Select OUR STORE to order now. Free shipping in the U.S.A. We proudly ship worldwide, ask for a quote to ship internationally. E-mail melody@donkeywhisperer.com
Donkeys have photographic memories. Donkeys evolved from the desert. Donkeys are seriously into self-preservation. Perhaps you are new to donkeys and at first your donkey was quiet and nice and then all of a sudden the donkey started getting pushy. Donkeys can canter like a horse, trot, and walk like a horse. But never think a donkey is a horse as they are not a horse a donkey is a donkey.
Donkeys ears can go back, forward, the flying nun or one forward one back. This does not mean the donkey is angry every time. We must learn to read the eyes, body language. Our donkeys come running to say hello with their ears back as they are thinking. When playing or fighting ears are back. Learn to study your donkeys eyes. Learn signs of relaxation and stress and more.
Never give a treat when the equine is pushing you to give it. Give the treat when they are relaxed and have earned the treat, calm and respectfully. My horse must turn her head away from me to get a treat this helps her think before trying to bully the treat out of my hand. Lot’s of ways you can get your timing ready to teach the equine to receive the treat use your creativity to plan ahead and teach them to accept the treat. All of my equine come to me when called without a food treat. Our donkeys and horses get the physical, mental and emotional treat of me loving on them, brushing them, talking to them, picking their hooves and taking them for a walk.
Donkeys cannot kick or bite you if your timing is great, they are looking to see if you are a leader or a follower. Each time you are with your equine you are the human leader, you have the human mind put your cell phone away, job away, kids away and just be in the moment with your equine. I say “You must be plugged into your equine to stay safe and be a great leader.”
Equine are gifts from GOD be grateful for them as each day is indeed precious and fragile.
Select OUR STOREto order E-VIDEO Training and our custom fit donkey soft yacht rope halter/lead lines, long lines, riding reins.
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Here at Donkey Whisperer Farm ® we get more inquiries about hoof abscesses in donkeys than any other healthcare issue. Due to this common, but dreadful hoof ailment, we have decided to share our personal experience here at the farm with you through our new Donkey Healthcare Video ‘Donkey Hoof Abscesses’.
We have over fifteen years of experience treating mild to life-threatening abscesses in donkeys with veterinarian guidance, as well as alone in the field. Over the years Donkey Whisperer Farm ® has developed a strict and successful protocol for preventing, treating, and overcoming hoof abscesses all has been taught to us from our veterinarians.
It is vital that every donkey owner and caretaker understand that hoof abscesses in donkeys can be fatal and should not be considered a routine health problem. In the Donkey Whisperer Farm ‘Donkey Hoof Abscesses’ Video we outline causes, prevention, do’s and don’ts, home care, pain control, and recovery from donkey hoof abscesses.
This is a must-have donkey healthcare video for every donkey owner or caretaker! As we say at Donkey Whisperer Farm: it is not IF your donkey gets a hoof abscess, but WHEN your donkey gets a hoof abscess! The Donkey Whisperer Farm ® teaches you the owner or caretaker how to treat the abscess without cutting a hole out of the foot. If after four days the abscess has not drained out it is time to call the vet. We are not vets. The hoof takes 1 year to grow out. Order Donkey Hoof Abscess.
Farm living is a blessing, a personal choice, and its hard work. Very few vacations, time to travel as the farm is a full-time job. Owning any form of equine (donkey, mule, or horse) is not cheap. The cost for hay, vet, the trimmer is all rising each and every day. We must understand the vet is the team leader for the health of our equine. The trimmer follows the vet’s instructions.
The owner is 100% responsible for each and every step that is being taken to keep the farm healthy.
Anytime I can share information that can get the donkey, mule or horse out of pain and suffering fast I promise to do it.
We have six donkeys and two horses living on the Donkey Whisperer Farm ®, out of the six donkeys only one donkey has never had a hoof abscess in the last thirteen years. I teach worldwide the owner of a donkey or mule how to train and care for the equine. E-training is always the best way to learn. Preparation is the key to solving any crisis and keeping our money. Select Donkey 101 E-TRAINING Video On Demand.
If we can be prepared in training the donkey, mule or horse to pick up the feet without a fight. Trust us as a leader it is easy to soak the foot and create the hoof boot. First, we have to learn how to train and stay in the leadership position the entire time we are with our equine.
Introducing Rocket Man, a miniature donkey gelding, he just turned twenty-six years old. Rocket Man has been in our life since he was thirteen years old. When Rio our Mammoth donkey was weaned from his mom, Rio bonded to Rocket Man. Rocket Man was a jack on the breeding farm in his early years.
Rocket Man has the ability to sing when talking and he can bray. He is the only donkey on our farm that sings and he can find anything to get that special spot for a scratch. He is a super special donkey. Did you know some donkeys never bray? Yes, the introverted donkey does not bray. Rio our Mammoth donkey has never ever let out a full-bray and he is fourteen years old. If you would like to learn more about donkey behavior and donkey training please take a look at Donkey 101 & 102 Video On Demand. Sold with lifetime access. SelectDonkey Whisperer Farm ® Store to browse now.
Remember to stay On Donkey Time ® when interacting with your donkey. Life is better with donkeys!
Donkey 101 & 102 E-Training Video On Demand trains the owner or caretaker how to train the donkey using words, (NOT CLICKER) facial expressions, energy, phases and endorphins. Endorphins can be a rub on the withers or a bite of a carrot.
A study conducted at Harvard University by Gary D. Sherman and Jonathan Haidt says that people who like pets more than people and those who have a conversation with their pets on a regular basis are more intelligent and not a crack- head! Talk To The Animals Study
Seems the park would want people to come and visit the park. The donkeys are part of the excitement of the visit. The decision was made to protect plants in lieu of the wild burros. Truly a sad day for the United States Of America.
Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the lower ’48 consisting of 5,270 mi² s of barren, beautiful desert. It holds the world record for the hottest place on earth topping out at 134 F in 2013. Burros (donkeys) were introduced to the park by gold miners in the 1800’s. Some escaped and […]
Donkeys are smart not stubborn. Donkeys are visual learners meaning; Donkeys can watch you do something repetitively and repeat the process. Donkeys are wood eaters. Make sure you have excellent fences, gates and locks.
Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
Donkeys love wood!
Please do not confuse eating wood as cribbing as its not. Donkeys evolved from the desert.
Take a look at my new riding reins “Romal Split SOFT YACHT ROPE with 30 Spanish knots, a large popper. NO SPURS REQUIRED TO TRAIN the donkey, horse or mule to ride. 🙂 Select Our Store to order. Handmade in the U.S.A.
Donkeys evolved from the desert. Donkeys living in the U.S.A. are being overfed and fed the wrong foods. Once the neck crest breaks over nothing can be done to repair the neck. Insulin resistance, laminitis, and soon death. If you rescue a donkey with this abuse, get a donkey vet fast. You can save this donkey’s life. Diet changes everything in most cases, test all of your hay, equine analytical lab in the USA to ensure 10% or lower in sugar and protein, no grain, create a donkey track, clean water, salt, and portion control with a slow feeder.
The donkey must live on a dry pasture or paddock for the majority of their life. If we feed the wrong foods such as alfalfa hay, apples, pears, cookies, oats, bread, or munching all day on grass, brush, and trees we will see this in our donkey’s neck. Not to mention death. Death comes next as the donkey evolved from the desert, the donkey was created to live on low sugar/protein hay, clean water. Round bales for the donkey will cause this too! Hay should be measured and controlled as the donkey evolved from the desert.
Laminitis is a condition in which there is inflammation in the laminae of the foot that connect the pedal bone to the hoof wall. This can progress to rotation or sinking of the pedal bone within the foot. The cause is not fully understood and many factors are involved but obese animals are more prone to develop the disease.”
Equine Metabolic Syndrome: Overweight donkeys often develop a fat, crest neck and fat pads around their tail base. When this occurs the donkey can develop a metabolic disease known as ‘Equine Metabolic Syndrome’. This causes insulin resistance and increased levels of blood glucose (blood sugar) in the bloodstream. In equids, this can lead to recurrent episodes of laminitis or founder. This disease involves inflammation of the white lining or laminar junctions of the feet, extreme foot pain and difficulty walking and chronic abscesses. In severe cases, this is death for the donkey.
Hyperlipaemia is a condition in which triglycerides (fats) are released into circulation which can result in organ failure and death unless treated rapidly. The early signs of dullness and reduced appetite can be difficult to detect. Hyperlipaemia can be triggered by anything that causes a reduction in food intake e.g. stress, transport, dental disease.
Causes of hyperlipaemia
A number of risk factors have been identified as contributing to this condition. It is known that a female donkey is at higher risk than a male, especially when there are high energy demands such as if she is pregnant or lactating. Overweight and obese animals are at higher risk than those in average condition but even thin donkeys are at risk. Donkeys that have lost significant weight in the preceding weeks should be monitored carefully as they are at a much higher risk of developing this disease. When managing your donkey’s weight, care should be taken not to crash diet as this will put your donkey at risk.
Stress will cause a donkey to reduce its feed intake and can be brought on by many stressors such as:
Pain
Removal or death of buddy
Diet Change
Transport
Living With Another Animal Who Is A Predator
Bad weather
Sickness
Forced To Live A Life With Constant Stress And Abuse
Action Plan To Lose Weight – DO NOT STOP FEEDING THE DONKEY.
Build Pastures made to exercise, a track
Thyro-L can help along with tested hay low sugar/protein, no pasture and brush to eat and portion control.
Ask your vet to do blood work insulin resistance or Cushings
Have the equine vet dentist come out and examine the donkey’s teeth yearly. Fecal sampling spring and summer.
Engage in an exercise routine
Take Your Donkey For Walks
Make Sure Your Donkey Has Toys and A Buddy To Play With
Clean Water, warm clean water in winter and cool clean water summer.
Test Your Hay 10% Or Lower In Sugar and Protein – Measure for portion control.
No treats, sweets, bread, alfalfa, oats, vitamins or supplements are needed. Do give lose free salt with minerals.
Use any smart phone or smart device take the Donkey Whisperer Farm ® E-VIDEO On Demand to the farm with you. All Training Videos Are Sold With Lifetime Access. We do not rent our videos.
God bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody, My donkey is obese how can I help my donkey lose weight.
Donkeys who are obese can have what’s called insulin resistance making it harder to lose weight. People have insulin resistance too. Here on the Donkey Whisperer Farm ® we have one obese Donkey a rescue donkey named Tuba. Tuba is estimated to be in his late 20’s his weight is better and his blood work is great. Schedule blood work with your vet to see if you have insulin resistance and if the donkey is in the mid years and obese check for cushings, Pracend or Pergolidecompound lab is used to manage cushings. Thyro-Lcan be used to treat insulin resistance and to help donkeys loose weight for a short time when used with a correct diet and exercise.
Tuba is obese but he is healthy. Taking the weight off him is a slow process. Tuba has perfect hooves. Tuba’s blood work is perfect. This is amazing as Usually when a donkey is obese the hooves rot off, white line separation and more. Controlling his diet is key.
My donkey has a thick fat neck that has broken over. Can I fix this? Once the neck fat breaks over the donkey is stuck with this for life. Here is the good news. If your donkey has a fat neck that has broken you can still help him/her have a healthy diet and life. The donkey can recover in most cases and have a long beautiful healthy life. The donkey who is obese will gain weight much faster than the donkey who is not obese. Kinda like people.
Never starve a donkey. Losing weight and changing the body and blood chemistry takes hard work and time. You can do this! Your donkey is depending on you to learn everything you can to help him/her stay healthy.
How Can I Get My Obese Donkey Healthy?
Schedule a vet to come and take blood for insulin resistance and Cushings.
1. A dry paddock or pasture is a must. Donkeys evolved from the desert they cannot eat all day and night without getting obese and eventually sick or death. Please understand donkeys die from obesity. It is a sad death.
2. Create a track connected to the dry lot. The track is for exercise and not for meals. Feed tested low sugar/protein hay under 10% for meals.
3. Make sure your donkey is not getting fed by the neighbors etc., as this happened to us when we moved to our new farm.
4. Test your hay to ensure you have hay that has no weeds, alfalfa and is 10% or lower in sugar and protein. If you cant find low sugar/protein hay soak your hay to remove sugar. Soaking hay to remove sugars that can exacerbate metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance takes more time. If you’re using warm water, you’ll need to submerge the hay (again, a hay net makes this easy) for 30 minutes; if your water is cool or cold, soak the hay for 60 minutes.
5. Weigh your hay.
6. Slow feeder helps the donkey eat slower and make sure you are giving at least two meals a day. If you want to give more you must be weighing your hay.
7. Do not feed people foods, breads, cookies, etc., fruit foods. Sugar is sugar.
8. Do not let your donkey eat on pasture, brush, trees etc., all day and night. This can cause weight gain too. A dry paddock is a must. Toys and another donkey to play with are vital to your donkeys health.
9. Train your donkey to walk with you and take your donkeys for lots of walks and exercise.
10. Exercise is important for donkeys the same as humans. Donkey 101 & Donkey 102 will teach you how to get the foundation training in place to train your donkeys.
If your donkey is laying in mud be sure to get the mud off when it drys. Why? Mud has the potential to give sores to equine. The best way to remove the dirt and mud is a brush in the winter. Be gentle around the eyes and ears. We place sawdust down in the high traffic areas and a place to sleep outside.
How nice would it be if I was able to come to your farm and train you how to train your donkey? Please take a look at Donkey 101 & Donkey 102. I train the owner or caretaker how to not only train the donkey for basic social skills. Learn how to stop the bolt, kick and bite. Prepare for the farrier and more.
Donkey 101 & 102 Video On Demand – Use your smart phone or any smart device on the farm.
1. What is a sign of stress in my donkey? 2. What is a sign of a relaxed donkey? 3. What is the Donkey Hand Shake? 4. What is the 3 second rule? 5. What does walk-on mean? What is the ground tie whoa? (gas and breaks) 6. How can I help a donkey who wants nothing to do with me ever? 7. I have a kicking donkey, how can I help this donkey and stay safe. 8. How can I use the honor donkey to help my donkey learn? 9. Why is my donkey refusing to pick up the feet? 10. Why is play important in training and caring for equine?
Your donkey is waiting for you to learn donkey behavior and how to lead the donkey as a fair leader with a plan. Each time we step into the donkeys world we should be a fair leader. Scanning and aware of how to respond and never drilling or stressing our donkeys out. Stay ON DONKEY TIME ® . 🙂
Donkeys on the whole do not show their feelings of pain in very obvious ways, but behave as a human would who is called ‘stoical’, i.e. tolerating pain without complaint. They may make an initial violent movement of avoidance, but after that they become silent and as nearly as possible immobile in the face of pain and/or fear.
Therefore it is sometimes difficult to know when they are suffering acutely, and their behavior may look like ‘stubbornness’ rather than stoicism.
One indicator of pain or fear can be diarrhea, just as in humans. Since this may also dehydrate the donkey, it will be adding to its problems if it persists. A donkey who stops eating and drinking is at risk for death.
Please call the vet ASAP to save your donkeys life.
“Horses Dream Of Being Trained The Way A Donkey Demands To Be Trained” Melody Johnson, Trainer
Working with donkeys and mules takes training to an entire new level. Donkeys have photographic memories. Mules are half horse and half donkey meaning some mules will be more like a donkey and some more like a horse. Not every mule is going to make it to the Grand Canyon. What’s the big deal? Horses are flight equine. Donkeys are seriously smart and into self-preservation. All equine have personalities just like people extroverted more go than whoa. Introverted more of a deep thinker and more whoa than go.
Dictionary:
Donkey – Equus Asinus or Ass
Three sizes
Minature
Standard or burro
Mammoth Donkey
Jack—The term used for the male of the ass species.
Jennet—Pronounced JEN-et, it is the correct term for the female of the species. The most commonly used term is jenny.
Burro—A word taken directly from Spain. It means the common, everyday working donkey found in Spain and Morocco. Many people call a wild donkey a burro in the Pacific Northwest.
Donkey sizes—Donkeys come in all shapes and sizes ranging from the Miniature Mediterranean 28 inches to Mammoth 16’2 hands. The ears of a donkey are much longer than the horse.
Mule – The mother is a horse and the dad is a donkey. Mules are Usually sterile.
Hinny – The mother is a donkey and the dad is a horse. The death rate is high when trying to breed this way.
Female mule – Also known as a Molly.
Health Concerns
Diet is number one in the U.S.A. Donkeys evolved from the desert meaning they are seriously easy keepers. The overweight donkey is prone to laminits, colic, founder, hoof problems, abscesses, fat deposits. I.E., Neck crests and breaks. Death is final all due to poor diet. Donkeys must live on a dry pasture for the majority of their day. Donkeys will eat themselves to death if given the chance. Never feed donkeys alfalfa, oats, grass full-time grazing, bread, grass clippings. A safe reward for your donkey is a bite of a carrot. A bite. Never feed apples, pears etc., to your donkey. Donkeys evolved from the desert think about what is in the desert. Donkeys are seriously Easy Keepers.
Fecal samples are a must to prevent worms. Donkeys must have vet checks and regular hoof trimming just like the horse when living in domestication.
Reproduction
Donkeys gestation is twelve to thirteen months. Vet care is a must if you think your donkey is pregnant get a vet check do not guess.
Donkeys are stoic – Meaning donkeys will never show pain until it is too late. Be sure to not wait too long to get medical attention as your donkeys life is depending on you.
Training?
The Donkey Whisperer Farm trains the owner or caretaker to train the donkey via our video training series Donkey 101 and Donkey 102. Take Melody Johnson to the farm with you via your smart device. Each training program has a written PDF to print out and take to farm with you. We train the owner or caretaker to train the donkey worldwide using resistance free methods. Select OUR STORE to purchase donkey halter/lead lines, donkey training stick and string and our Donkey Training Video Series.
The Donkey Whisperer Farm ® has had a year of milestones! Truly blessing after blessing as we prayed, planned and worked really hard on each project. Our little farm business has been building custom fit donkey, mule, pony, and even Zonk halter/lead lines hand made with soft yacht rope worldwide. We now sell riding reins .
The big news! The Donkey Whisperer Farm Donkey Miniature and Burro Mammoth, or mule fiberglass stick and stringto touch your donkey not hit your donkey. I designed each stick and string to be a perfect training tool. The tip is leather not rubber. Rubber pulls the hair on the donkey defeating the goal of teaching the donkey to trust the human. Each stick and string is hand made in the U.S.A. When you purchase from the Donkey Whisperer Farm you can expect quality 100% of the time in combination with outstanding customer service. We provide only the best for you and your donkey.
A large percentage of donkeys that end up at shelters, auctions and slaughter houses have been abandoned because they were difficult to handle or could not be trained. Our vision is that EVERY donkey find its forever home. Our prayer is that your donkey stays with you forever.
We are selling these training tools with Donkey 102 worldwide. Donkey 101 E-VIDEO Series and now Donkey 102 E- VIDEO Series is selling worldwide. People who own donkeys can learn how to train the donkey and take me Melody Johnson to the farm via any smart device. This is a GOD accomplishment. I train the owner or caretaker to train the donkey worldwide using resistance free methods. Never abuse.
SelectDonkey Whisperer Farm to take a look at what we are doing for the donkeys living in our world and the people who own them and care for them.
2019 we watched our privacy trees grow before our eyes. We are excited to have privacy and very soon. Moving into a farm field with no privacy has been a challenge. The beautiful trees love the sunshine and our irrigation water from the Dungeness river. God is amazing.
We became registered with the Federal Government;
Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
On Donkey Time ® words
Donkey Sitting Down our logo ®
So many farm projects and the animals well they give us the strength and motivation to keep working and pressing forward. Farm life is hard work. Rewarding and emotionally challenging. Winter may seem like a time to rest for most people, working with equine is a full-time job, 12 months a year and twenty-four hours a day. We love the farm life, not for everyone but for us this is a gift as life is fragile and precious. We know we will never get this day back again. The animals need full-time care, hooves need even more attention as the wet weather brings challenges.
The donkeys, horses, dogs and kitty are all doing great. 2019 has been a wonderful year full of milestones. We are now putting up our hay ourselves. Watching the hay leave our farm we grow and work so hard to get baled has been really hard. Donkeys cannot eat alfalfa hay without getting obese and sick.
2019 We Created A New Free Video “Bringing Your Donkey Home”
2020 GOD willing we will have 100% orchard hay testing in below 10% sugar to put in our barn. Low sugar/protein hay has become really expensive in the Pacific Northwest. We are excited to start production of this healthy hay beginning with our donkeys and horses.
Take a virtual tour around the Donkey Whisperer Farm. Enjoy!
Our Anatolian Shepherds “LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOGS” are busy taking care of the farm.
God Bless You And Your Family Two And Four-Legged!
Rio turned 13 years old! Wow time has flown so fast as Rio came into our life at 9 months. Rio is a Mammoth donkey, not a mule. Rio stands 16’2 hands at the withers.
Donkeys evolved from the desert. The donkey was created to live on low protein and low sugar forage. Please test all of your hay or straw before purchasing. We do not feed straw on the Donkey Whisperer Farm ®. Donkeys hooves were created to walk on rocks and hard dry ground, the desert. When the hooves get soft this is an opportunity for bacteria and debrie to enter the hoof. Sometimes a hoof trim can trigger the abscess. Eating too much fresh green grass or the wrong hay can trigger abscesses too. So much to learn to keep the donkey healthy.
Jan 25, 2019 while doing our evening farm check Oboe our rescue donkey had a limp. It’s a hoof abscess I said to my husband Scott. We began working fast to get Oboe out of pain. If you would like to learn how to build a boot for your donkey. Make your own poultice and print out a shopping list to take to the store. Our written PDF is attached with each training video we sell on demand. The best part of our training program videos is you can take me, Melody Johnson to the farm with you via any smart phone or device. We sell all of our videos with lifetime access. We do not rent our videos.
We are not vets. We teach you how to get your donkey out of pain fast. Everything we are teaching you has been taught to us from our vets.
Please call the vet if your donkey is not getting better within three days of soaking and creating a new boot and poultice.
Please do not let anyone cut a hole out without an x-ray to find the infection tract line. A hoof tester is not good enough. The hoof takes one year to grow out after cutting the hole out. Donkeys can tear a ligament, or even fracture a bone, just like the horse.
Pain
Please learn how to get your donkey out of pain quickly and keep the blood flow moving in the foot, prevent colic from not moving. The best pain relief for a donkey is banamine. If you are not careful with drugs the donkey can colic.
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