Donkey Whisperer Farm ®

Spring Grass Is Dangerous

March 29, 2017April 12, 2023 / Donkey Whisperer Farm ® / 5 Comments

SPRING!

In many parts of the world Spring has arrived and with it bulbs are blooming and birds are singing. It is a joyous time as we all stretch our wings from a long winter slumber, BUT, Spring is also the arrival of one of donkey’s worst enemies…GRASS!

If there is any health threat that is the most difficult to understand and get across to donkey (and all equine) owners it is the extreme dangers of spring/summer grass.

Grass, whether in a pasture, field or lawn has been dormant all winter. In response to increased temperatures and more direct sun, high concentrates of sugar are produced by the root system to signal sudden growth. This sugar is carried from the roots of the grass to the stem. Grass becomes lush and green and brimming with sugar and simple carbohydrates. It is the equivalent of a rich pastry for us human beings.

Our donkey’s have been in mud, cold and gloom for months and we cannot find it in ourselves to keep them from “getting out”, “being in the warmth of the sun” and “doing what comes natural”. BUT, grass is NOT natural for donkeys and is detrimental to their health! As desert dwellers donkeys rarely have access to green grass in the wild. Their natural diet is high fiber woody materials and every inch of their anatomy is designed for this, including their gut and their feet.

The list of health ailments caused by grass consumption in donkeys are numerous, including insulin resistance, foot abscesses, colic, Cushing’s Disease, laminitis, metabolic disease and founder.

Remember SAFE GRASS takes work to find. Studies have proven mowing the donkey pasture down to nothing and feeding tested low sugar/protein hay helps. We created tracks for our donkeys and horses to exercise on and not eat too much spring or summer grass.

Please monitor your donkeys access to tall grass. Turn-out on the tracks in the early am before 10:00am as the NCS is the lowest. During these hours the sugar has receded from the stem of the grass back down to the roots. Sugar will be at its lowest.

Here at https://donkeywhisperer.com we are dedicated to donkey healthcare and wish you and your donkey a beautiful Spring.

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

Melody & Scott Johnson

http://www.donkeywhisperer.com

Welcome Spring 2016, Donkey Whisperer Farm Our Hay Is Growing

April 19, 2016November 4, 2018 / Donkey Whisperer Farm ® / 6 Comments

Hello sweet friends,

All of the animals on the Donkey Whisperer Farm are happy! Spring is here, the birds are making nests, hay is growing. Donkeys are singing, (extroverts), our horses are starting to seriously play horse games and napping. Note; only a safe equine will lay down and get some much-needed REM sleep. The warmth of the sun is vital to all of us. I am pleased to share I have started a small fruit orchard and a very small flower bed. Scott finally let me have a few flowers, yes I have a little lavender. We will be selling our first and only cutting of alfalfa, orchard mixture the end of June, first week of July 2016. We can not feed this hay to our donkeys. Alfalfa is too hot for donkeys. Donkeys evolved in the desert, requiring hay to be tested to come in below 10% sugar content.

Helping Restore A Horse

This horse came to me seriously troubled, biting, urinating, striking, bug eyes, head high, tale high and could not think. She has lost a good inch off her back now as she is relaxed most of the time. I expect to have her in the saddle by mid summer or the end. I am a world-wide trainer of owners of donkeys, mules and horses. The most important lesson I teach is to wait another day when the equine is fearful or stressed. No one can learn when they are stressed. Make sure you are 100% a fair leader, always a leader with a plan. The soaking, relaxation is vital to the success of training your donkey, horse or mule.

I have moved Rio our Mammoth donkey into a combo snaffle and wow is he amazing. Why? I trained him to ride with just the rope halter, my voice, legs, wearing the bit is never about hurting the equine. Keep training lessons short. Never drill. Always end your training session with something the donkey, horse or mule knows how to do. I am working to prepare Rio to pull a cart. Our farm in Sequim, WA is touching three major highways, paved roads. I need to make sure I have 100% breaks in case of an emergency when cart pulling. Cart pulling is serious business you must have your equine trained in all areas of safety, walk-on, whoa, etc., before pulling a cart as they can and do flip over.

Select Budweiser Horses Flips even the best trained equine can have an accident.

Select Our Store to order E-TRAINING Video and equine tack. We sell gift certificates. Donkey Halter to fit a donkey’s head not a horse.

We expect to get 350 to 400 bales at 70 pounds each. You do not want to miss this local hay in Sequim, WA. We have owned our land three years now and for the past three years no chemicals have been placed on our farm. We are adding compost from our donkeys and horses and the hay is growing fast. By the end of June our hay will be taller than our five foot fences. Wow!

IRRIGATION

‘

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

Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC

Select OUR STORE

Spring Arrives On The Donkey Whisperer Farm, WA

April 17, 2014January 13, 2023 / Donkey Whisperer Farm ® / 11 Comments

Last Sunday afternoon we hit 70 in Kingston, WA yeh! I gave Rio, Rocket Man and Miss Lily a little trim. I never do a complete body shave on my donkeys just around their eyes, jaw line, donkey tail and a buzz cut on their mane. My horse is much easier she gets a buzz cut for her bridle path and I remove the long hair on her fetlock. That’s it for her.

Why do I leave the fur on the donkeys?

Donkeys know when it is time to shed and the fur protects them from the insects. 🙂

Why does my donkey have bald spots?

I would check for lice. We use Permectrin recommended by our vet. Place on the poll all the way to the tale and repeat the dose in two weeks to kill the eggs. The birds poop and the donkeys have such thick fur the birds transmit it. Buzz off is safe and effective do not get in their eye place on the pole of their back and rub in with a brush. After you are finished clean the brush in bleach water.

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

Melody

https://donkeywhispererfarm.com/our-store/

Happy Spring

March 28, 2014 / Donkey Whisperer Farm ® / 6 Comments

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

Melody

Does Your Donkey Have A Skin Disorder?

February 27, 2014February 27, 2014 / Donkey Whisperer Farm ® / 2 Comments

Friends of the Donkey Whisperer Farm,

“I have been receiving an enormous amount of e-mails concerning donkeys that are self-mutilating this time of the year.”

What do I mean by this? Scratching until they are bleeding and leaving sore spots that if not treated can turn into an infection.

I am not a vet and I do not give out medical information but I am the owner of several donkeys. Last spring Rocket Man over night self mutilated himself it was unsettling to say the least. Common sense is number one when dealing with this.

Rocket Man scratching on his jaw line

The first thing I do is use my clippers to remove all of the hair around the area. Next I use betadine scrub to clean the area and place cortisone over the itchy place twice a day. This sore cleared up within a week or so and he grew his hair back. Important if the sore does not clear up you need to call the vet as your donkey, mule or horse may need an antibiotic and a culture should be taken to see what it is. FYI; I keep these in my medical kit full-time.

Last November I took the Donkey Symposium from UC Davis. Dr. Stephen White encouraged us to send him photos of dermatology problems as he is passionate about helping us owners with our beloved donkeys.

Select US Davis Vetinary Hospital for more support

Stephen White- BA, DVM

Professor

Medicine & Epidemiology

2107 Tupper Hall

Davis, CA 95616

+1 530 752 5908

sdwhite@ucdavis.edu

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

Melody

http://www.donkewhisperer.com

Mom When Can We Go Camping?

January 24, 2014January 24, 2014 / Donkey Whisperer Farm ® / Leave a comment

Select How many more days until spring?

We have had a mild winter in Western Washington only one day of snow and way less rain than normal. Thank you Jesus! Hang in there as spring is closer than you think!

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

Melody

http://www.donkewhisperer.com