Muddy Hooves

Donkeys, as desert animals, don't generally do great in wet conditions. Thrush, white line disease, and abscessing tend to be issues donkeys struggle with- more so in wet environments.

Here's some tips to consider:
1. Diet plays an extremely important role in hoof health. If your donkey is overweight, struggling with any insulin resistant issues, or has poor nutrition without enough essential minerals, their hoof health will likely suffer as a result. This goes for dry environments as well as wet ones, but the wet might accentuate the issues.

2. Trimming is going to be an essential part of keeping hooves healthy in wet and muddy environments or conditions. Keeping the hoof on a shorter trim schedule, so that there is less of a likelihood of stretching of the white line due to extra pressure on the toe or hoof walls, will lead to less of a likelihood of bacteria or water entering the hoof capsule and causing abscessing.

3. Daily owner hoof care is also important. Picking out your donkey's hooves and allowing them to stand somewhere dry for a portion of the day will help. There are multiple types of hoof clays that could also assist in keeping the collateral grooves from accumulating too many anaerobic bacteria and becoming thrushy.

4. Mitigate the environment. While it's impossible to change the weather or the muddy paddocks unless you have the money and equipment and time to put into drainage and fill dirt or crusher fines, having a clean and dry stall or shelter or space available is going to be important for your animal's health. When it's extremely wet outside, we tend to open up extra space that is dry to the animals. So if that means fencing off part of the barn aisle, then it does. You do what you need to as the owner to keep your animals safe and comfortable. Once you know where the low spots on your property are, it's important to start putting in a plan for mitigating the conditions. That might mean putting in gravel or crusher fines, fill dirt or a concrete pad.