By I discovered a great new Facebook group – ‘Only Donkeys’. It is a great stop to get your daily fix of donkey photos, donkey stories, donkey knowledge … and a community full of people to share experiences and expertise. I shared Paco’s current circumstance – growth in his cheek – and received a plethora of advice and links to ideas. I decided to pursue one of them – Golden Paste. This is a combination of turmeric, coconut oil, water and pepper. The turmeric is the key ingredient and has been associated with anti-inflammatory properties that have helped other donkeys with similar conditions.
I’m very leery of ‘holistic therapies’. There are more than I can count that are on the quack side of tried and true. I once made a visit to a Holistic Practitioner who began our session by suspending a crystal on a string over my wrist to determine what I was allergic to… Hmmm… And often, they seem to offer ‘cures’ to those who are desperate to try anything. Which … I have to admit … I am regarding Paco. Desperate to try most things that won’t put him through unnecessary suffering. These cures also come with hefty price tags and timelines that leave one wondering if the condition would have run its course naturally within the same stretch of the calendar. Naturally good … and naturally bad outcomes included …
After reading some of the research, and using Google Scholar to pursue more… I decided to give this a try. There were numerous comments in equine sites about people using this for horses, donkeys, dogs, goats, cats … I was wondering how Paco would respond to the strong smell of the paste when I mixed it in with his afternoon minced carrots and grain feed. He gets about 1 cup of grain with about 1/2 cup of finely diced carrots. This seems to be giving him a lift on those days when his hay consumption may not be up to par. He LOVES it. He licks that bowl right down to clean. As clean as you can get a turmeric stained bowl! Notice – he now sports a yellow turmeric stained muzzle too! Now… to make myself continue and wait for a few months. Each day he comes to get me to gently massage his jaw and lightly scratch his cheek. He is laying down more than I would say he did in the past. And he shows a definite preference for the soft green grass hay compared to the tougher strawlike hay. Even to the point that he’ll leave the jennies on their own in the front paddock and take himself alone to the back. But the main thing – the most important thing – he seems comfortable and happy to be here. I second that emotion!
The Meadow View 
You cannot go wrong with turmeric and coconut oil. I take both myself everyday! Hope it helps!
Thanks Myrna.
Beautiful!
The Dancing Donkey also had a great post on turmeric some time ago (this year, I’m pretty sure); Kris has achieved good results with it. In any event, my fingers are crossed for Darby (and his loving private nurse)!
Thanks for that tip Nuri. I went back and traced those posts. Good to read someone else’s experiences.
And I’m sorry – I wish all your sweet donkeys well, but of course I meant to say Paco above.