Tracheal collapse rates in Kenyan working cart and pack donkeys.

Summary

# Editorial Summary: Tracheal Collapse in Working Donkeys Donkeys employed as draught animals across East Africa frequently operate with poorly engineered harnesses and carts that concentrate load-bearing forces on the mid-cervical region, creating a biomechanical vulnerability given the trachea's superficial anatomical position along the ventral neck. Mellish and colleagues investigated tracheal pathology in working donkeys from Meru County, Kenya, examining the relationship between traditional cart design and structural airway damage through clinical and post-mortem assessment. The research documented significant rates of tracheal collapse attributable to chronic external pressure from improperly distributed cart weight, with findings indicating that the concentration of load on the mid-cervical area directly correlates with progression of degenerative tracheal changes. These results carry important implications for equine professionals working in or advising on East African draught animal welfare, highlighting the need for evidence-based harness redesign and load redistribution strategies to prevent irreversible airway compromise. Farriers, veterinarians, and animal welfare practitioners should consider this evidence when evaluating donkey working conditions and designing or recommending alternative tack solutions that distribute cervical loading more favourably along the body axis.

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Key Findings

• •Donkey cart harness designs in Meru County, Kenya concentrate weight on the mid-cervical region of the neck
• •The ventral neck area is vulnerable to external tracheal pressure due to the superficial anatomical location of the trachea
• •Poorly designed harnesses and carts place working donkeys at risk of tracheal compromise

Conditions Studied

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