Mini donkey hoof problem

[Moody]

 

[Moody]

Sorry same pic posted twice.

Mineral deficiency maybe? Normally they are with my cows and habe a mineral salt block but one mini donkey escapes my property and blunders off down the road so they are separated with just hay/grass and water in their field. Have had them for 4 years and have never seen issues with hooves. Do they need trimmed?

 

[Mini Horses]

YES -- need farrier. Most of the break off is due to overgrowth, IMO. Plus, if not done & balanced, they will deform badly, the heel is already showing some issue & front is lifting up. They are a more upright hoof than a horse. You need to get them balanced or it will cause leg & muscle issues from poor stride. It can be corrected, just do it sooner than later.

You may have a little white line going on if this has been working for a while....farrier can tell you & advise proper treatment.

 

[Bunnylady]

Do they need trimmed?

Yes - at this point, desperately. Pastured horse, donkey, and mule feet hardly ever have just the right conditions to keep them worn down properly, so they need the attention of a farrier on a regular basis (typically, every month or two). Some people learn to trim their own horses' feet, but you can often spot them by the fact that their equines' feet are in wretched shape. It's not because they don't know what they are doing, they just don't seem to get it done often enough.

I'm curious - is it just the one foot? The near fore looks very good for not having been trimmed for 4 years.

 

[Moody]

Yes - at this point, desperately. Pastured horse, donkey, and mule feet hardly ever have just the right conditions to keep them worn down properly, so they need the attention of a farrier on a regular basis (typically, every month or two). Some people learn to trim their own horses' feet, but you can often spot them by the fact that their equines' feet are in wretched shape. It's not because they don't know what they are doing, they just don't seem to get it done often enough.

I'm curious - is it just the one foot? The near fore looks very good for not having been trimmed for 4 years.

Each of the 3 that have issues are on 1-3 feet but not all 4 feet. At least one looks somewhat regular.

I am looking up ferriers in my area and will call tomorrow. Already had one ask if they will stand for them and I have no idea.

I feel bad because I assumed donkeys were hardy and needed nothing as far as routine health checks. I go out and pet them daily, just never really looked at hooves much until the newest baby a week ago and I bet their hooves should look like his hooves. All weight forward (not leaned back) and evenly balanced on the hoof.