Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Page A-9
The Farrier’s Corner: by Ray and Michelle Smith
Donkeys - Part 1
Discussions of hoof care
generally focus on horses. If
donkeys are mentioned, it is
often little more than a brief note.
However, donkeys are kept on farms
and small properties across America.
Farriers and vets work on them
daily. They are unique creatures
with unique care requirements. They
deserve individualized attention and
should not be lumped together with
horses as an afterthought. In light of
this, we decided to devote a series of
articles to donkeys.
Donkeys differ from horses in
many respects including appearance,
behavior and hooves. They are
reputed to be more sure-footed,
rugged and longer lived than horses.
Even small donkeys are surprisingly
strong and stout.
Yet, for all their ruggedness,
even donkeys fall victim to certain
hoof problems. Among the most
common maladies of donkey hooves
are: hoof abscesses, coronary band
lesions, laminitis, white line disease
and seedy toe.
Hoof Abscesses
Hoof abscesses are painful
infection pockets which start when
bacteria invade sensitive tissues of
the foot. Abscesses occur frequently
in donkeys, particularly Mammoths.
They may develop following a sole
puncture, severe bruising or other
intrusions. One of the more common
causes of donkey hoof abscesses
are small, sharp or abrasive stones
penetrating the foot at the junction
between the hoof wall and sole
(the white line). Owners should
avoid continually keeping donkeys
in paddocks with predominantly
stony, gritty or abrasive footing.
They should also avoid keeping
donkeys in wet, muddy or unclean
areas which encourage bacterial
growth. Well drained turf pasture,
with modest to sparse grass cover,
is best. These recommendations
may be difficult to follow in western
Oregon.
If donkeys cannot be moved
to more suitable footing, and gravel
related abscesses are chronic,
shoeing may be the best measures
to protect the foot. Standard sized
and mammoth donkeys, given good
behavior and decent hoof walls,
can be shod. Shoeing may not
be possible on miniatures. Boots
can be worn therapeutically for
extended periods to aid in recovery
from injury or infection. Some
animals also wear them part-time
for protection during turn out. They
are generally not recommended
for lifelong round-the-clock use.
Keeping hooves perpetually booted
can lead to thrush infections and
possible chaffing at the heels or
coronary band. Even when used
temporarily, owners should remove
boots regularly to inspect the feet.
Most boots are designed for horse
hooves, which can vary greatly
in size and shape from donkey
hooves. Getting a good fit can be
challenging. Fortunately, there are
now some companies marketing
boots specifically for miniature
horses and donkeys.
Abscesses usually cause
lameness and palpable heat in the
affected hoof. Some abscesses
may cause swelling in the pastern.
While many abscesses will open on
their own, others are more difficult.
All abscesses require professional
attention. If you suspect an abscess,
consult your veterinarian and farrier
immediately. A veterinarian can
prescribe antibiotics if needed
and may administer a tetanus shot
if the animal is not up to date.
Additionally, the veterinarian
can attempt to open and drain the
abscess. Some veterinarians will
open the area themselves, while
others prefer to have the farrier
open the abscess. Once opened,
the animal’s comfort level usually
improves. The drainage hole must
stay open and clean while healing.
This may entail bandaging and/or
booting with daily bandage changes.
Abscesses may open either
through the sole or the hoof wall.
Not all abscesses are easily located.
If the abscess cannot be opened,
medication, daily hoof soakings and/
or poultice pads may be in order.
Chronic Non-Healing
Coronary Band Lesions
Some donkeys develop a
condition known as chronic non-
healing coronary band lesions.
These lesions occur at the hoof
hairline and resemble abscess
eruptions. They may last for years
and become more frequent. The
only farrier recommendations found
regarding this condition were to keep
trimming intervals regular, maintain
reasonably short toes and inspect and
clean hooves regularly.
Little information is available
on the condition. However, it is
suspiciously similar to a condition
in horses known as quittor.
Historically, quittor was commonly
seen in draft horses. Its occurrence
today is infrequent. It is a chronic,
septic condition of the collateral
cartilages located on either side of
the equine hoof. The upper portion
of these cartilages can be felt just
above the hairline of the hooves,
while the lower portion is contained
within the hoof capsule.
Quittor is characterized by a
necrosis of these cartilages. It often
develops following a trauma to the
pastern. Trauma leads to localized
sepsis in and around the cartilage
followed by abscess formation.
Eventually the abscess erupts,
draining at the coronary band.
Primary treatment involves surgery
to remove the necrotic tissue.
Without this procedure, the condition
rarely resolves and often worsens.
It can result in recurrent abscesses
at the coronary band and chronic
lameness. Eventually, the sepsis
may spread, infecting deeper tissues
and/or the joint. At this point, the
prognosis for successful treatment is
poor.
It is reasonable to suspect that
donkeys with chronic non-healing
coronary band lesions may actually
have quittor. Any history of trauma
to the pastern should be noted and
the potential for quittor should be
discussed with a vet.
In our next article we will
cover laminitis, white-line disease
and seedy toe in donkeys. We hope
you’ll enjoy this venture into the
world of long-ears and look forward
to seeing you next month!
Americans need money, not Washington: by Glenn Mollette
American’s
median
income
was
$51,939.00 in 2013. In 2012 our median income
was $51,759.00. In 1999, the pre-recession
peak median American income was $56,436.00.
Five years ago the United States Treasury took
in 2.1 trillion dollars.
Last year our federal government
collected a record amount of taxes, just over
3 trillion dollars! (Wikipedia, Household
Incomes in America) Struggling Americans
sent more money to Washington than ever
before in our nation’s history. As Americans’
incomes have struggled, stagnated and stalled
good old Washington is rolling. What is wrong
with this picture? Americans are poorer but
Washington is richer. Washington is getting
more of hard working Americans’ money so
they can determine our lives. Washington now
determines our health care, our retirement and
care for all of the people who do not want to
work. The average American could not survive
in retirement without Social Security.
Americans need more money, not
Washington. Americans are spending their
money on food, utilities, mortgages, rent,
gasoline, car payments and health care. Granted,
recent gasoline prices have helped. After these
expenses, there is not much money left over
for family excursions, clothes and saving for
retirement. The American dream used to include
owning a house, two cars, sending the kids to
college and a two weeks vacation each year. By
the age of 62 you retired to do what you wanted
to do with your life. That’s not happening today
because Americans don’t have enough money.
Go to Walmart or McDonald’s and you’ll see
lots of seniors working. People who are 75
years old and occasionally even 80 are working
minimum wage, 30 hour a week jobs. A few
do it because they need something to do. Most
Americans are in those jobs because they need
the money - desperately.
Here are some stats: 19 percent of
middle-class Americans have zero retirement
savings. 34 percent are not currently saving for
retirement. 41 percent of Americans between
the ages of 50-59 are not currently saving
for retirement. Based on the numbers, most
retirees will be unable to even retire on 70
percent of their working income. The median
savings across all age groups was only $20,000.
Housing, healthcare, food and transportation
make up about 65 percent of Americans’
spending. (Huffington Post: posted, 10/27/2014)
Combine this with falling incomes over the last
decade and you have a poorer America - but not
Washington. What’s wrong with this picture?
Americans could always cut out a
few things to save money, but what? Some
Americans polled by Daily Finance said they
could curtail eating out and buying fewer
clothes, taking fewer vacations, giving fewer
gifts, buying fewer groceries and cutting back
on entertainment. 12 percent of those polled
said they would not make any cuts and are
spending like there is no tomorrow.
Americans need better jobs that pay more
money. Working at fast food restaurants and
retail has never provided us with comfortable
incomes. We need progressive industry. We
need to continue on our path to being the world’s
energy provider. However, we must lead the
world in clean energy. We can learn how to use
fossil fuels cleaner but we are not there yet. We
should learn how because we have a lot of oil
and coal. However, we must become the world
leaders in using wind and solar energy. We are
on our way and this is not the time to stop. We
must go back to making everything that China
makes from clothes, to furniture, to electronics.
The auto industry exports our cars to other
countries and then brings those earnings back
to America.
We have to go back to work in this country.
We have to sell our products to the 95 percent
of the world’s population who do not live in
America. We have to stop penalizing people
and corporations for being successful. It is time
to cut the corporate tax rate to 15 pecent and
lower taxes for all Americans. Washington does
not need more money, Americans do.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American
columnist and author. He is read in all 50 states.
The views expressed are those of the author and
are not necessarily representative of any other
group, organization or this publication.
Like his facebook page at https://www.
facebook.com/GlennMollette and visit www.
glennmollette.com.
Half Court One-Shot
Car Deal!!
Courtesy of Lithia of
Grants Pass
Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge Ram
Of Grants Pass
1421 NE 6 th Street
Grants Pass, OR 97526
Tara Watson-Crocker
tcrocker@lithia.com
W: 541-476-6684
C: 509-885-2919