Euthanasia - Donkey

It can be a hard clinical decision to decide when to advise euthanasia in the chronically pained or aged individual. As already mentioned, owners can often labour over the concept that all donkeys should live until 40-plus years of age. Very often a veterinary surgeon will be faced with an animal whose comfortable life has come to an end and whose owners want to keep their ‘friend’ alive at all costs. Many donkey owners have little experience of other types of large animals and can find it hard to understand the welfare implications against keeping an animal the size of a donkey alive as you can a dog or cat. It can be an extensive and diplomatic task for a clinician to get permission from an owner to allow them to end what may have been years of chronic pain.

‘Somulose’ (Quinalbarbitone Sodium 4000 mg/ml, Cinchocaine Hydrochloride 25 mg/ml) can be routinely used for euthanasia of donkeys. The small amount required when given i.v. over 12-15 seconds (refer to data sheet) allows for a quiet and controlled loss of consciousness. Prior sedation is rarely required in the donkey.

Leaving surviving companion donkeys with the body for some time post-euthanasia avoids the significant distress that can be caused by the sudden disappearance of a friend. The donkey then seems to accept the loss, and the stress and the risk of hyperlipaemia are reduced. The friend should then be returned to its normal environment, monitored closely and, if possible, another friend should be found.

References

• Sprayson, T. (2008) The care of the geriatric donkey In Svendsen, E.D., Duncan, J. and Hadrill, D. (2008) The Professional Handbook of the Donkey, 4th edition, Whittet Books, Chapter 13
• Dabinett, S. (2008) Nursing care In Svendsen, E.D., Duncan, J. and Hadrill, D. (2008) The Professional Handbook of the Donkey, 4th edition, Whittet Books, Chapter 18

GERIATRIC DONKEY NURSING CARE - DONKEY

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