What's In A Hoof?

In general, miniature donkeys are very low maintenance, easy to care for animals. They have very few health concerns but on occasion, they will surprise you. This week has actually been a bit of a crazy whirlwind with two trips to the vet and two additional hoof problems.

When I notice an animal limping, I first check to see if there is any heat or swelling caused by a sprain or break and then my next thought is laminitis. Mini donkeys do not do well on lush grass or sweet treats and if they get too much of either of these, it is manifest in their hooves and can cause lameness. Laminitis, sometimes called founder, is inflammation of the laminae tissue between the coffin bone and hoof wall. If not treated early enough, it can become very severe and hard to fix. Laminitis most commonly is seen in the two front feet and the animal has a certain stance they take as they try to keep the weight off their hooves.

When I noticed Deedee limping, I went through these diagnostics. No swelling or heat, and she was only favoring one front hoof rather than two, which ruled out laminitis (besides the fact that she hasn't been on freash grass or had treats). We picked up her hooves and did a trim but couldn't find anything concerning. Our neighbor who is a professional farrier, came over and did a pressure test to see if she responded to pressure placed on various parts of her hoof. She did! The result? A hoof abscess.

Usually, an abscess of the hoof is seen in really wet conditions and animals in the pacific northwest see a lot of these. Since we are experiencing a severe drought and record breaking heat, this wasn't the cause. On the opposite end of the spectrum, hot, dry conditions can also cause the hooves to become hard and brittle which can cause an abscess.

Deedee's abscess couldn't be seen so we weren't able to drain it, but Penny also developed an abscess about three days after and we found her's and drained it with the hoof knife. In both these cases, we soaked the hoof in a solution of 1 1/2 cups warm water with 1/4 -1/2 cup epsom salts for 20 minutes. We tried two different methods. One, was placing the solution in a shallow rubber feed pan, the second was taking a thick plastic bag and duct taping it around the leg. They may be a little nervous at first but as long as you can provide a distraction like some grass to graze on temporarily, they seem to stand just fine.

The following day, there was no limping! If the animal still show signs of limping, soak the hoof again and provide a poultice wrap for them. Most vets have a poultice you can get from them and tips on how to make a temporary boot.

In the five years we've had donkeys, we have never seen a hoof abscess and then out of the blue, we see two in the same week! There is always excitement to be had even at Simple Little Farm!