It's been so long ...!

My blog has been lying dormant for so long, that I actually forgot how to access my log-in page!

I blame Facebook for my lack of blogging - seems FB has filled in the need for cyber space diarising, both in terms of the amount of Internet time I have (or want to have!) available and also because there are SO many donkey discussions now on FB.  I even considered closing down this blog ... but, wait - NO! there's a whole history here, worth preserving, so on I go ...

So, new year, new commitment and here are a few tidbits for now (but I promise I'll be back!)

• First of all, there are TWO new donkeys on the islands - yay!  One is a small Standard jenny named Clara Marina (I think her second name is new because her owners discovered that she loves to go to the beach to eat seaweed!)  The other newcomer is also a small Standard, a gelding named Amos and he is 40 years old! Truly!  So my jennys are in good company as the population on Denman Island is literally exploding in donkeys!

• Second - I have new panniers for my sawbuck packsaddle - another post coming on this.

• Third - Siog and her puzzling, persistent health concerns, what we've tried, etc. - LOTS to write on this one!

• More about our work in clicker training coming too  ...

and I'll leave you with this:

We had a wonderful visit last week from a lovely, gentle person with Downs Syndrome. He loves animals and the donkeys seemed to cause him to light up with happiness!  They were so awesome with him too - very intuitive about their new visitor. I've invited him to come again and am looking forward to his visits.

Late summer

My broken shoulder is healing slowly, but here I am using two hands at the computer!  It's been a crazy experience ... pain, swelling, immobility, lack of sleep, frustration and .... the many gracious, kind and helpful offers of food and support from island folk.  It takes a community to mend a broken shoulder!

One of the bright spots has been shared clicker training sessions with a friend who is an experienced horse person, but fairly new to clicker training.  Bonus - she is also a physio!  As a keen student of positive reinforcement training, she has been coming over weekly and working with the donkeys and me.

Until last week, I could only participate by instructing and observing but not interacting with the donkeys directly.  Now though, I am able to do a bit more, although have had to tweak my handling skills in order to protect my sore shoulder.

I have learned SO much and have enjoyed having a buddy to work with.  Filming our sessions hasn't been possible but perhaps soon, as I would really like to capture some of our work. Even note-taking has been a challenge for me until recently but today's task is to make a training chart for each donkey.

Each of the four donkeys moves through lessons at a different speed and some are learning behaviours more suited to their individual personality.  For example, Rose LOVES to pick things up, so I have a few games that "feature" that particular behaviour.  More about that in another post.

In the meantime, here are some recent summer photos:

Gathering at the water bucket

The broken-shoulder-summer-blog- blues!

Well, well ... I am truly humbled by the suddenness of change ... one minute: fine, next minute on the ground with a broken shoulder, buggered up arm all swollen and bruised!   Prognosis?  It WILL heal
eventually and this screwed up summer will become a distant memory, yes?

The donkeys, my precious jennys - do they understand?  Who knows?  Other donkey folk say yes they do know - I sure hope so because it's a big change for them too.  I can only talk to them across the fence these days.

Siog was with me when I fell and her wariness suggests that she experienced "something" that made her uneasy.  I am trying reassure her.  I did try some target training through the fence but it's too awkward with one hand (even my dominant one.)  So I must settle into the moment and try to organize my thoughts into something creative and productive.

I had to pull out of the studio tour this summer, just when I felt like I was on a roll with new work, but it's okay. There will be another opportunity.

I am blessed to live in this community - the support is tremendous, loving and caring. Likewise my amazing partner who has picked up the slack everywhere - he is a peach!

In the middle of it all, our beloved 10 year old cat Arlo died last weekend - he was diagnosed with cancer 4 months ago and thus began his steady decline.  We were grateful that his life ended peacefully at home ... at least.

I'll end this post here - with my tribute to a great feline friend.  Gentle summer greetings to you all.

Gray May Day

It's a gray May day, the land is bursting with promise.

Our garden offers an exquisite plan for sustenance ... so lucky.

Whatever good grace has led me here, I will honour the time and place,
the friendship of people and animals, the solitude and the connection. 

The trailer

I've got this super little stock trailer - 35 years old but new to me last year. It's even got brand new light truck tires! 

All four donkeys load easily, (thanks to clicker training!)  



I've got plans to take a donkey here and there on the island - there are walking trails and there are options to visit the school and join the seniors Tuesday walking ventures. My ambitions of donkey-assisted activities might be able to be met without having to trailer off the island!

I took it out for a spin today - empty.  The roads here are buuuummmpy!  I lack trailering experience, although I'm a careful driver.  I have a million worries:

- will the donkey be okay inside or too anxious?
- what about the donkeys left at home, will they be okay?
- what if I get a flat or, or, or ...
- which donkey should I take?
- will I be able to back up or will I get into a hopeless pretzel with hundreds of people watching? 

Silly stuff!  I took Dorica to the Fall Fair last summer and she did fine!  So did the ones left at home! 
I think I just have Spring jitters combined with newbie blues. 

I read somewhere that to gain confidence, one could make the truck and trailer the primary vehicle for a few weeks - that sounds like a good idea!  I will!

Canadian Thanksgiving

This past weekend was Thanksgiving.  Living as we do, on a small farm, in the company of animals, growing fruit and vegetables, surrounded by the sea and a plethora of wildlife, on a flight path of migratory birds in the rare coastal Douglas Fir zone of the Pacific Northwest, I feel we have a LOT to be thankful for!

I am working towards a new exhibition, opening on November 7th.  If I'd had more time, I would have taken many photographs  -  here are but a few ...

some trays of dried pears!

Alice and Arlo

Thinking About Feeding

After nearly 11 years of owning donkeys, you'd think I'd have a way of doing things, wouldn't you?  But  I'm always reading and things have changed over the years in terms of what's considered important regarding animal husbandry.

Take worming for example.  Not long ago, people thought it was important to give your donkey a dewormer every six weeks, and a different type of drug each time.  Deworm everyone in the herd at the same time.

That's all been rethought - now we are advised to do our own fecal floats at home and not to rotate dewormers too often.  We've also learned that some donkeys may carry a burden of intestinal parasites, but other donkeys in the same herd may have developed more of an immunity.

Okay, so back to feed.  At one time, feeding twice a day was considered okay.  Now we realize that equine can develop ulcers and others problems if they are not eating small amounts of forage frequently.
Donkeys need coarse, low protein, low sugar forage but try to tell them that and they (the donkeys) will protest!

"Oh NO ... we need really good, rich feed at all times!" Plug your ears, sing "la la la la ...." and don't listen!  That's HARD to do!

So now I've got myself into this confusing conundrum.  I work from home, I'm here to listen to all of my donkeys and believe me, the complaints department here works overtime!  However I feed hay and straw four times a day and often small handfuls in between, as well as opening and closing various gates for some grazing time.  It's a full time job and I can NEVER leave home!  That's nuts and I'm needing to find more flexibility.

Enter the slow feeder hay bag!  Ah ha - this is a great invention!  However ... not wanting to park my donkeys in front of a big pile of feed that they will eat all at one time, I still dole it out in 1 lb. offerings.  Still too much management.

I'm looking for a different approach.  How to offer four donkeys (remember there is competition)  small amounts of feed throughout the day and night that they can find (equally,)  get enough exercise and be satisfied without long stretches without any feed.

I now have a collection of sixteen mini hay bags!  Truly!  I LOVE them!  So I'm thinking of dividing their daily ration of hay and straw into eight bags in the morning and then putting out another eight bags in the evening ... that means each donkey would have to "find" two bags to get her rations.  I think this will only work in summer though if it works at all.

Siog would win the hay bag Olympics if there was such a thing.  She manages to extract great gobs of hay in mouthfuls, whereas Dorrie eats slowly and thoughtfully.  Rose is easily dislodged from her bag if someone else wants it and Heather is a force to be reckoned with if she sets her mind on someone else's hay bag. 

The way I'm doing it now has sure made a huge difference to every one's weight though, I have to say.  Rose and Heather have lost their cresty fat pads along their necks, I can actually see hip bones on Heather and everyone is looking great!

But a less labour-intensive method to feeding would be super! Then perhaps I could leave home once in awhile.

Reading Siog ...

Siog is a really interesting donkey - complex and sensitive.  She has been rather emotional lately and I'm trying to unravel the clues as to what she is thinking/ experiencing.  For one thing, she is in heat and although I have read about equine having some form of PMS, I've never really experienced mood changes as drastic as Siog's.

When Siog is feeling out of sorts, she gets really grumpy.  She'll walk towards me with her ears pinned, chase the other donkeys and bite them on the rump, flip her head around and nip at her own flank,
perhaps roll more often.  Worrisome to say the least and yet she has been doing this for over two years.  And I have been worrying and scratching my head about her mood swings for that long too.

Today the school kids were here and if Siog hadn't been haltered and tied to the fence when they arrived, I think she would have removed herself from the activity altogether.   I stuck with her, knowing she was out of sorts and not wanting to let the kids near her unescorted.  Siog's not mean spirited but she can be impatient and grumpy.  And bop people with her nose rather unceremoniously. So when we untied and led the donkeys out for a walk, I had a lead rope on one side of her and a child with another lead on her other side.

I did ask Siog to "demonstrate" the things she knows from clicker training and she was fabulous but she sure didn't enjoy the other activities (grooming and leading.)


I keep wondering about her moods and whether it's related to her cycles or not. Hopefully nothing sinister is brewing ...

Leaving Home

Wow, it's hard to leave home!  I need to find a solution to this though because I think I am extremely tied down with the donkeys and hens in particular, the cats being a bit more independent!  While traveling isn't high on my list (I'm a home-body) we would like to take a trip to the UK this year.

I was just whisked away for a birthday weekend.  A good friend offered to house-sit and she has years of horse-experience so I wasn't at all worried.  But it took ages to write down everything I do during the course of a day and with Dorica's recent colic episode, my radar is still on alert.  I'm still hyper-vigilant about water intake, especially.

The morning we left, I got up extra early (groan) and flew around cleaning the barn, filling buckets, picking hooves etc.  We needed to be in the car by 9 AM and everything was going smoothly until .... I glanced at Dorrie who had been munching from her hay bag in her stall, and suddenly, there she was, not eating, just standing by her gate.  I thought my heart would stop!  Whaaaaat's wrong???

I let her come out of the stall and she roamed around a bit (not uncommon for her) and eventually went back to eating, but gosh, that was almost enough to make me cancel the whole trip.  In the end, all was well and my friend had a great weekend with the animals and all the food and treats I left for her!
But I think I aged a bit faster on this birthday, as it was about 8 hours and a phone call home before I quit worrying!

So how to get away for 3 to 4 weeks?  A sweet sister-in-law has offered to house-sit for 2 weeks and she
is 100% responsible and reliable.  Although she doesn't have equine experience, if I can put back-up
people in place, it should work ... no?  As long as Rose doesn't get a Spring abscess and nobody gets out a gate and onto grass and nobody colics and, and, and .... sheesh!  Think I can do it?

Finally some free time

Phew- my busy Fall schedule has almost come to a close.  I just have one 500 word paper to write but I'm anxious to get back to some clicker training with the donkeys!  It feels like ages since we've done anything or had anybody out for a walk.

Rose and Heather had mastered touch-targeting and were really getting good at "head-down" although nothing on cue yet, and then I just STOPPED working with them!  Good thing donkeys have great memories.

I recently joined a site called http://www.horsetricks101.com

Jain lives in Australia with her horses and is a clicker trainer who specializes in trick training.  She is offering an on-line course and I've signed up for the first module.  I think this will be a fun winter project!

Clicker training attitude

Some things I have been thinking about lately ... how does clicker training, aka positive reinforcement training, change one's mindset as a trainer?

In positive reinforcement training, it's so important to focus on how we want our animal to behave, as opposed to behaviours that we want to correct.  While this may seem like a small, hair-splitting point, it's really not!  Clicker training  practice asks us to shift how we think and that's not as easy as one might think!


Here's why:  In order to develop a plan for how to teach behaviours and then fine-tune them (put them under stimulus control) we need to picture our animal(s) in a positive framework.  So when we go into the paddock, we don't think "oh no here comes that pushy rude animal" because that already sets up a negative thought process.  And what we understand as humans is punishment.  That's how we've all be taught - "clean up your room or else" kind of stuff - with consequences!

The Parelli natural horsemanship training uses consequences - there's always the threat of Phase Four even if it's never used.  Animals understand that.  So if the horse doesn't "get" what the trainer is asking, the trainer applies more pressure.  In clicker training, if the horse doesn't get what the trainer is asking, the trainer backs up and breaks the lesson down into smaller steps until the animal understands.
 
Clicker training starts with this change of attitude:  "I want a donkey who will ..." fill in the rest - say it's "stand quietly."  Okay then, how to teach that?  That's the basis of a training plan!

1. Write down your dreams for your animal.  "I picture a donkey who will stand politely, walk willingly, back up when I ask her, be calm around strange new things," for example.
2. Create a training plan for each of the above goals and start at the beginning: foundation lessons! 
3. Set the environment for success, meaning remove the other animals and any distractions.
4. Have everything you need at the ready: clicker, treat pouch and training aids.
5. Train in short sessions using small steps, I mean really small steps, towards your goal, using a high rate of reinforcement. 

I think one of the biggest mistakes that many people make when they begin clicker training is to try use it to problem solve.  My donkey "wont" do this or that, so clicker training will fix the problem.  It ain't necessarily so.

Bring a positive attitude and apply it to the tiniest behaviour, a lean in the right direction, standing for just a second or two, a weight shift.  Train in small sessions, but train often and remember as Alexandra Kurland says "the animal doesn't know when it doesn't count, so it always has to count."  In other words whenever you are with your animal you are training!

Don't shout, don't whack, don't back away, in fact don't even speak!  If you stay quiet and focused, then when you add in a verbal cue (once the behaviour is 80% fluent)  it will be clearly understood.  Of course I do speak and give praise to my donkeys - I want them to feel encouraged.  But most of our short sessions are done in silence until the end when I tell them how absolutely brilliant they are!

Remember: just because we are clicking, there's a science behind this type of training. 

Rose & Heather - Day 1

Rose and Heather arrived late in the afternoon yesterday and were tired and bewildered from their long trip and 2 ferry rides.  So I put them in a small separate paddock from Dorica and Siog where they could get their bearings, and rest with lots of hay and straw and fresh water.

I was awake before dawn and outside just as a dim sunrise glow appeared on the horizon.  Everyone seemed glad to see me and I happily noted fresh manure and near empty water buckets ... all good!

After they had their breakfast this morning, it was time to open the gates and let them get to know one another.  "Wary" seems to be the word of the day!

Dorrie and Rose

Siog and Heather

Dorrie and Heather

Rose and Heather

Looking for a new donkey or mule

I have decided that my little barn is too empty without Deenah!  And, as two donkeys do not make a herd, I will look for another animal, actually I have started looking!  My absolute first choice would be a lovely Standard jenny between 6 and 10 years old that I could ride.

But it is so hard to find such an animal on the west coast!  I'd be interested in a small riding mule - also hard to find. I have to be very careful to make the right choice as I feel this may be my last opportunity to bring in new livestock (gettin' older!)

There are some lovely minis out there and a gorgeous sorrel mini mule!  Some absolutely drop-dead gorgeous large mules and Mammoth donkeys but that will have to wait for my next lifetime when I'll be back as Annie Oakley riding the range, living on 200 acres with a fabulous singing voice!

My barn is small, cute - configured into 3 stalls at the moment but could be 4 at 7 x 7, opening onto a small breezeway area.  Even though I only shut stall doors occasionally to separate animals to feed, I have to remember how rainy and windy it can get here for months and picture the animals confined to the shelter of the barn.

Realistically, one more donkey/mule would fit easily but then three can be an awkward number .... hmmm.

After Labour Day weekend I will take a road trip and see who is out there looking for a good home.  In the meantime, I am searching the internet and enjoying my time with Dorica and Siog!

Walking with 2 donkeys

I love walking with a donkey and I usually head out with one on a lead and leave two back at home.  When Deenah was here, she had terrible separation anxiety if I took Dorica out, not so much Siog, and I tried so hard to ease her mind.

I worked in baby steps, taking Dorrie out for just 5 minutes, bringing her back, or staying where Dee could see us through a fence, then rewarding her if she stayed calm.  Nothing worked though and poor Deenah would scrape her chest by hoisting herself up against the fence rails and all kinds of other misdemeanors that could, and sometimes did, result in injury.

So, not wanting to stress Deenah, Dorica mostly stayed home or went for short jaunts.  She really needs the exercise though and I was always sorry to leave her behind. 

So now I have two donkeys and managing them both on the road is not so easy.  You'd think with clicker training, it would be a piece of cake to train them to walk with me, not pull, not eat, etc. etc.  Within the paddock fences, they are absolutely wonderful and I know that behaviour can break down when you change the context.  Out on the road, it's just too exciting!

But last night I tried again and it was ... okay!  With one donk on either side of me, I held both lead ropes with the excess bundled at my stomach.  They had some slack but not too much.  For the most part it worked okay - we didn't go far.  Dorrie kept pulling to the right and I had to keep asking her to soften her neck.

Clicker training can be challenging when working two animals together, but keeping Ken Ramirez's words in mind, that "every animal is doing something,"  I always reward both donkeys if they hear a "click!"
If I need to reposition both of them, I'll ask them to back up or drop their heads or touch my hands.
That way they associate the behaviour with the click.

It's very hot here now so daytime walking is not pleasant but we'll go out a bit every day if possible.
But even though I'm keen to practice with the two donkeys, I'm fairly certain I'll take in another or perhaps two (sigh.)

That being said, I must get to my studio - showtime is approaching fast!

Getting along without Deenah

It's Saturday now, a mere 5 days since we've been without Deenah and the place still feels so quiet.  The minis are okay but still not themselves I'd say - you can just tell!

Several times a day, I go out to do short clicker training sessions and since that's something we've been doing together for awhile now, it's familiar and fun for them.  I know I need to work them one at a time more than I do but right now, I don't want to separate them.  I may tie one nearby for ten minutes at a time though.

Since walking is our favorite thing to do, I feel I will eventually look for another donkey.  I'm a "softie" and I won't leave a donkey at home alone.  Taking two at the same time is really challenging, especially since there is a lot of traffic during summer.  At home within the paddocks, they are terrific at each walking beside me, but out on the road it's a different story!

Our Deenah has left a huge hole and the barn feels so empty, even with the minis (sorry minis!) Dorica has brayed a few times now - a good sign, I always think, but mostly they are quiet.  It's been very hot during the days but in the evening, we've manage to have a bit of a romp.  A good thing since both minis are too heavy.

I finished the testing for the proposed on-line course I mentioned several posts ago.  Operant Conditioning Behaviour Analysis through the Agricultural College of Nova Scotia. Soon I will post a discussion of what I learned during the session.

In the meantime, back to my studio, as I have an exhibition of new work opening soon!

In loving memory ...

Deenah, my sweet old friend, was euthanized 4 days ago.  I am so unspeakably sad and find it hard to write about.  She was bone-thin and continuing to lose weight in spite of my dedicated efforts to feeding her.  We did blood work but of course couldn't rule out a tumour, which the vet was pretty sure was robbing her of nutrition.

I couldn't somehow see what seemed so obvious to everyone else who saw Deenah.  Full of the hope that I could "beef" her up over summer, she was allowed generous grass and separated several times during every day from the minis, so she could enjoy bowls of soaked hay cubes, beet pulp and soy bean hulls.  She got added supplements and piles of hay that I sorted through to make sure there weren't too many coarse strands that might make her choke.

I was deliberating over a new winter blanket or a cozy liner for her old one.  But then last weekend, Deenah stopped eating everything except for grass.  And that she ate with a desperation that was painful to watch.  I tried all the familiar remedies - adding grated carrots to her mash, soaking the hay cubes in peppermint tea, apples, banana, sprinkles of dried molasses.  I cut up her hay with scissors, I eliminated the strong-smelling supplements.

Looking at her thin frame was painful - her hair began to fall out down to bald, pink skin and she was getting sores from laying down and getting up again - her hips and flank were skeletal and her back bone sticking up.  With her inability to eat, I knew the end was near and that her body was under stress. She could now get some pretty nasty complications, such as hyperlipaemea.

The stress of her illness was hard on the minis too. They knew something was wrong.  So in consultation with the vet, we made the horrible decision to end Dee's life while she still had an ounce of dignity and before some horrible catastrophy occured, possibly in the middle of the night.

Living on a small island, all of us who own livestock worry about being separated from vet services.
I tried so hard to think about Deenah's euthanasia as a final gift to her - I know she was suffering - but I also felt that last Tuesday was "not her day," and that weighs heavily.  However, without a crystal ball, no
one knows what could have happened - all we knew was that Dee was not going to get better.  And donkeys are so stoic that their suffering is not always apparent.  By the time you can tell, it's usually much worse than you thought.

So ... a sunny day, a compassionate death and now many, many tears.  The minis spent three hours grazing near Deenah's body.  Dorica kept going over to sniff her nostrils, to see if any breath remained.
Then she'd come and sniff mine and we stood together, me crouched beside Dorrie, gently blowing on her nose and both of us wallowing in sadness.  Siog was curious but seems more bewildered than sad.

Now, several days later, the barn feels so empty without my comic big strawberry roan girl to greet me.  Dorica brayed for the first time yesterday but is mostly very quiet.  I am keeping them busy with short clicker training sessions and have made two attempts to take them out for a walk together, but that's proving too challenging.  Siog wants to run, Dorrie wants to shamble and both want to nudge me over to either side of the road for a nibble of grass. We are a bit stuck, as walking is what we love to do and I won't leave a donkey home alone while out with another.

I'm sure another donkey will join us eventually but the hole left by my friend Deenah will be very hard to fill.  The presence of absence ...

Hardly time to blog!

Well, the days just seem to fly by right now!  I am a beta tester for a course on Operant Conditioning Behaviour Analysis and it's fun and interesting.  It also requires that I submit a number of videos so the good news is that my camera, tripod and I are becoming better acquainted!

I have an art exhibition at the end of July and am engrossed in a whole new body of work too, so many hours in my studio these days.

The garden is mostly planted, still a few late things to sow for fall and winter crops, lots of weeding - it's been very cool and showery though and I am worried about the heat-loving crops such a tomatoes, peppers, celery etc. They are looking quite miserable at the moment.

And then there's the donks of course!  I am on a mission to see if I can put more weight on Deenah.  She is terribly thin and I'm uncertain as to why.  The vet is coming on Sunday to do a blood test and see if anything is revealed (which she doubts.)  Perhaps Dee is just a thin old donk, but as I'll never know her age, she will always be 22 (ha ha!) to me.  Maybe she's more like 32, although I don't think so.

I take Deenah out to eat grass twice a day - once for a proper walk down (or up) the road and once just into a fallow paddock.  Then she gets 4 bowls per day of  hay cubes, some beet pulp and some soy bean hulls, all soaked of course with various supplements added.  She gets her hay plus an "extra" feeding or two of hay, separated from the minis.  But she doesn't appear to have gained an ounce.  Unlike the minis, who just have to see grass to inflate!  So it's a challenge to meet individual needs.

I am doing something or other clicker-training-wise every day, mostly with the minis and try to get them out for walks at least once a week if not more.

So I'm really just logging in to keep the blog alive and active.  I should post some pictures soon!

Travels and home again

Well, the long planned trip is over.  My partner and I actually left home for 8 whole days - first time in about 10 years!  We had a fabulous farm-sitter - our dear friend Jenny, who once worked as a large animal vet and "horse person" and she did a great job.

But, there's always something - right?  I left pages of notes and although I really tried to simplify donkey care, Deenah needed her extra food in the form of bowls of soaked Timothy- Alfalfa hay cubes with a plethora of supplements.

Jenny was on top of it ALL - but this is what happened.  When we got home, both minis had decided two things:
1. they are not going to eat out of slow feeder hay bags ever again, thank-you-very-much, because Deenah is now getting piles of loose hay and they should too

and

2. in fact, they really no longer care for the hay ... not the current fare of sweet coarse mixed 2011 hay, not the local mixed grass, low NSC hay, well, maybe just a bit of the local 2010 HIGH sugar hay, but "what else ya got?"

It was disturbing!  My normally "starving" minis are now wandering around turning up their noses at just about everything.  Whaaaat?

So, as a good friend once instructed "observe, observe, observe!" to find out what the heck is going on.

Here's what I did:

First I buckled on my treat pouch and invited them to do a familiar clicker training routine: walk on either side of me, stop, back, forward, trot, etc, all the while clicking and treating.  Would they do it?  Yes!  Would they eat the timothy pellets I use as treats? Yes! 

I picked a few small branches of oregon grape and huckleberry - their favorites!  Would they eat them?  Well yesss, but not much enthusiasm.  Hmmm ... worrisome!

Then I took 1 mini at a time out on the road.  Would she step out nicely?  With energy and interest? Yes!
Was she interested in grazing? Yes but in Dorrie's case, just a bit and without a lot of enthusiasm ... hmmm ... worrisome!

Okay, so I notice that they both look like oil drums on legs - how could they have gained so much weight in just 8 days, anyway?  Check the hay and the straw!  Aha - mystery solved!  Before I left, they had been munching on a barley straw that was fairly long-stemmed and coarse.  They didn't like it much and most of it became bedding.  But I had brought down a new bale for Jenny and it turned out to be finely chopped and they LOVED it!

As my instructions were to keep their straw bags topped up, Jenny did just that and they ate an entire BALE of barley straw PLUS their hay (which was generous)  plus any new blades of spring grass (which is hardly any, but you know donkeys!)  YIKES!  They were too stuffed to eat much at all by the time I arrived home!

I did lose 1 night of sleep to worrying, but now I think they will be fine.  I must increase their physical activity though and have pulled back (carefully) on the amount of feed they are getting.  Today, two days later, I am happy to report that they are seeming "normal" again, although still rejecting the hay bags in favour of loose hay.
 

Update on Deenah

My Deenah - I really thought I was going to lose her last week!  She is so thin and seemed to be feeling awful.  How could I tell?  Her stance, for one thing - neck stretched out, head hanging low.

Her separation from the others - I would often find her in the barn by herself when the minis were out in the paddock.

Her disinterest in hay - although she was/ is still eating, she would wander away from her hay which is so unlike her.

Her quietness - donkeys are quiet when they are not feeling well.  Have you ever noticed how much energy it takes to bray?  Deenah always greets me. When she is mute, I know something is wrong.

Her eyes - there just didn't seem to be a sparkle in her eyes and she's always been such a comic, with a "camel-like" tilt to her head and mouth.

Her sensitivity - Dee has always loved to be brushed - now she seemed to feel uncomfortable with even a light touch.

And finally, her place in the herd.  This past week, Dee has been unable to "defend" her hay from the minis and could easily be bullied by them and she has been the matriarch.  They seemed to treat her more harshly too - picking on the weak?

So ... what to do - I felt this was really an emergency.  Reading the signs, I felt that Deenah might be winding down and I want to offer her the very best - minimize any suffering and correctly read her condition without putting her through a lot of tests or stress for an old donkey.  But what a lot of guessing and hoping!

With the help of our vet, Dr. Yaela Gleusteen and with the kindness, generosity and experience of Dr. Faith Burden, head of equine nutrition at the Donkey Sanctuary of the UK, I am absolutely thrilled to report that I think we have pulled Deenah back from the brink this time!

It's been a matter of feeding her enough fat and protein to offer her the chance to rebound, but one has to be careful. New feed has to be introduced slowly, increases done carefully, always watching, monitoring.

We decided to add more "mash" to Dee's diet - Timothy hay cubes and Timothy- Alfalfa hay cubes, soaked, several times a day.  More palatable than hay, easier to eat.  I am offering softer hay for her too and NO hay bags - she should not have to work for her feed now.

She is also getting (and eating with gusto) 1 tablespoon of cold-pressed flax oil (for some added fat and Omega 3 & 6) and 1 tablespoon of de-bittered Brewer's yeast (for the B vitamins.)  My routine now is to offer her 1 Cup of hay cubes (measured before soaking) with every meal.  I separate her from the minis twice a day to make sure she has an uninterrupted time to eat.

I have also been taking her out to eat some grass but this may or may not be a good idea (Dee thinks it's grand!) as the overnight temperatures are still very cold which means the grass contains a lot of sugars - not good for equine.  But I figure that carefully controlled, this gives Dee a feeling of being special as she looks forward to the outing.

So far, so good - I really think Deenah has made a significant improvement, although I can't reverse her age, she has shown me that she is keen to go on for now!

My old donkey

Deenah is old - I just have to face it!  I've had her since 2006 - found her in a muddy field and she 's been a wonderful, sweet soul - an auntie to Dorica and a friend to me.  I love Deenah with all my heart.  This winter has been hard on her and I've had to take a hard look at the possibility that she won't be around forever.  It's not her time yet - that I know. But she is aging and I'm seeing things change. 

The minis are not very nice to her - even Dorica, her buddy will sometimes, and with increasing frequency, turn on Dee and try to bite her in the butt.  Siog does this all the time!  While the minis will play together, Dee remains aloof and alone.  My heart goes out to her!

Dee seeks any ray of sunshine to warm her bones.  She has really felt the cold this winter.  I have a blanket for her and have, on occasion, warmed a bath towel in the dryer and put it on her also.  She needs frequent meals and has lost weight during winter. 

Sometimes I notice her standing with her neck kind of stretched out and low, as if she hasn't the strength to hold her head up.  But so far, she has always rallied.  She nickers whenever I appear (usually) and I take this as a good sign.  Donkeys are very quiet if they are not feeling well.  Her appetite is great, manure consistent
and once in awhile, she'll trot instead of her usual shamble.

I remain watchful and vigilant to her needs.  I have tried some homeopathic remedies and some herbs (after all she's a herbivore) I tend to her skin ailments which seems to plague her in wintertime.  Tomorrow the vet will come for a check-up.

My sweet Dee ....