Jenny was actually a pretty good girl for Courtney today. The 1st time Courtney tried to trim her after Jenny got here was interesting to say the least. Her feet were hurting her, & all these strangers were surrounding her & trying to make her lift her feet to be trimmed & worked on. Needless to say, she wasn't interested in cooperating & she is big enough to make her point. At that time one of her favorite things to do was squeeze the offending person against the corral panels & when she put all her weight on you, it was difficult to escape. I finally broke her of doing that, by making sure my bony little elbow was always between her ribcage & me. One thing she does that is cute in an irritating sort of way is, if you are trying to pick up her right front foot, she will lift the left one. And the look on her face makes me believe that she knows exactly what she's doing.
Pepper & Lucy got trimmed also. They've been foundered enough in the past that their feet will probably never be right. Actually Pepper's look pretty good & sometimes he doesn't have to be trimmed, especially if he's been doing a lot of walking on the rocks & has "self" trimmed.
Courtney seems to have a way with equines. We went in Chester's pen to see if we could figure out some way to trim his one front foot that is so long. Courtney tried a couple of times & he backed off. But about the 3rd time she tried, he stood still. He is still 3 legged lame & consequently can't stand on 3 legs to be trimmed. So she did what she could with his foot on the ground. I was really surprised that he stood like that, because he is very cautious about his legs being touched. She couldn't get it as short as we would have liked, but it's much better than it was.
I'm changing antibiotics for him tomorrow. Sometimes infection can develop a resistance to one type of antibiotic & by changing to another type, you can get ahead of it.
It looks like Rusty the mule is coming back. He was suppose to become a friend & companion for Zeke the mule. Unfortunately Zeke didn't read the game plan, & doesn't want Rusty on the property, although the 2 goats think he's pretty neat. I'm sure Max the horse & Jack the mule will welcome him back. They had developed a morning ritual of all 3 laying in the big wash to enjoy the sun. We'll probably pick him up this week-end.
Pepper & Lucy got trimmed also. They've been foundered enough in the past that their feet will probably never be right. Actually Pepper's look pretty good & sometimes he doesn't have to be trimmed, especially if he's been doing a lot of walking on the rocks & has "self" trimmed.
Courtney seems to have a way with equines. We went in Chester's pen to see if we could figure out some way to trim his one front foot that is so long. Courtney tried a couple of times & he backed off. But about the 3rd time she tried, he stood still. He is still 3 legged lame & consequently can't stand on 3 legs to be trimmed. So she did what she could with his foot on the ground. I was really surprised that he stood like that, because he is very cautious about his legs being touched. She couldn't get it as short as we would have liked, but it's much better than it was.
I'm changing antibiotics for him tomorrow. Sometimes infection can develop a resistance to one type of antibiotic & by changing to another type, you can get ahead of it.
It looks like Rusty the mule is coming back. He was suppose to become a friend & companion for Zeke the mule. Unfortunately Zeke didn't read the game plan, & doesn't want Rusty on the property, although the 2 goats think he's pretty neat. I'm sure Max the horse & Jack the mule will welcome him back. They had developed a morning ritual of all 3 laying in the big wash to enjoy the sun. We'll probably pick him up this week-end. 
4 comments:
Dear Tish,
When it comes to pain toleration such as wound care, floating teeth, ect... I have seen some tough horses and mules.
But what makes donkey's tougher. It seems like if they trust a human who never hurt them, they will allow and even tolerate the worst veterinarian procedures easier than their counter-parts.
I know donkeys are special, but why ARE they so hardy????
Tish, sounds like your farrier is as good as mine... isn't it great to have someone like that?
I think donkeys are so tough because of a long history of putting up with humans. For their reputation of being stupid, stubborn, & lazy, I find them highly intelligent, interested in their own safety & not interested in wasting energy if they don't have to. I honestly believe that donkeys are the most misunderstood animal on the planet. They have helped to build empires since the beginning of time & are still unappreciated.
A good farrier is hard to find. Mine is on the road about 20 hours a day I think. She picked Jenny up north of Phoenix for us last spring, & was trimming her feet beside I-10 at midnight before we brought her the rest of the way home. She had 1 1/2 hours to drive home, & her day probably started early the next morning again.
Tish,
You are right. Donkey's have had to put up with People for thousands of years, and have worked for civilizations until they have dropped.
When we had an emergency with one of our sweet longears, my husband who's a scientist (very left brained!) was just as concerned as I was. He now realizes the wonders of Donkey's.
One more convert..Alright!!
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