Important!

Donkeys cannot read labels. When it comes to the question of what is edible and what is good and bad for donkeys, the responsibility of care and safety rests with us, the humans. One of Donkey Shelter's carers recently lost a lovely Jenny in dramatic circumstances and the poor little donkey died a horrendous, agonizing death.

Here is a reminder that not all the foods that a donkey might like to eat are good for them.

Dangerous foodstuffs are:-

Eating any of these can kill a donkey.
Our little jenny had managed to get into the chicken feed. Unfortunately, in spite of all efforts and thousands of dollars spent on veterinary bills, she did not survive.

There are two problems with this type of food:
1. Fermentation within the gut of the donkey
Fermentation within the bowel leads to the release of toxins.
These can affect the heart of the donkey. They interfere with the clotting mechanism within the blood stream, leading to haemorrhage known as DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation).

They also paralyse the bowel movement, known as paralytic ileus.

Within the bowel itself, fermentation causes the production of lactic acid, which burns and strips the lining of the bowel.
2. Physical obstruction leading to colic
Chicken feed, grains of wheat and pellets, etc. swell to about four times their size, causing massive obstruction in the bowel.
Consequently, the greater the amount ingested, the greater the risk of bowel obstruction.

Ultimately these two processes work together.
The food cannot move through the bowel because of its sheer bulk, but also because the bowel itself is paralysed.

At the same time, the mass burns the bowel lining and also releases toxins into the donkey's bloodstream. The treatment, therefore, must be aimed at removing the ingested food from the bowel as soon as possible.

There are two ways of removing the dangerous food, depending on the amount eaten. It is important that treatment starts within 12 hours of consumption. If more than 12 hours have elapsed the prognosis is usually extremely poor.

If the amount eaten was small, and therefore may have left the stomach and passed into the bowel, a combination of oil via naso-gastric tube and enemas can be attempted to force the food through the bowel and evacuate it from the donkey's body.

However, if the amount eaten was large, evacuation from the stomach needs to be done as soon as possible. In Victoria this can be done via suction at Werribee Veterinary Hospital. Should this method fail, then direct evacuation from the stomach in surgery has to be done.

Failure to rid the donkey of the dangerous food in its stomach or intestines will most likely result in an agonizing death, due to a combination of colic and haemorrhage.

Prevention is the best form of treatment!


Please!

Keep donkeys away from chicken feed and other dangerous food! If a donkey does manage to get to such food and eats it anyway, then time is of the essence to ensure the survival of the donkey.