missbliss

Dear Miss Bliss,

The guy-who-pets-me told the gal-who-feeds-me that now that I was 6 months old I was going to get gelded next week. Is this a good thing? Will it be fun?

Jack in Parker

Dear Jack,

You poor boy, how can I say this gently? The procedure you are going to undergo will not be all that fun, but in the long run will be better for you and your people. Basically what is going to happen is that you will be neutered so that you can no longer breed. An un-neutered male donkey can be loud AND aggressive with people and their herd. Once gelded they tend to be much more gentle to be around. Um, "Jack" sweetie? I'd start thinking about a new name if I were you

Dear Miss Bliss,

I'm about 3 1/2 years old. This morning while I was just standing around in the shade my Mom noticed that I was working my mouth kind of funny-like so she decided to take a look in my mouth. She got a funny expression on her face and hurried off to the house. We were both wondering what had happened to my front teeth. She finally figured out that I might be losing my "baby" teeth. What's this all about?

Rosie at Ravenglass Farm

Dear Rosie,

Did you know that a donkey averages about 30,000 jaw movements a day? (Editors Note: Without Bliss's totals that average would go way down!) Over 40-50 years that is a WHOLE LOT of wear and tear on the molars and our first little baby teeth just aren't up to the task. In fact, we won't get all of our permanent teeth until we're about 7! I have to say that I was as surprised as you that we youngsters would lose our teeth! I asked my friend Kathy Dean about this and she said "...first you lose your baby fat, then the baby hair and then the baby teeth". I have to tell you girl, I was fine losing my baby fat (I look SO GOOOOD now) and my grown up hair is nice and sleek, but I am NOT looking forward to losing my teeth. My cosmetician is already wondering how I'll face my public????

Dear Miss Bliss,

I am a youthful, growing donkey so my owner gives me some special grain with vitamins and minerals in it. I think the other donkeys in my herd want my grain so I eat it as fast as I can so they don't get it. However, my owner always says “slow down, chew your feed”. Why should I? There isn't any risk in eating fast is there?

Rapid Rosco

Dear Rapid,

I can tell you from sad personal experience to slow down. When I was just a foal my Tony noticed that I wasn’t eating, my head was hanging down and I was drooling. Doc S. said that my gobbling had blocked my throat. I had to have a hose shoved up my nose to wash out the chunk of food and THEN I had to eat mush for a few days – yuck! Hmmm, do you think my table manners have anything to do with the fact that the two good looking geldings here won’t give me the time of day?

Dear Miss Bliss:

I have a donkey, Taz, that you might remember from the shelter. This a.m. I noticed her laying down (very unusual) and an hour later she was still laying in the same position. I went down and she didn't want to get up. After some time and some coaxing she stood. It appears she is favoring her back right leg but I see no outside wounds, her hooves are fine, getting trimmed every three months. She picks her feet up and I can move her legs around. My guess is she could have fallen on some ice in the pasture and bruised it or something. Do you have any recommendations?- I'm perplexed and concerned. Thanks for your two cents.

Taz’s mom in Wray

Dear Mom,

Sprains and strains are not uncommon in donkeys. When a donkey is lame you first look for protruding bones, or bleeding. Not finding that, you look for a puncture or something stuck in the skin like a nail or piece of wire. Not finding that you look for swelling. Does the animal react in pain when you run your hand down its leg and apply a little pressure? It is always good to clean out the hoof and put pressure on the sole with a hoof tester. That sometimes reveals an abscess inside the hoof that can be very painful and cause the donkey to limp or even refuse all weight bearing on the affected hoof.

Not finding any of that, you watch to see if the donkey is still eating and drinking? Is the donkey's head up? Does it otherwise seem to be continuing its normal routine? If the answers to those questions are yes-the condition is usually not serious.

If you have a rectal thermometer, you can check the donkey's temperature to see if it is running a fever. A donkey's temperature should be 98 or 99 degrees. A fever usually implies and infection process going on. An abscess would not necessarily cause a fever.

If all those fail to produce a diagnosis you can suspect that the donkey tripped and fell into a rabbit hole, slid on the ice or got kicked in a moment of play. In the spring we see lots of sprains when donkeys get running on the muddy ground and stop suddenly which causes a hyper-extension of the leg.

Just like humans, sprains and strains take a few days to heal. You can confine the donkey in a pen with a thick bedding of straw, shavings or hay to create a cushioned surface for the injured leg and reduce the donkey's movement. But you know donkeys-they usually hate to be confined and the stress of confinement is sometimes worse than the injury. You can give them aspirin or prescription pain medication to make them more comfortable but that usually results in the donkey overdoing it during recovery. Better to confine the donkey and prevent movement if pain medication is administered.

When the weather is warmer, you can give the donkey cold water therapy by running water from a hose down the affected leg. It acts like an ice pack and reduces swelling.

If after several days the donkey shows no improvement or is worse, it is probably time to get x-rays.

Donkeys are so stoic and can actually break a leg and keep moving around as if they have just a sprain. Sadly, we have had that experience at Longhopes and now know not to wait too long before having the vet come out. But in most cases lameness is a very temporary condition.

Dear Miss Bliss,

My person refuses to give me grain, and she is even very stingy with all sorts of treats. Whenever I can, I sneak into my horse's oats just to get my fix. How can I make her understand that I need these things?

Hungry in Sedalia

Dear Hungry,

As horrible as it is, we donkeys just shouldn't be eating rich foods of any sort. Hay and grass with an occasional carrot or gingersnap is about as fancy as we can get. Even spring grass has been known to cause some of us laminitis, a very painful condition that wreaks havoc with a pedicure. Because we are genetically disposed to eating simpler foods, the treats, even alfalfa, can make us 'cresty' and plump. My friend Kathy wrote a good article about it in this issue. Honey, remember, you keep eating those oats and the other donkeys are gonna be singing "Baby got Back" when you come into the barn.

Dear Miss Bliss:

You frequently get letters from standard donkeys who weigh 350-500 pounds and are no more than 48 inches tall, but you need to know that there are some big boys out there too. I am 54 inches tall and weigh 800 pounds. I am a good riding donkey but my owners want to trailer me to riding paths in a 2 horse straight load trailer. What are they thinking? That's like a sardine can for me. I refuse to load in such a small trailer. Can you please talk to them for me?

Leonard in Fort Lupton

Mmmm, Leonard, you sound like a handsome big boy! Being a petite and dainty jennet at only 550 pounds I don't have weight issues, but I can appreciate your predicament. You are right, asking a 13+ hand donkey (oh baby!) to load into trailer that is too small for him can present problems. I remember when I first learned to load in a trailer I thought it was a dark cave that had bears at the other end. Sorry, I digress. To avoid that problem my manager has put the following into my contract for when my Tony wants me to travel. I’m sure you can adjust it to your situation:

1) The height of the trailer needs to be at least 4 inches higher than me standing straight with my chocolate brown ears up and alert (listening for my admirers)

2) The depth of the trailer needs to be greater than the length from my nose to my tail WITHOUT counting a front overhanging feed bunk (or my best IKEA dinnerware). Measure only the floor space.

3) I don't normally like to back out of a trailer or to step down going backwards. It is an acquired skill, and besides, I want people to see my FACE when I make my entrance! The trailer needs to be wider than my length from the tail to my neck so I can turn around. Unlike my rear end, wider is better.

In general, many donkeys may have trouble loading into a small two horse straight load trailer with a center post. If that is the only trailer available it helps to learn to trailer in a slant 2 horse trailer because they are normally wider.

We donkeys LOVE to go places with our humans, but riding in a trailer is stressful enough. Hopefully, by following these guidelines, loading can be quick and fun so we can all get on the road. Leonard, I’m looking forward to meeting you on a lonesome trail sometime.

Dear Miss Bliss:

I don’t know how reliable this is, but I just read on the web that it is illegal in Arizona for a donkey to sleep in a bathtub. In Cripple Creek, Colorado it is illegal for a pack mule to be above the ground floor in any building. What do you think of these blatantly ass-ist laws?

Rick in Denver

Dear Rick,

Now you know why I live in Colorado and not Arizona. I checked with my attorney, I.B. Gelded Assquire, and he said that my habit of falling asleep in the Jacuzzi might land me in jail if I lived in Phoenix. I learned about Cripple Creek the hard way. My Tony had reserved a nice suite with a good view for me to watch some of my friends in the local races. Well….guess who wasn’t allowed upstairs?!? I thought of taking it to the Supreme Court, but decided I’d rather be home in Castle Rock watching my HDTV anyway – and I can be on my balcony, IN MY JACUZZI when I do it!!!!

Dear Miss Bliss,

I heard about the donkey painting going on at the shelter, and thought I’d take up a brush myself. I have FOUND my calling. Being creative has opened up new vistas for me, I feel that by creating beauty the world around me is better. I’ve enclosed a picture of me just starting my latest work.

Darby (aka the Picasso of the Pasture)