EQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION Equine vet. Educ. (2022) 34 (11) 615-615 doi: 10.1111/eve.13556
Correspondence Letter to the Editor: A review of laminitis in the donkey
Dear Editor, I would like to highlight the important contribution to
equine science that the review article ‘A review of laminitis in the donkey’ has made (Thiemann et al., 2022). Laminitis has been extensively studied in horses, and great progress has been achieved, which allowed an excellent evidence-based book on the subject to be written (Belknap & Geor, 2017). The authors of this review article are recognised experts in the area of donkey podiatry, with numerous contributions in the form of scientific articles. As well highlighted by the article, knowledge of the
anatomy and functional implications is important for the diagnosis and management of laminitis cases, especially in relation to the type and form of hoof support that will be used. The extrapolation of knowledge from horses to donkeys and their hybrids is an efficient way to maximise information; however, the unique particularities of these species must always be considered (Burden & Thiemann, 2015; Hifny & Misk, 1983; Souza et al., 2016). To fill this gap, an excellent book dedicated to describing the anatomical differences in equines is now available (Wissdorf et al., 2021). In this regard, I would like to add to the section of this article that describes the anatomy of donkeys’ hooves, with some data from published articles that were not listed. Souza et al. (2016), when evaluating the hoof balance of
donkeys and comparing them with horses and mules of similar size, identified some interesting characteristics. It was observed that the donkeys have hooves proportionally greater than horses, measured by body mass: hoof area ratio
(Turner, 1992), with mean values of 4.71 0:47 kg/cm2, 3.75 0:41 kg/cm2 and 3:35 0.46 kg/cm2 for horses, mules and donkeys respectively. The calculation for this parameter
was recently revised, and an adjusted formula was presented (Souza & Souza Junior, 2021). It was also noted that donkey hooves are more upright (larger toe and heel angles), which generates less tension in the deep digital flexor tendon. Additionality, the frog width was similar to horses, which therefore have a proportionally larger frog and consequently greater support on the solear surface in the donkey hooves. Similar descriptions have been published by Hifny and Misk (1983) and by Mostafa et al. (2020). These characteristics contribute to a lower incidence of traumatic or supportive laminitis, in addition to other foot conditions. Souza et al. (2019), when measuring the contents of some mineral elements in the wall, sole and frog in horses, mules
and donkeys, identified higher levels of zinc, sodium, calcium and copper in the hooves of donkeys. These authors suggested that these differences help to explain the better mechanical properties of donkey hooves. This article further investigated the differences in mineral content between light and dark hooves and found that they were similar not only in donkeys but also in horses and mules. This reinforces the evidence that the pigmentation does not reflect on the quality of the hooves.
A. F. DE SOUZA
Departamento de Cirurgia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterin
aria e Zootecnia, Universidade de S~ S~
References
Belknap, J.K. and Geor, R. (2017) Equine Laminitis. Wiley, Iowa. https://
doi.org/10.1002/9781119169239
Burden, F. and Thiemann, A. (2015) Donkeys are different. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 35, 376-382.
Hifny, A. and Misk, N.A. (1983) Anatomy of the hoof in donkeys. Assiut Vet. Med. J. 10, 1-7.
Mostafa, M.B., Abdelgalil, A.I., Farhat, S.F., Raw, Z. and Kubasiewicz, L.M. (2020) Morphometric measurements of the feet of working donkeys equus asinus in Egypt. J. Equine Sci. 31, 17-22.
Souza, A.F., Kunz, J.R., Laus, R., Moreira, M.A., Muller, T.R. and Fonteque, J.H. (2016) Biometrics of hoof balance in equids. Arq. Bras. Vet. Med. e Zootec. 68, 825-831.
Souza, A.F., Schade, J., Laus, R., Moreira, M.A., Muller, T.R. and Fonteque, J.H. (2019) Differences in mineral concentrations on hooves of horses, mules and donkeys. Rev. Bras. Ci^ 97.
enc. Vet. 26, 93-
Souza, A.F. and Souza Junior, A.A. (2021) Relationship Between Body Mass and the Hoof Area: Understanding the Turner’s Formula. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 103, 103682.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021. 103682
Thiemann, A.K., Buil, J., Rickards, K. and Sullivan, R.J. (2022) A review of laminitis in the donkey, Equine Veterinary Education 34, 554–560.
https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.13533.
Turner, T.A. (1992) The use of hoof measurements for the objective assessment of the hoof balance. Proceedings of the American Association of Equine Practice 38, 389-395.
Wissdorf, H., Jerbi, H. and Meier-Schellersheim, M. (2021) Anatomical Differences of the Donkey, Mule and Horse An Analysis Relevant to Veterinary Medicine. Utzverlag, Munich.
ao Paulo, ao Paulo, Brasil
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© 2021 EVJ Ltd.
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