were recorded. Additionally, management data, foot lesion score, endocrine data, other medical conditions, occurrence of foot trimming, surgical procedures, diagnostic imaging, behavioural modification therapy or movement between farms within the month prior were noted. Controls were animals that did not experience laminitis during this period and similar data were recorded. Multivariable logistic regression modelling assessed the differences between the control group and laminitis outcome groups (first, all laminitis, acute and chronic episodes). Altogether, 707 animals were included; 364 were control animals; 343 had a first episode of laminitis during the study period, of which 200/343 had no further episodes and 143/343 had recurrent episodes resulting in a total of 512 laminitis episodes and the period prevalence was 48.5% over 42months. Overall, 180/512 (35%) laminitis episodes were acute and 332/512 (65%) were chronic. Compared with control animals, the laminitic outcome groups were significantly (P<.05) more likely to be younger (first episode), less likely to get extra feed (all four groups) or have an additional medical problem (first episode), and less likely to have undergone dental work, movement, imaging (all four groups) or surgery (first; all laminitis, chronic episodes) in the month preceding the episode. These results may not be applicable to the wider donkey population. Laminitis commonly affects donkeys, but factors associated with donkey laminitis differ from those reported in horses.

The Donkey Sanctuary supports student learning through lockdown

The Donkey Sanctuary supports student learning through lockdown

Quantifying poor working equid welfare in Nepalese brick kilns using a welfare assessment tool

BackgroundAcross Asia the brick-kiln industry is expanding. In Nepal, urban dwelling has increased in recent years, raising requirement for low-cost, mass produced bricks to meet the population needs. Working equids...

Epidemiological evidence for equid‐equid spread of sarcoid tumours at The Donkey Sanctuary UK

Epidemiological evidence for equid‐equid spread of sarcoid tumours at The Donkey Sanctuary UK

Demography, preventative healthcare and reason for relinquishment of donkeys to an equine charity in the UK (2013-2015).

In the UK, there are thousands of donkeys being cared for by charities; however, little is known about the reasons for relinquishment or their previous health status, with even less information available in published literature. Such information could help to identify factors contributing to poor equine welfare and guide the development of appropriate educational resources. To describe the characteristics of the relinquished donkeys and to better understand the current preventative healthcare status of donkeys relinquished into The Donkey Sanctuary. Cross-sectional observational survey. A total of 596 donkeys were admitted during a 30-month period. Each had a health check at arrival; and previous management information was provided by the owner. Data were retrieved from The Donkey Sanctuary database, inputted into a specific Microsoft Access 2016 database then exported for analysis in IBM SPSS 19.0 for Windows® . Mules and ponies were excluded from the study. Many donkeys arrived without a valid passport (32.3%) or microchip (49.7%). Only 23.2% were fully protected against influenza and tetanus and 21.0% of the donkeys had no previous anthelmintic treatment history. Geriatric donkeys often suffered from moderate to severe dental disease in need of advanced treatment, and 43.9% had received no dental treatment within the last year. Overall 26.3% of donkeys were classed as overweight and 8.6% were obese. The median time since the last hoof trim was 10weeks. The health status of the studied donkeys may have been affected by the reasons for relinquishment, and associations require further investigation. This study highlights the need for improving preventative healthcare in donkeys to ensure better welfare within the population.

First record of besnoitiosis caused by Besnoitia bennetti in donkeys from the UK

BackgroundThe involvement of Besnoitia bennetti in skin pathologies was investigated in a series of 20 donkeys from the Donkey Sanctuary in England, in the 2013–2019 period.MethodsThe initial histopathological finding of Besnoitia cysts in skin lumps that were presumed to be sarcoids in 2013 triggered our cognisance of this parasite and resulted in identification of a total of 20 cases. Histopathological examination of surgical biopsy samples collected from 8 live donkeys and tissue specimens from 12 deceased donkeys at post-mortem examination revealed the presence of Besnoitia cysts in all 20 donkeys. The indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and immunoblotting analysis showed the presence of anti-Besnoitia antibodies in archived serum samples from 4 deceased donkeys. Additionally, infection was evidenced in one live donkey based on IFAT and immunoblot analysis of tissue fluid of a dermal mass containing Besnoitia cysts, and real-time (RT)-PCR analysis and microsatellite genotyping of DNA isolated from the tissue of the same dermal mass confirmed the infection specifically as B. bennetti.ResultsBoth serological and microsatellite analyses confirmed the aetiology to be B. bennetti. Our findings suggested that in cases of skin masses such as sarcoids, the suspicion of B. bennetti infection should be borne in mind even when clinical and histopathology examination results are negative in order to avoid misdiagnosis.ConclusionsThis case series documents, to our knowledge, the first report of B. bennetti infection in donkeys in the UK, indicating that donkey besnoitiosis has become noteworthy in the UK. Further investigations of the occurrence, epidemiological characteristics, and clinical manifestations of B. bennetti infection in donkeys and other equids are warranted.

Clinico-Therapeutic Management of Impacted Colic in a Donkey

Colic is defined as pain originated from the gastro-intestinal tract. It causes the most serious condition in horses and donkeys, which result in severe abdominal pain and discomfort (Radostits et al., 2007). It occurs in all animals, but it is most common in equines due to anatomical configurations. Equines are monogastric animals with hindgut fermenters in which digestion of fiber takes place physiologically in cecum and colon, and it provides major energy source. One of the most important key factors of colic is retropulsive peristalsis of ingesta in large intestine close to the narrow pelvic flexure causing impaction (Argenzio, 1975). The clinical symptoms in donkeys are less marked as compared to the horses. Dullness is the most important clinical symptom observed in colic, but other symptoms observed are rare as compared to horses, like laying down, pawing, sweating, rolling on the ground etc (Donkey sanctuary, 2014). Diagnosis of colic is multidimensional (Temesgen and Fasika, 2018) and it is treated medically and surgically as early as possible to get rid from severe pain. This paper reports a rare case of colic and its medical management in a donkey.

Seasonal abundance of the stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans in southwest England.

The stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) is a cosmopolitan biting fly of both economic and welfare concern, primarily as a result of its painful bite, which can cause blood loss, discomfort and loss of productivity in livestock. Between June and November in 2016 and May and December in 2017, Alsynite sticky-traps were deployed at four Donkey Sanctuary sites in southwest England, which experience recurrent seasonal biting fly problems. The aim was to evaluate the seasonal dynamics of the stable fly populations and the risk factors associated with abundance. In total, 19 835S. calcitrans were trapped during the study period. In both years, abundance increased gradually over summer months, peaking in late August/September. There were no relationships between seasonally detrended abundance and any climatic factors. Fly abundance was significantly different between sites and population size was consistent between years at three of the four sites. The median chronological age, as determined by pteridine analysis of flies caught live when blood-feeding, was 4.67 days (interquartile range 3.8-6.2 days) in males and 6.79 days (interquartile range 4.8-10.4 days) in females; there was no significant, consistent change in age or age structure over time, suggesting that adult flies emerge continuously over the summer, rather than in discrete age-related cohorts. The data suggest that flies are more abundant in the vicinity of active animal facilities, although the strong behavioural association between flies and their hosts means that they are less likely to be caught on traps where host availability is high. The implications of these results for fly management are discussed.

Equine periodontal disease

Gemma Lilly BAEDT, The Donkey Sanctuary, discusses a painful, self-perpetuating disease

English

A retrospective study was conducted to assess the health and welfare problems of working donkeys at the Merkato Donkey Sanctuary clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data on 12,991 working donkeys from 2008 to 2010 were analyzed from the data record sheet kept by the clinic. Results on the age distribution of donkeys showed that the average age of the donkeys was around nine years old. Only 7.37% of the donkeys were with good or ideal body condition (≤2.5), while the majority, 90.56% were with poor body condition (≤2). Multiple health problems were a common feature. Among the common health problems encountered parasitosis, hoof problems, wounds, musculoskeletal disorders, colic, ophthalmic cases and traffic accidents accounted for 55.68, 16.71, 14.9, 3.28, 2.59, 2.37, and 1.71%, respectively. Wounds due to ill fitted harnesses and inappropriate harnessing materials accounted for majority of the wounds observed. Back sore due to the absence of paddings, improper padding, inadequate and inappropriate padding materials was a common feature, and accounted for 62.6% of the overall different wounds. Hoof overgrowth and solar puncture and/or abscess due to sharp objects were the common hoof problems recorded, while hoof overgrowth accounts for 13.56%. Traffic accidents leading to death and injuries were common problems. Apart from the health related welfare problems, the questionnaire survey made also revealed that abuses and negligence by the owners, management constraints like overloading and overworking, beating, and shortage of feed, housing problems, wounds due to harnessing and physical injuries mainly due to traffic accidents were the major welfare problems of urban working donkeys. The retrospective study, the questionnaire survey and observations made provided the significant health and welfare problems of working donkeys that need to be addressed in order to improve their health and working efficiency. Key words: Retrospective study; working donkey; health and welfare problems.

Study on Major Causes of Equine Colic at the Donkey Sanctuary and SPANA Clinic in Bishoftu Town

A case series study was conducted between December 2009 and April 2010 at the donkey sanctuary and SPANA clinics in Bishoftu town to determine the major causes of equine colic. During the study period a total of 121 (9.1%) episodes of colic were recorded in a population of 1336 equine (800 horses, 500 donkeys and 36 mules). From the total cases 93 (11.6%) and 28 (5.6%) were horses and donkeys, respectively. No mule was observed with colic problem. The proportion of colic cases in horses was significantly (p=0.0003) higher than that of donkeys. The major risk factors found associated with colic were feed change, parasite infestation and poor deworming history, enteroliths, heavy work, age and dental abnormalities (P<0.05) in the cases. Physical and clinical examination of the colic cases showed elevated respiratory and pulse rates, congested mucous membrane, increased mean of PVC-value, decreased appetite, abdominal distension, poor body condition, intermittent and continuous abdominal pain and dullness. Donkey were more commonly affected with impaction colic (78.6%) and less commonly with flatulent colic (21.4%). The most important colic identified in horses was spasmodic colic (66.7%) followed by impaction colic (25.8%) and undefined colic (7.6%). In conclusion, improving feeding management, implementing parasite control strategies and raising the awareness of the owners of equids are needed in order to prevent the impact of the diseases on equine production.

Effect of Routine Dentistry on Fecal Fiber Length in Donkeys

Many donkeys are kept as companions in the UK and are not ridden or work, therefore dental pain can often go unnoticed by owners. Donkeys suffer from an increased frequency of dental pathology compared with horses and require regular dental treatment (rasping) to optimize their welfare. Fecal fiber length (FFL) has been suggested as a noninvasive method to assess when Equidae require dental treatment. This study aimed to identify FFL prerasping in donkeys requiring dental treatment and to evaluate how this changed over a 6-week period postrasping. Twenty adult donkeys of mixed sex and age, and subject to analogous management regimes were selected from The Donkey Sanctuary. Fecal samples were taken for FFL analysis prerasping (week 0) and postrasping (weeks 1–3 and 6). Mean FFL, determined via laboratory analysis, was recorded for each donkey and the cohort each week. Repeated measures analysis of variance with post hoc Bonferroni analyses and a Bonferroni adjustment (P ≤ .01) examined if differences occurred in FFL between weeks. The cohort's mean FFL was higher prerasping than for all weeks examined postrasping. Significant reductions in mean FFL for the cohort were reported pre- and postrasping for week 0 to weeks 1–3 and 6, 1 and 3, 1 and 6, 2 and 3, and 2 and 6 (P < .0001). Prerasping FFLs >3.3 mm were associated with the presence of dental elongations in adult, companion donkeys. This suggests that FFL measurement is a useful noninvasive tool that could be used to assess the dental health of donkeys.