Whole sole supports
Whole sole supports may be necessary to help provide support for the pedal bone and to make your donkey more comfortable. Note that frog supports, commonly used in horses and ponies, are not suitable for donkeys. Your vet may suggest additional tests, including a blood sample, if they suspect EMS or PPID.
Diet
Your donkey’s diet will need to be managed extremely carefully so that the condition does not get worse, and to prevent future attacks. A high-fibre low-sugar diet, limited access to grass, and weight management will go a long way to preventing laminitis. For some donkeys even a few mouthfuls of grass can lead to an attack; grass that is lush or that has a build-up of sugars, as a result of dry weather or following a frost, is particularly dangerous.
Never put a donkey on an extreme diet in order to manage laminitis.
Always plan weight loss over long periods using a diet of predominantly barley straw, along with a vitamin/mineral supplement and limited access to grass. Donkeys with dental disease require a slightly different diet, but it should still be low in sugar and high in fibre.
Remember that donkeys with endocrine conditions such as EMS and PPID are particularly susceptible to laminitis if their diet is not managed. See our Feeding the donkey with laminitis resource for more information.
It is possible for donkeys to recover from acute laminitis with the correct veterinary care and management and go on to live a good quality of life. These donkeys will always be more susceptible to future bouts of laminitis and they may have chronic laminitic changes to their feet so they will need to be observed closely for the rest of their lives.
Remember that prevention of laminitis is always better than cure.
There will be cases where there are irreversible changes to the position of the pedal bone and your donkey may suffer constant foot pain.
A short-striding, ‘pottery’ donkey is likely to be in considerable pain.
If painkillers do not alleviate the condition it may be necessary to consider the quality of life and make a responsible decision in the best interests of the donkey. It may be that euthanasia is the only kind option.
