PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF HOOF DEFORMITIES IN DONKEYS

Assessment of hoof wall deformities in 73 working donkeys in brick kilns have high prevalence of foot abnormalities and represented 92.46%. The hoof deformities reported were included sheared heels (75.3%), Flared foot (72.6%), contracted heel (31.5%), club foot (30.1%) and long toe under run heel (24.6%). The morphological features in donkey's hoof
deformities were evaluated from dorsal, lateral, palmar /planter and solar surfaces for both front and hind limbs. Objective assessment of hoof deformities in donkeys provides multiple complicated structural features for each deformity mainly in hoof shape, the coronary band slope, condition of hoof wall, heel, and symmetry of ground surface and frog structures.
The preliminary assessment provides a database for both veterinarians and farriers for proper management and trimming of the hoof. Future studies will be focused on the changes of hoof capsule, internal structures with different hoof deformities in the present study.