Working donkeys in developing countries face chronic welfare problems from inadequate harness fitting and neglected hoof care that cause ongoing pain and reduce working ability simultaneously.
Working donkey harness and hoof welfare represents a case where simple, cheap interventions provide enormous welfare benefit. Collar sores that become chronically infected are painful, debilitating, and could be largely prevented with correctly fitted and padded harnesses. Untrimmed hooves that cause painful gait could be addressed with quarterly farrier visits or trained community hoof trimmers. These interventions cost very little but require the knowledge and access that poverty and remoteness often deny. Organisations like the Brooke and SPANA address exactly this gap through mobile veterinary outreach, community training, and harness workshops that transform welfare for thousands of animals at very low cost per animal.