Hoof Care

Hoof care is very important! We want to make sure that everyone knows how to properly take care of donkey feet! When taking care of a donkey, it is important to pick their feet at least once every week (more if possible). Listed below is 3 more of the common issues associated with donkey hooves. It is also very important to have your donkey's hooves trimmed every 6-8 weeks to keep their feet in good condition!

Thrush

If you notice when picking a donkey's hoof there is a foul odor or discharge, these are the first signs of thrush- an infection of the frog and surrounding tissues of the hoof. Light or mild cases of thrush can usually be treated by getting rid of dead tissue by scraping, vigorously scrubbing the frog and trimming the hoof wall (which your farrier can do if you don't have the proper training on trimming). To help cure it, you can also use copper sulfate. It is a powerful powder that helps heal lots of diseases and abscesses associated with the hoof. I also recommend Thrush Buster or White Lighting to help heal thrush as well.

Abscesses

If you notice your donkey is limping, has heat in the hoof, swelling or inflammation or a black or white spot in the shape of a circle, these are all signs of an abscess. Most of the time you can just allow the abscess to make it's way to the surface on it's own. Once it has done so, you can take Copper Sulfate Powder and sprinkle it on the infected area and then apply a mud paste or Magic Cushion, Hoof Packing. Tip: when you use the powder, if possible, pour the powder in water, shake it up and apply with a squirt bottle because when the copper sulfate is liquid, it can go into all the cracks of the hoof easier, even those that are hard to reach!

White Line Disease

If you notice that your donkey's hoof wall is separating or there is a powder like substance along the hoof wall, warmth in the hoof, pain, lameness, then your donkey most likely has White Line Disease. To treat the disease, first you have to have a farrier come and trim along the hoof wall. Then, it would be really helpful to keep it dry, since it thrives on moisture. It is also really helpful to use copper sulfate liquid (such as mentioned above) and squirt it wherever the disease is. If you have more questions, head over to Contact and email us!