Help with new additions to our family

[PaintedMeadows]

Yesterday I bought my hubby 2 mini donkeys for Father's day. They are both super sweet and he is in love with them. The first is a Jack named Gucci and just wonderful. His feet are horrendous though! We can work with that. We have a great farrier who brought our other little donkey around really well. The one I have questions about is his Jenny, Petunia. She is very obviously pregnant. The baby is really low and there is a line along the bottom of her ribs. It looks like the baby is just hanging below her and near the back. She looks so uncomfortable. Her backside is really long, loose and slack but not swollen at all. She has had alot of babies so not sure if it is just stretched out or not. Her nipples are very swollen and pointing straight down but her udder isn't very full. Is she due very soon? Next is her poor poor feet. They are just awful and she is lame. She hardly wants to walk at all. She just wants to lay down. I am wondering if she has foundered or if it is just that her feet are so bad and the baby is so heavy that she hurts. The farrier is coming out tomorrow I think and I am trying to get the vet out. Can I give her aspirin for the pain and stiffness until the vet comes even though she is pregnant? What else can I do for her? Any opinions? I can take some pictures of her low slung baby if that would help determine how close she is to foaling. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[Bluerocket]

Call your vet -- Vet and blacksmith can determine whether or not she is foundered.

I would NOT give her aspirin.... Aspirin is not for horses. Need medication from the equine vet... I don't recommend BUTE (because I have minis and minis cannot take BUTE) instead we use a paste form of Banamine. Have to get that from a vet.

I don't have donkeys (so why am I answering this question.. because no one else has responded yet??) -- - but your Jenny sounds like she is within a couple of weeks of foaling.. the relaxed hindquarter muscles.. and even the bag could fill in no time flat (so mares don't fill their bags until they are foaling, or even afterwards).

I imagine she is quite uncomfortable being big in foal and with bad feet.

Good luck.

JJay

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

It definitely sounds like you are going to have a baby VERY SOON! If her nipples are swollen and pointed, and she has a relaxed hindquarter, both are very good indicators of foaling shortly. Her bag could fill fast, and if it dont have your vet give her a Oxy shot..it will help bring her milk down in case she foals and there still is nothing. Have you had her checked for founder? I have a jenny who was rescued, in January, and has had a broken pastern for most of her life..from what the vets can piece together! she was so skinny in Jan. you didnt even know she was bred..2 months later she foaled a healthy foal without a problem. She actually walks on the side of her hoof. Would love to see a picture of her, and whatever you do dont give her Bute..just a little bit of banamine can help if there is pain. Corinne

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Thank you so much guys! The farrier is coming today and the vet put her on cronyxin for 4 days. Today will be day 3 and it seems to be helping. Her feet aren't hot at all and don't seem particularly tender. Her legs are straight even with her horrible feet. Last night when she was laying down it looked like something was pushing out around her vagina. Not right out and exposed but pushing the whole area out. Does that make sense? Also her hips were jumping apart like baby was pushing around. She had more of a bag and was really restless. I thought she was going to foal but nothing yet. I am just going to go out and check her again now. I think she feels better being off all that rich knee high grass and boggy ground. Here is a picture of her (laying down) with the Jack, Gucci and then a picture of my hubby and daughter with Gucci. They are such sweeties!!