Donkeys are among the most numerous and most neglected working animals globally. Distinctive from horses in physiology and behaviour, donkeys require species-specific welfare approaches.
Donkeys are profoundly different from horses physiologically and psychologically, yet are frequently managed using horse-derived practices that are inappropriate and harmful. Donkeys mask pain and illness to a much greater degree than horses, meaning that by the time obvious symptoms appear, conditions are often advanced. Rapid food deprivation in donkeys triggers hyperlipemia within 24-48 hours — a welfare emergency that can develop unseen while owners assume the animal is managing. In working donkey populations in developing countries, overloading, excessive work hours, inadequate water and absent farriery cause enormous preventable suffering. The Donkey Sanctuary, SPANA and other organisations provide field veterinary services that dramatically improve individual donkey welfare.