Radiological anatomy of the donkey's foot: objective characterisation of the normal and laminitic donkey foot.
Authors: Collins S N, Dyson S J, Murray R C, Burden F, Trawford A
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary This study addresses a critical gap in donkey foot diagnostics by establishing objective radiological baseline measurements of normal anatomy, recognising that subjective assessment of lateromedial radiographs may miss early pathological changes and that donkey feet differ fundamentally from equine feet, making equine standards unsuitable for comparison. Collins and colleagues collected and analysed standardised radiographs from clinically normal donkeys, deriving quantitative measurements of key anatomical parameters including palmar cortex thickness, dorsal hoof wall angle, and distal phalanx position. Their findings documented distinctive anatomical characteristics in the donkey foot that diverge significantly from equine norms, providing the first objective dataset against which radiological changes associated with laminitis can be reliably assessed. For practitioners managing donkey laminitis, these reference values represent an essential diagnostic tool, enabling early detection of subtle bone remodelling that precedes visible clinical deterioration and improving the accuracy of prognostic assessment. The work underscores why using equine reference ranges for donkey radiographs risks both false negatives (missing disease in apparently normal-looking feet) and false positives (over-interpreting normal donkey anatomy as pathological), with direct implications for treatment decisions and herd management strategies.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Donkey feet cannot be accurately assessed using equine foot anatomy as reference; species-specific normal baseline data is essential for diagnosing laminitis in donkeys
- •Objective radiological measurements should be used alongside subjective assessment to improve detection of early laminitic changes
- •Farriers and veterinarians working with donkeys should recognize that standard equine diagnostic criteria may not apply to this species
Key Findings
- •Lateromedial radiography is the gold standard for identifying anatomical changes in laminitic feet
- •Objective baseline data of normal donkey foot anatomy is lacking in veterinary literature
- •Fundamental anatomical differences exist between donkey and equine feet, making equine models inadequate for donkey assessment
- •Subjective assessment alone may fail to detect modest anatomical changes in laminitic feet