How Can I Help My Obese Donkey Get Healthy?

Question & Answer

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 Pergolide compound lab is used to manage cushings. Thyro-L can 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.

Melody Johnson
Donkey Whisperer Farm
www.donkeywhisperer.com

Kidney Failure In Cats

One of our two rescue kitties (black Purcilla) manx mix died two weeks ago of kidney failure she was only eight years old. We adopted two feral kitties from PAWS in 2008.

Our Anatolian puppy sat down next to her barked once to alert me something was wrong. She went into shock and then the vet had to put her to sleep. This all happened so fast. Rest in peace sweet Purcilla you had the best life we could give you.

This kitty could not go to the vet ever. She was a feral rescue and refused to be touched or held. 

Lessons learned from rescuing feral kitties?

  1. These cats will not adapt to humans in a way to enjoy being held and loved.
  2. They will show you they appreciate your home and love.
  3. Feral kitties will learn house rules and are smart.
  4. Not all feral kitties should live outside. Our kitties lived indoors 100% of the time and were happy.

Feral:

  • A feral cat is a cat who has either never had any contact with humans or her contact with humans has diminished over time. She is fearful of people and survives on her own outdoors. A feral cat is not likely to ever become a lap cat or enjoy living indoors.
  • Kittens born to feral cats can be socialized at an early age and adopted into homes. Maybe!

Select Cat Kidney Failure

Rest in Peace Sweet Purcilla! Purcilla died three weeks ago it has taken me this long to talk about it on my blog. She was a feral rescue meaning she never really liked people. She loved us we know for sure, she loved our dogs too. Our kitties were indoor only kitties.

Select Foods We Should Never Feed Our Cat no ham products either.

Select Stray or Feral Cats

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Here is her sister Jasmine. She is doing good but misses her sister. She sleeps with our dogs. Did you know cats can have different dads?

I have learned cats act like donkeys. Cat’s are stoic just like the donkey and will not show sickness or pain until it is too late. Purcilla was playing the night before with her toys. Rest in peace sweet Purcilla.

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GOD Bless You And Your Family Two And Four-Legged!

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Mini Donkeys Eating Hay On The Donkey Whisperer Farm

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Source HAY PILLOW

GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC

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HAY HAY HAY

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Select Hay for the insulin resistant equine.

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GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody

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GOT SAFE HAY?

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Select HOW TO TEST HAY

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GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC

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EQUINE METABOLIC SYNDROME, DONKEY, HORSE AND MULE

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Select TEST HAY

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Select Managing Cushings DIET

 

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Select Diet and Fat Score photos

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Oboe in the wind

Oboe in the wind

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Select Paradise Paddock

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 CAUSES, SIGNS, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

 

Select EQUINE DIET

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GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC

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Plastic Slow Feeder, Diet, Test our Hay, Exercise To Help In The Prevention Of Colic and More

Welcome,

Here on the Donkey Whisperer Farm we have one Mammoth donkey, two standard donkeys, three mini donkeys and two horses. Donkeys are wood eaters and well horses who live in a dry paddock can become wood eaters from boredom eating our wood stalls, barns it’s called cribbing.

Here on the Donkey Whisperer Farm I have paddock paradises installed for my equine. This helps with green grass and boredom. Some equine require a dry paddock 23 hours a day to keep the equine healthy. Discuss this with your vet.

I use the high country plastic slow feeder.  I use the Hay Pillow with 1 1/4 inch holes locked inside of the high country plastic slow feeder.  

Why Do I Love This Slow Feeder?

Horses, Donkeys and mules were built by GOD in Jesus Christ name to graze all day a little never starving for hours at a time and then gorging their tummy is just not big enough to hold all that hay at once.  The slow feeder prevents colic, parasites and keeps our equine calm and has stopped cribbing 100%.  I give them the same amount of hay I was breaking into three and four small meals now I only have to feed twice a day and they are very relaxed.  The plastic box from Valley vet is heavy and strong our Mammoth donkey can pick it up and move it about 3 feet but not destroy it. The wooden hay box will be eaten.

Did you know Donkeys can colic? Select Donkey Colic for more information.

Want more information on slow feeders? select Paradise Paddock 

Resources:

Safer Grass

Soaker for Hay – Takes sugar out of hay

Pete Ramey – Natural Hoof Care

Paradise Paddock – Keep them moving

Test Your Hay Equi Analytical – Grab a few handfuls of hay and send it to the lab before filling up the barn

Slow Feeder – Slow down the eating

Please share information to help a donkey, horse or mule living near you.

GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!

Melody

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