Mini Donkey Hooves Getting Long and Turning to the Side

[haecklers]

All of a sudden the hooves on the one miniature donkey have gone from a little bit longer than they should be to really really too long and turning to the side so she can't walk right.

Is she foundering from too much grass? It's just starting to grow and the pasture was tall through the winter with dead grass so I thought they'd have to eat the dead with the green and it wouldn't be too rich for them. We also got some better quality hay - leafy and not so stemmy as what we had been giving them. They get NO grain because they have weight problems.

I am going to switch their pasture with the goats where there is much less grass, but they can't be in with the goats because they kick them when they try to go into the barn and you can't let goats stay out in the rain! And right now there's some place in the fence of the donkey pasture where the goats have been escaping and when they get out they go through the woods to visit all the neighbors, some of whom have dogs that would kill the goats! I can't walk on the steep hillside where the hole in the fence probably is because my ankles were recently sprained (both of them) and they still don't do angles, like collapse in pain if I put weight on them at too much of an angle. UGH!

I've put out some calls looking for a fence repair person and called my friend who had offered to trim their hooves but I'm worried that it will be a few weeks before anyone can show up to help them (we live in Kentucky time here - everything is slow/late). So in the meantime, what do I do about these sweet little donkeys? We've got the good hay and some really awful musty hay that had been stored where it could get wet. The stall in the barn that was for the donkeys is being used right now to store their hay, but I could move it. But it's only 8 X 10, not very big to make them stay there all day!

I don't understand hooves or foundering enough to know if that's really what's happening here or if it is, what I need to do right now to stop it from getting worse! I know it can be caused by too much green grass in the spring, but aside from penning them to get them away from the grass, what do you feed them? The donkeys are sweet but they're smart and I think if I tried to do time-limited grazing they would just not let me catch them to bring them back after a few days. I don't even know if they're halter-broken, we usually just lure them to go where we want with treats. They were given to the kids last year with not a lot of information.

[Debbie Lincoln]

Overweight equines can founder on anything and spring grass can be deadly. I have just locked up both my fat horses for this reason and won't turn them loose again until july. Do you have a farrier who can trim their hooves?

[corrae]

I think you're seeing an increase in hoof growth due to the new grass--as you already know, get them off the good pasture and get them dry lotted or in the barn. You could call your vet or stop by the feed store and inquire as to a farrier--I agree that a few weeks is way too long to wait for a hoof trim. I doubt your donkey's foundered yet--just gotten a lot of good grass and those hooves are getting the benefit. When a horse/pony/donkey founders they will stand rocked back on their hind end, front legs extended to relieve the pressure/pain in their hooves.

Hope this helps-

[christybell]

I'd get them off grass ASAP. You might be able to avoid founder if you get the in a dry lot and get a farrier out. They would be extremely sore and barely moving if they had foundered. Every step would be painful. If they haven't reached this stage you can still avoid it with fast action! Well, as fast as you can hobble on your own sprained ankles!

[dunderi]

i have two words for you - Grazing Muzzle.

i've got a QH who grows fat on nothing but air - and i worry about him foundering. i trim his feet every three-four weeks to keep his hooves neat as they grow like all get out - and i try to work him as much as i can to help him keep his weight down. otherwise he seems to just balloon out faster than even me eating chocolate!!

a grazing muzzle, will help make it hard for them to gorge themselves- but exclusion from long hours of grazing access might be the way to go. it took me a long time to get used to a horse that doesn't need to be fed-fed-fed all the time (i used to have ex-racehorses, and they're always eating and stay skin and bones) but you frequently hear of donkeys and mules with foot problems because they get too much good feed and not enough hard work.

[Debbie Lincoln]

Explain to me how it works. Halter type? Does it come off easily? Can you leave it on 24/7? I have had it recommended to me before but didn't look into it.

[dunderi]

there's a few types, basically it has a "basket" on it, that they can get some grass blades though, but not mouthfuls at a time. they can drink through it, but it greatly reduces the feed intake.

i've mostly seen them used on minis or shetlands that are the "fattest" in a herd, you put the muzzle on, then turn them loose with the rest of the horses, so they gat all the normal interaction without ballooning themselves. excellent if you have one horse that founders, and some that don't.

ive heard of them being used with success on cows that get full-on grass bloat too, early in the spring season until they have adjusted.

[christybell]

Excellent idea dunderi! I never would have thought of that as I've always had horses that had to be fed up. debbielincoln, a grazing muzzle is like a stiff mesh bag/cone on the end of a halter. I have known a few people that used them and other than the usual risks of leaving a halter on they can be worn 24/7 if need be. Picture the woven wire dog muzzles for a horse!

[Jerseylady*Heather*]

Hubby is a farrier, so we have been through this a few times. The problem in my opinion is not the grass but the length of the hooves. It sounds like her hooves have grown too long and need trimmed, ASAP. Founder is quite obvious in the horse will go lame, tip toe around like it hurts to bear weight on the foot, regardless of the length of the hooves. Founder is when the bones in the feet actually change direction and start growing through the bottom of their feet and the weight is not distributed properly. Go down to your local feed store and get some nippers and trim off some excess hoof. If you don't trim it soon like tomorrow, it can cause permanent ligament damage to the feet/legs. The donkey will be sore for a while after the trim, the quick of the hoof grows out when they are that long and it takes a couple weeks to adjust. Some horses need just a little trimmed at a time to avoid being sore. . I am not there in person so you have to decide for your self. I hope the little guys are ok. I would plan on having them trimmed every two months as it sounds like that is the rate their hooves grow. We have found that smaller animals and animals kept in small pens need trimmings more then animals on pasture, because they naturally break off running around. Anyways a good trim should fix them right up.

[haecklers]

My friend is coming tomorrow to trim them, and I found a guy who will fix the fence so we can swap the goats and donkeys around and put the donkeys in the smaller pasture that the goats have grazed down so they won't have too much grass.

The grazing muzzle idea is really interesting. How would you know if they're not getting enough to eat? & do you know, with donkeys they get a fat roll on their necks, and some say if it gets too big it will break their necks, but once they get it, it never goes away again. So would it be possible to starve a donkey with a grazing muzzle while it still has the big fat roll on its neck? In the winter they get so shaggy you'd have to run your hands down their sides to see if they were getting bony, wouldn't be able to tell by just looking!

I *do* need to work them, that might solve a lot of the problems!

Sadly, around here there was a rumor that donkeys would protect calves in the pasture from coyotes, and lots of farmers got some. They leave them out in the fields with no care, with herds that they only check on from time to time, usually on rented pastures. It doesn't work, the donkeys won't attack a coyote to save a calf. But the grass here is way too lush for a Mediterranean donkey that is adapted to desert conditions.

[jjackson7]

Hey, just wanted to put a couple pictures up of the grazing muzzles for horses as some people seemed to be curious about them.  These aren't my horses, just some pictures I found of them.  As for using these muzzles, I think you just need to play with them a bit.  Watch his condition and see if he needs to have more time with it on or off.  Perhaps he's gonna be fine with it on all the time.  There are ones with the insert that restrict all feed too, but still allow access to water.

And if your donkey doesn't act like he's sore then I don't think he's foundering. You'd know if he was foundering. The founderstance is unmistakable, and they look like they're walking on broken glass. It sounds like he's getting increased hoof growth due to the better quality feed in the spring, but you do need to keep him trimmed so it doesn't cause other issues, including mechanical founder.  Good luck with him. 

[Debbie Lincoln]

Thank you. Ordering two today.

[haecklers]

The trimming went well. My friends are great! The younger of the two donkeys, it appears, had NEVER been haltered before, but she was ok. She got a little lesson on being led and held as well as a trim. Her hooves are great now, her mom's still need a follow-up trim in a few weeks when they come back to get their sow (we were going to butcher her but after having babies she's so very sweet and mellow we decided to sell her instead), but they're about 70% better and the ends aren't curling under turning her hooves to the side anymore. I'm so glad good friends could do it instead of a farrier, some of them get impatient if the animal isn't used to it and take it out on them, you know? Hillary took her time and even tho it took an hour the donkeys were still happy at the end of it and next time it won't be a rodeo because they didn't have a bad experience.

The best news is, my friends may take the donkeys. I think they liked what they saw re: how tame and friendly they were, even tho they weren't used to being haltered or led. Then they'll be in good hands and never get into this situation again, because these friends are a "forever" home and really know equines (train them for dressage).

[dunderi]

Sounds like a happy ending to all

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