Introduction:
We have had our miniature donkey Rocket Man for the last eighteen years; he is thirty-one. Rocket Man is in heaven, having passed on March 12th, 2025. We have returned him to Jesus and have peace in the fact that he is no longer in pain and suffering. We will see you again, sweet Rocket Man, in heaven.
Two years ago he was diagnosed with Cushing’s. The drug prescribed for Cushing’s is prascend. Sadly, Rocket Man refused to take the drug, went off his food for three days. We made the decision to let him go to heaven when the side effects from the Cushing’s were destroying his quality of life. Rocket Man’s quality of life has deteriorated; he lies down too much and spends most of his time alone, staring off with a sad, glazed look. We made the decision to humanely let him go in March 2025 using our veterinarian to humanely euthanize him.
This is a photo of Rocket Man and Rio. This is the first time I met Rocket Man, age thirteen, playing tug with Rio, a nine-month-old baby mammoth donkey.
Euthanising donkeys is one of the most challenging decisions we donkey owners will make. Please remember that the quality of life is number one, not the donkey’s age or how much we love our donkey, please be merciful when the end is near. Donkeys are stoic, meaning they hide their pain, complicating our jobs.
Quality Of Life Assessment:
Monitoring our donkeys’ behavior is the most important thing we can do to keep them healthy and happy.
Learn to read your donkey’s eyes. Dull eyes or a donkey staring off are signs of stress and may be sickness.
Donkeys suffering from pain, discomfort, and depression will remove themselves from the herd of donkeys. Stand alone or lay down more than usual.
Is your donkey able to enjoy his/her life? Eat hay, trot and play with his donkey buddies?
Study your donkey’s ability to eat normally, walk, run, and play.
A wobbly donkey has lost muscle and is no doubt suffering.
Planning Ahead For Euthanasia:
- Ask your veterinarian for the best dosage of banamine for your beloved donkey to keep them comfortable and out of pain. Bute will not work as well for pain for donkeys.
- Check with your county for code regulations of burying an equine on your property.
- Select a burial site location.
- Dig a hole at least six feet deep for miniature donkeys or call an excavation business to come to your property and dig a hole per the county code.
- Walking our beloved equine near the hole but not allowing it to see the hole dug is always the most dignified and humane way.
- The most humane way to euthanize our equine in my opinion is a veterinarian giving an overdose of barbiturate drugs.
Bring each donkey to visit the body of the deceased donkey:
Please remember it is essential to let each equine living with the deceased equine walk up to the deceased donkey and learn that the donkey has passed. If we miss this vital step, donkeys, horses, and mules can move into stress, start braying non-stop, stop eating and drinking, and colic. Please remember donkeys are stoic, meaning they hide pain.
God blessed us with some nice weather, upper 50’s a few days before the euthanasia. I could take Rocket Man’s blanket off, and he lay down in the sunshine with me. He was on a banamine for the pain, which helped him be comfortable. Please remember, banamine can only be given for a short amount of time, never give drugs without your veterinarian’s oversight.
