Care and advice

DONKEYS ARE DIFFERENT

Despite being part of the equine family, donkeys are very different to horses in a lot of ways and should not be treated as small horses or ponies. Some of these differences, such as temperature, pulse, respiration, metabolism of medication, nutrition, can have a vital impact on a donkey’s health and care. If you are a donkey owner, vet or farrier and need any advice please contact us. To provide the best standards of welfare for your donkeys and to keep them healthy you need to provide the following:

24 hour access to shelter and water.
A safe, clean environment that is free of hazards.
A high fibre, low sugar diet, and if there is a lot of rich grass, restrict their grazing.
Companionship – donkeys are naturally a herd animal and prefer to be in company.
Daily handling and training so that the donkey can be checked for any injuries and so they get used to being caught, have their feet picked up and build trust in their owner.
Regular feet care – their hooves grow like our hair and nails but if allowed to get long or misshapen it can cause very serious, painful health problems.
Annual dental care a donkey with sharp teeth can’t eat properly and can lose weight as well as be in a lot of pain.
Illness prevention measures such as de-worming, correct feeding and wound treatment.
Young, elderly, or donkeys with veterinary conditions may have additional needs and need different management practices.

The following information will provide you with information on what you need to know about keeping your donkeys fit and well:

Fact sheets

The Donkey Sanctuary, based in the UK, has published a number of fact sheets. These are aimed at UK owners of donkeys or those considering getting a donkey in the UK. Several of these Fact Sheets are appropriate for donkeys in any country despite the differences in climate, terrain, available resources and the use of the donkey. These Fact Sheets are available below together with some that are specific to Cyprus and available in Greek. The Fact sheets provide information on common diseases, management of donkeys at different stages of their lives, dental problems, behaviour including details on mules and hinnies, feeding advice to name but a few. We are gradually developing and translating more information which will be available in the near future.

For a full list of these fact sheets, please visit The Donkey Sanctuary's donkey health and welfare section of their website. If you can’t find what you are looking for, please contact us.