Tuesday, February 24, 2009

HOW TO SOAK A DONKEY'S FOOT

This showed up on the Yahoo Donkey Group Site:
Thanks Melinda

1. get a bucket, fill with warm water. add epsom salts until diluted. get donkey placed in cross ties, pick up foot, slide bucket into place. place donkey's foot in tub.
2. retrieve tub from corner of barn, get towel to dry off your face.
3. refill tub with water and epsom salts. shorten cross ties. pick up donkey's foot and place in tub.
4. retrieve tub from other horse's stall, retrieve donkey from his own stall. find bailing twine to fix broken cross ties. wrap towel around head to dry hair. check rapidly bruising toe for signs of breakage.
5.place rocks in bottom of tub to weigh down. snub donkey to wall of stall. refill tube with water and ebsom salts. pick up donkeys foot and place in tube. hold other front leg.
6. pick self up off of stall floor. find place outside where tub was flung. retrieve donkey from neighbor's garden, pull rocks out of donkeys water bucket. call spouse for opinion on whether or not wrist may be broken. Explain multiple times to emergency room staff that you did not fall off of donkey.
7. return to home, enlist spouse to hold donkey. hobble hind legs. tie up front leg. fill tub with water and salt. slide tub into place while pinning donkey against wall.
8. apologize to spouse as they view hoof prints across favorite shirt. wonder if water and epsom salts is bad for new wrist cast. check out burgeoning black eye from broke hobbles. retrieve donkey from cattle across the road. share laugh with cattle farmer about how fast donkeys can move on 3 legs.
9. go to grocery store to purchase ice packs, ibuprofen, more epsom salts and scotch.
10. call vet and ask them to come over to show you how to soak a foot. pour self tall glass of scotch while waiting.

3 comments:

LongTimeAgoFarm.com said...

I am new to the blogging world and came across your blog after searching for Poitou Donkey.

Really enjoyed this entry. Fortunately, our experiences soaking donkeys' feet have been much different. For example...

One of our donkeys, a Poitou named Sage, is about 12 years old. She had an absess and we were dreading soaking her foot, especially in the cold weather! Well, there was no need to fear. It took one day for Sage to realize that if she cooperated by putting her foot in the bucket and standing still for 20 minutes she would receive pieces of carrot, a Dumor treat, and lots of attention and scratching, including her favorite, a 'butt-rub'. She couldn't wait for me to get the outide stall door open so she could walk in and step right into the bucket.

When her foot got better it was obvious she was disappointed the warm-water-soaks were discontinued and was quite vocal about it.

I will continue to read your blog. We rescued 4 donkeys in 2001. It has been a wonderful experience.

Tish said...

How neat that you have a Poitou, do you know her percentage? My BlackJack "might" have some Poitou, although he was taken out of a wild herd, so there is no way of knowing for sure. There are 2 jennies not far from where I live. I heard they sent one to Texas to be bred, but she didn't take.

Some of mine aren't TOO bad about soaking, but none of them will put their foot in the boot. I have one that if you try to pick up her foot to put it in the boot, she will pick up the other foot......!!!

Rescued 4 in 2001, sounds like a story there. (G)

Unknown said...

Is it bad to soak donkey hoof in epsom salt if possible laminitis?