Ouchie

Darby’s limp is coming along. I remember that it seemed to take Rosie a long time to recover from her stiff shoulder (after having her shots). So I’m trying to be patient and not alarmist with Darby’s situation. She lets me squeeze her hoof and press on the sole of her foot without any resistance. Where her discomfort seems to be is just above her fetlock. Not the band that connects her leg and hoof – like she ran into two years ago – higher than that. I’d call it her ankle if she was human. (I DO call it her ankle – even though she’s not!) It came on the day the new gravel was laid on the paddock and the Bully Road … so I’m thinking she somehow twisted her ankle in that…
Other than her limp she is totally herself – she eats eagerly – is drinking lots – doesn’t have diarrhea – and still is boss of the herd. I’ve been giving her 7 cc of bute twice a day. She now takes it very easily. It seems to make a difference. I think this aspect, thinking out what to do when any of the donkeys is ill or injured, is the most challenging for me. I’m relaxing a little more – not calling the vet right away … It is tricky though because donkeys really don’t show when they are feeling pain. Not the same way other domestic animals do. Darby, though, did come to show me her leg hurt. And she needs some extra cuddles when she is sore like this. So maybe it is that when you have donkeys that are more like pets than livestock you can communicate with them to know when something is up. It could get interesting as she comes into heat this week – cranky and sore … I’m feeling sorry for the other three already!