# Donkey Care in the UK — Quick answer

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/donkey-care-uk): Donkey Care in the UK — Quick answer. Donkeys are not small horses — according to The Donkey Sanctuary, they need companionship, constant access to barley straw rather than rich grazing, and shelter from wet weather. Their efficient digestion makes obesity, laminitis and hyperlipaemia real risks, so restrict grass and monitor body condition closely.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/donkey-care-uk): Donkey Care in the UK — Donkeys are not small horses. Donkeys evolved in arid, mountainous regions on sparse, dry forage — and their bodies and behaviour still reflect that. According to The Donkey Sanctuary, the single biggest care mistake new owners make is treating them like horses with long ears. Companionship is non-negotiable. Donkeys form deep, lifelong bonds and become genuinely stressed when kept alone. Keep at least a pair, or a donkey with a bonded companion, and think carefully before separating bonded animals — even for box rest, a stressed donkey that stops eating is at risk of hyperlipaemia (see below).

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/donkey-care-uk): Donkey Care in the UK — Feeding donkeys — the straw-based diet. According to The Donkey Sanctuary's feeding advice: - Barley straw is the staple — high in fibre, low in sugar, and the closest match to a wild diet; constant access lets donkeys eat to appetite without excess calories - Restrict grazing — most UK pasture is far too rich; strip-graze or limit time on grass, especially in spring and autumn flushes - Add a balancer — forage-only diets can lack vitamins and minerals; use a donkey-appropriate balancer or unmolassed mineral block - Never feed grass clippings — they ferment rapidly and can cause colic - Avoid cereal-based mixes, rich haylage, silage, mouldy hay, and anything containing ragwort (highly poisonous to equines) - Treats — small amounts of carrot or apple, cut into sticks to avoid choking - Make all diet changes gradually over 7–14 days For elderly or underweight donkeys, unmolassed soaked sugar beet, high-fibre pellets or 'laminitis-safe' chaff (sugar under 8%) can add condition — ask your vet first.

PETHEALTH+ (https://pethealth.org.uk/health/donkey-care-uk): Donkey Care in the UK — Horses vs donkeys — key differences. | | Horses | Donkeys | |---|--------|---------| | Natural diet | Grazing on grass | Browsing sparse, dry, high-fibre forage | | Core UK ration | Hay/haylage + grazing | Barley straw ad lib + restricted grass | | Coat | Reasonably weatherproof | Poorly weatherproof — needs shelter from rain | | Weight risk | Obesity in good doers | Very easy keepers — obesity, laminitis, hyperlipaemia | | Company | Herd animal | Deep pair bonds — isolation causes real distress | | Pain expression | Often obvious | Stoic — signs of illness are easily missed |

Source: https://pethealth.org.uk/health/donkey-care-uk