An Overview of Donkey Neonatology

Simple Summary: Donkey popularity has been steadily increasing around the world, resulting in a higher need for specialized veterinarians with specific knowledge of this species. Although information about donkeys is scarce, even less is known about donkey neonatology compared to horses. Disorders affecting equine foals, such as sepsis, neonatal encephalopathy, failure of transfer of passive immunity, and dysmaturity, also occur in donkey foals. Anatomical, physiological, pharmacological, metabolic, and endocrine differences compared to horses have been documented in donkeys and should be considered in the evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of disorders of donkey neonates.

Abstract: The number of donkey-breeding farms is variable around the world despite the growing popularity of this species as working animals, companion pets, for show events, in asinotherapy for children and adults with physical and mental disorders, and as a source of high-quality nutritional products. Despite this, due to the low foaling rate, long foaling interval, and high neonatal mortality rate, the number of donkey foals every year has been decreasing. This is a major problem for breeds in danger of extinction, where each foal is highly valuable. Although there is extensive information on equine foals, data on donkey foals is scarce. Donkey foals are afflicted by the same disorders as equine foals, with sepsis, failure of transfer of passive immunity, dysmaturity, and umbilical disorders being the most common ones. The diagnosis and therapeutic approaches for these conditions are similar to equine foals, but inter-species differences should be taken into consideration. Therefore, there is an increasing need for studies on healthy and sick donkey neonates, because this information will not only increase our understanding of their physiology but it will also impact the prevention and treatment of conditions affecting these animals, therefore improving survival rates.