# My mini donkey is very sick



## bm12171

Hello everyone, our mini donkey, Jonah is very sick. Here is a little background of what we know so far:

We found him in the corner of the field Sunday morning - lying there crying, couldn't stand and was so cold. We called the vet and he came up to see him and appears what it is Jonah is too skinny and needs to add some more weight. Vet thinks he couldn't handle the bitter cold and with not having enough fat on him, his blood sugar bottomed out, his temperature dropped and was too weak to stand or do anything. Vet gave him warms fluids through a huge tube put down his nose and that brought his temp up higher and more towards normal, then gave him a shot and took blood to make sure nothing else going on. Well the blood results came back and he elevated liver and muscle enzymes - which could mean he has a liver disease or some type of muscle disease which is unknown and the vet really wasn't sure either, vet also said these elevations could be secondary to him being out in the cold and laying out there for at least 8 hrs before we found him. Early this morning we found him in the garage laying and look like he was done. We had to help him up and hold him until he was back steady on his feet and he has been walking around all day. Vet said to keep him in the garage with heat and start feeding him Senior Equine food, cause it'll help him start hopefully putting on weight. Time will tell and hopefully it's nothing more than this; otherwise the vet prepared us for the worst and I really don't like that part!! 

Has anyone ever had something like this happen. Jonah is only 8 months old, so it's not like he is an older donkey. Vet told us they could refer him to a veterinary university and see if they could help him and see if they can run more test and find out what is going on. Of course, as with a lot of others out there, money is very tight; so if anyone knows of ANYTHING or any issues with this, please give us some insight. Thank you all so much, may God bless you all and bless our little Jonah so he has a complete recovery.


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## currycomb

when an animal does not have enough food intake, the start using up their own fat and muscle for energy. at 8 mo old, he could have a large worm load that is sapping his body energy. depending on where you live and what kind of weather you have will make a difference also. keep CLEAN hay and water with him at all times. then feed the senior feed 3X a day. keep him warm and dry. good luck with him


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## promiseacres

We had 5 yr old mini donkey suddenly die 10 days ago and the next day his brother went down....we used a sling to keep him up...and hot mash with molassus and electrolyes 3 x daily. We had him on pen g and banamine but (if he made thru another night) changing to dex a steroids....


Sounds like your vet is on top of things mine has not been..... she initially treated ours for impaction despite lack of symptoms.... if you search for hank my thread should come up...hope he improves....


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## bm12171

Thanks for the info currycomb, very interesting and useful. We live in SW Indiana; so it's been very cold lately!!! That's what vet suggested too was to get Senior Equine and some gatorade (if he'd drink it) - so I got that right away. He was up this morning in the garage, eating away; so such a great sign. I'll keep you all posted. 

So sorry promiseacres - omg that is so sad!! Sounds like I better keep my vet - he has been great! I will pray that your other one gets better soon. Prayers for strength, guidance and support for you, your donkeys and your family!


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## currycomb

we are in so. ill, so our weather is similar. provide plain water as well as gatorade water. you want it to be just a tad bit warm, not hot to encourage him to drink. find a good fitting blanket if he seems cold. be sure to provide a deeply bedded area for him to lay down and rest. it keeps him warm and will help prevent sores from laying down. is he a mini or standard size? another way to get more nutrition and water into him is get some alfalfa cubes and beet pulp shreds. in a 5 gallon bucket, start with a scoop of each, and fill bucket about 3/4 full. let sit for a couple hours. it will expand and be kinda sloppy when you offer it to him. may take him a day or two to like it, keep offering fresh. make it with warm water. it is full of nutrition and moisture. continue with the senior or equine junior if you can find it. you need to feel under his hair to see if he is putting on weight. ideally you should barely be able to feel his ribs, and this is going to take some time. yes, i have rehabed many equines in case you are wondering. keep us informed how he gets along


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## promiseacres

glad your guy was up and eating! hope he continues to do well, I would definately love to hear how it goes! Definatly watch the liver situation as they can be prone to lipadosis (sp?)  (google donkeys and liver disease).


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## bm12171

Thanks so much for the info and the kindness you all have shown. He is a mini. Vet told us to get Equine Senior and we slowly integrated this into his diet and he is enjoy it very much. We have a coat on him to make sure he doesn't get too chilled and also keeping our kerosene heater going in the garage to keep him warm - even though with this cold spell, it's getting quite expensive (but small sacrifice to pay  ). He seems to be getting strong and I took him out for a walk yesterday to get some fresh air - you could tell he kind of enjoyed it, but was ready to get back to the warm garage - which I don't blame him 

He still is having some issues trying to get up and make his legs work to pull him up, but with a little help, he gets right up. My hubby, bless his heart said "Hon, if he does have a muscle disease and we have to help him up everyday, we can do it". I thought that was the sweetest thing for a man who really wasn't KEEN on the idea of getting a couple mini donkeys. But hey - our daughter is grown, married and going to start her own family, so this empty nest mom needs someone to take care of!

I'll keep you all posted, but as of right now, he looks good, acting good, eating, pooping and peeing very well - just get those muscle to strengthen up and hopefully when the vet comes back in the next week or two - his muscle and liver enzymes will be back down to normal - meaning it was only secondary to him being out in the cold so long without enough fat on his body to keep him going. 

Thanks everyone!!


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## currycomb

sounds like he is on the road to recovery. they have to fatten on the inside first, so may take several months to get to normal body weight. the fact he is willing to get up, even needing help, is a very good sign. he will get strong enough to get up on his own, but again, may take some time.  good luck with keeping him going, and glad hubby is willing to do what it takes, that is awsome


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## bm12171

Thanks Currycomb! I truly hope he is and we are willing to put in the time to get him healthy again. I love this little guy - he just captures your heart. Not that I don't love the others, cause I do dearly. It's just this guy always had that boyish, innocent look to him and that's never changed since the day we brought him home!!


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## bm12171

I really noticed past couple days that our minis urine is a cloudy, whitish/yellowish color - very weird - should be concerned with this? Also, he has been very tired looking, appears to be leaning to the left (like he is putting all his weight on that side), and trying to lie down a lot. I have let him lay down some, but vet suggested not letting him lie down for long periods of time -so I try to make sure to get him up moving, but at the same time; allow him to have time to rest too. He also seemed like he was depressed, so I brought his brother in to the garage with him - this seemed to perk him up some; they were eating side by side when I came in- so hopefully this will boost Jonah's spirits some, but is this a good or a bad idea. I sure would hate to do something which would be detrimental to my little boy's recovery. Please help and give me your thoughts. Greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!


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## currycomb

donkey urine can be cloudy without being a problem. and company can be a good thing as long as the other donkey doesn't bully your sick mini,and there is plenty to eat and drink for both of them. also, i would get a 2lb white salt block. amazing how it helps with everything. i keep salt to all my pasture animals. i think you are doing okay with letting him rest laying down. do his hooves look long? especially the hind ones. they may be putting a strain on his tendons and ligaments.


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## bm12171

Ok, good to know about the urine. I just went out and checked on them and Jonah had his head resting on Johnson's back - so cute; so good to know that company can be good. I bought a carrot flavored block with selenium - would it be better to get the regular white salt block - cause it doesn't look like he has touched the block and it's been out there a few days. No, his hooves look really good - the farrier just came about month and a half ago. I did pick out his hooves, cause looked like stepped in one of his messes and got that and pine shavings in his hooves. Of course I'm not and expert and really new and learning what to look for. I did notice when I picked out one of his hooves, seemed like he had a sore spot; but I sure can't tell at all if they look bad or anything. Forever grateful for sites like this and the help people have provided  Thank you thank you thank you!!!


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## bm12171

Our little guy with his buddy Boo who stays close to him. She loves her Jonah!!


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## RemudaOne

He needs thick straw or shavings to lay on. If he is thin, he may get pressure sores in his skin where his bones contact the floor. I would imagine that the concrete is very cold too. It will cause his core temp to fall. I've had horses for many years and if they are stalled, or in your case garaged, they really need to have a good thick layer of bedding under them. I hope he improves for you. Do you have free choice hay or alfalfa available to him 24/7?


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## bm12171

Ok, thanks. I have some bedding for him to lie down on, but whenever he gets free run of the garage when we are home during the day he always wants to get out and lie on the cold concrete. We only let him lay during the day for a couple hours (if that) at a time and then try to get him up and moving; even take him out if not too cold, for short walks. At night, we make sure to put him in his pen area, but I probably should put more bedding down to be sure; cause I do not want him getting sores. Should we keep him in his pen area where he can't move alot - would this be better? Honestly, I'm so new to this and it's so hard knowing what to do to help the poor little guy! He seemed a little stronger today; when we got him up, didn't take a lot of effort for us - he was able to really help us. We have free choice hay for him 24/7; and have been feeding him Purina Senior Equine 3x a day. Also have regular water and keep some gatorade water for him as well.


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## RemudaOne

It sounds like you're doing a great job . How big is his pen area? If he's only down for a couple of hours, it shouldn't be too hard on him. And it sounds like he's improving slowly so that's a good thing. I think it's great that his donkey friend is with him and I think that will help him greatly. Any herd animal is better off with company. Loved the picture with the kitty too


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## currycomb

maybe make his pen a bit bigger and put a layer of shavings down, the some straw on top of that, better cushioning, just better for him all the way around. if you could afford them, the rubber stall mats they have a farm stores could be put down under the shavings, will soften the area he stays in. love the kitty keeping him company


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## bm12171

Great idea on the stall mat - we have one out in the leanto area, I'll make sure to do that as soon as I get home and put down lots of extra bedding for him. His pen is probably 10 x 10. I hope we are doing all the right things, this is our first experience and we for sure want to take all the right steps. This site and all of you have been such a blessing to us and for this we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! God Bless!


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## bm12171

He can finally stand on his own!!! Last couple days we have not had to help him up at all. He looks so much better and is getting around without any difficulties whatsoever. The vet is still coming out this week to run more lab work to see if his liver and muscle enzymes have gone down, so we will know for sure. I thank the Lord and the help from all of you for Jonah getting better. I'm so grateful for all of your advice and helping me take care of him and nurse him back to health. I had no idea of what to do or how to really take care of him, but you all gave me the info I need; so THANK YOU all so VERY much!! I'll let you know how the labs go, but as of right now, he looks like he is on the track of complete recovery. We still have him in the garage; I told my hubby I didn't care to scrap off my car in the mornings, cause as long as he is warm and getting better that's all that matters to me! Simple things in life are the greatest joys. Hubby has told me that this summer though, we are going to add on to our pole barn and put stalls in there for them for next winter. He loves these donkeys so much, and to think - he didn't want me to get them and now he's in love. LOL.


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## Remuda1

That is just so...... Absolutely awesome.  It's HUGE that he's getting up on his own.  You've done a great job, good for you and good for him


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