Laminitis in United Kingdom Donkeys

Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College and The Donkey Sanctuary in the United Kingdom conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to describe the prevalence of laminitis among donkeys at the Sanctuary and identify factors associated with occurrence of the disease over a 3 ½-year period from 2015 to 2019.

Of 707 donkeys included in the study, 364 animals showed no signs of laminitis and served as controls. Among cases, 343 animals (48.5% of those at risk) had a first episode of laminitis with 143 of these reoccurring during the study period resulting in a total of 512 episodes of laminitis. More than half (65%) of the episodes of laminitis were chronic, defined as cases with radiographic changes consistent with the disease.

Surprisingly, those that developed laminitis were less likely to be receiving…