Donkeys have a long history in the development of human societies. Typically referred to as a beast of burden, traditional uses for donkeys have included the transportation of goods and people, use in agricultural and forestry activities, to access water, and provide citizens in low- and middle-income countries a means of making an income for communities. However, the rise of mechanization, the development of modern farming techniques, and the increasing availability of motorized vehicles have led to donkeys and mules becoming redundant from traditional roles in many parts of the world. We provide examples of where donkeys have successfully transitioned from traditional roles to new, non-traditional roles in Europe and North America, and demonstrate that, although the roles and use of donkeys and mules are changing in a rapidly developing world, we can learn lessons from the past and apply them to current challenges. As the need for working equids declines in transport and agriculture, they still hold great value for recreational, therapeutic, and environmentally friendly methods of animal traction.

Literature lacks sufficient information regarding anatomical features and surgical approach of the superior check ligament (SCL) and inferior check ligament (ICL) in donkeys. We hypothesized that desmotomy techniques of horses may not be applicable in donkeys due to species differences. This study aimed to explore the anatomical and morphometric features and surgical approaches of desmotomy of SCL and ICL in donkeys (Equus asinus). The Anatomical and morphometric aspects of SCLs and ICLs were conducted on the donkey cadavers (Group A, n. = 4). The desmotomy study was conducted on twelve clinically healthy adult donkeys, which were allocated randomly into four groups (each of 3 donkeys); groups (B) and (C) for surgical exploration of SCLs and ICLs, respectively, and groups (D) and (E) for conducting modified desmotomy techniques of SCLs and ICLs, respectively. The study reported the anatomical and morphometric features of SCL and ICL in donkeys, and reliable landmarks for the surgical approach and desmotomy of SCL and ICL in donkeys, which were somewhat different from that of horses. Moreover, the study developed modifications in the desmotomy techniques of SCL and ICL, which could enhance outcomes and reduce adverse effects of these techniques in donkeys.

Among the diseases that affect equines, viral diseases play an important role from a health and economic point of view, especially influenza, viral arteritis, herpes infections and vesicular stomatitis. In the Brazilian literature, there is little or no account of the occurrence of infectious diseases in donkeys. Given the importance of donkeys in different activities and the lack of information on infections that may occur in these animals, the aim of this study was to determine the frequency of anti-equine herpesvirus (EHV), anti-equine arteritis virus (EAV), anti-vesicular stomatitis, and anti-equine influenza (H3N8) antibodies in the serum of 85 donkeys bred in some regions of the state of Sao Paulo. We found the following antibody frequencies: 50.6% (43/85) antibodies against influenza virus subtype H3N8, 47% (40/85) anti-EHV, and 20% (17/85) anti-EAV. The donkeys were not seropositive for vesicular stomatitis. The results suggested that the agents EHV, EAV, and equine influenza subtype H3N8 circulate among donkeys in some regions of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, reinforcing the importance of establishing a routine diagnosis and epidemiological study of this species.

An experimental study was conducted on 14 donkeys. The animals were classified into two main groups. The first group included 5 donkeys that are used for induction of duodenal, obstruction for determination of the different clinical and biochemical changes and for determination of the mean survival time after obstruction. The second group contained 9 donkeys that were used for the determination of proper time for surgical intervention. Results revealed that mean survival time after obstruction was 20-35 h and the critical time for surgery was 14-35 h.

The contribution of equines in sustaining the livelihoods of many people, particularly in developing countries is evident. However, their socioeconomic importance is often overlooked and consequently they are given poor husbandry practices which substantially threaten their welfare. The occurrence of wounds is among other health threads which stem from such poor practices. A cross-sectional study was undertaken on 420 randomly selected equine from September to December 2022 with the objective to determine the prevalence of equine wounds and identifying influencing factors associated with the prevalence. Binary logistic regression was used for determining the prevalence of wounds in different parameters. Odds ratios (OR) were used to determine the degree of association between the different risk factors and the wound. The overall prevalence of equine wound was 39.0% from which 53.5% and 23.9% of wound prevalence were detected in horses and donkeys, respectively. The prevalence of wound differed significantly between different sex groups where males (50.7%) were highly affected than females (26.6%). The agro-ecological zone was found to have a significant influence on the occurrence of wounds where equines in the mountains and the foothills (46.6%) and (44.9%) respectively had higher record than those in the lowlands (26.9%). The distribution of wounds differed significantly between different body regions and more records were obtained at the back (50.0%) and the least on the legs (11.6%). The observed wound categories differed significantly, and more records were on abrasion (40.9%) and the least on incision (9.1%). It is concluded that wounds represent serious welfare problem in equines in the study area.

Tremendous work has been conducted in equine medicine research, with special reference to donkeys. Our study surveyed applied studies on donkeys by 2023 in a quantitative manner. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science database. The points investigated addressed the general criteria of global donkey research. Statistical data were set for each studied item using VOSviewer software, with a focus on the top ten results for each item. A total of 2947 documents were extracted. results revealed that author Burden F.A. had the highest number of published papers (68, 2.30%), publications in 2020 (8.92%) were at the front. The Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) had the highest number of papers (177, 6.01%), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nsfc) (91, 3.08%) was the top funding agency, USA was the top nation in publications (13.87 %), and the majority of publications were in English (2757, 93.55 %). The highest publications in WOS categories, were collected from Veterinary Sciences (1695, 57.51%). Research articles were the most abundant form (85.61 %). Dairy and Animal Sciences was at the top of citation topics (351, 11.91%).   Elsevier had the highest publications (23.58%), Journal of Equine Veterinary Science was placed in the top journals (163, 5.53%). The data from the current study can be used to assess the situation of applied research on donkeys, helping to set possible future maps.