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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract / Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders in Donkeys.
The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice2019; 35(3); 399-417; doi: 10.1016/j.cveq.2019.07.001

Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders in Donkeys.

Abstract: The donkey evolved under harsh and arid environmental conditions, developing unique energy-efficiency traits, with an efficiency to rapidly mobilize fat in situations of increased energy demands or when food is scarce. This evolution has led to an inherent predisposition of donkeys to obesity, dyslipidemias, insulin dysregulation/metabolic syndrome, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, and endocrinopathic laminitis. Marked differences have been described in hormone dynamics and testing protocols for the diagnosis of these endocrine and metabolic diseases in donkeys compared with horses, underlining the necessity of a species-specific approach in order to avoid misdiagnosis, unnecessary or inadequate treatments, and additional costs.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2019-10-03 PubMed ID: 31587976DOI: 10.1016/j.cveq.2019.07.001Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research article explores the unique metabolic and endocrine characteristics of donkeys, especially their predisposition to obesity and certain metabolic syndromes. These characteristics and their diagnosis differ significantly from horses, highlighting the need for species-specific medical approaches.

Unique Energy-Efficiency Traits of Donkeys

  • Donkeys, having evolved in harsh and arid conditions, have developed unique energy-efficiency traits. These traits allow them to rapidly mobilize fat when food is scarce or energy demands increase.

Predisposition to Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders

  • Their evolutionary history has made donkeys predisposed to obesity, dyslipidemias (abnormal amount of lipids), insulin dysregulation/metabolic syndrome, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (a common hormone disorder in equines), and endocrinopathic laminitis (a condition causing inflammation in the hoof).

Differences Compared to Horses

  • Notably, the hormone dynamics and testing protocols for diagnosing these disorders in donkeys are significantly different from those used for horses. This highlights the need for species-specific medical approaches. Without such approaches, there is a risk of misdiagnosis, unnecessary or inadequate treatments, and additional costs.

Cite This Article

APA
Mendoza FJ, Toribio RE, Perez-Ecija A. (2019). Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders in Donkeys. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, 35(3), 399-417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2019.07.001

Publication

The Veterinary clinics of North America. Equine practice
ISSN: 1558-4224
NlmUniqueID: 8511904
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 35
Issue: 3
Pages: 399-417
PII: S0749-0739(19)30038-0

Researcher Affiliations

Mendoza, Francisco J
  • Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Cordoba, Campus Rabanales, Road Madrid-Cadiz km 396, Cordoba 14014, Spain. Electronic address: fjmendoza@uco.es.
Toribio, Ramiro E
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Ohio State University, 601 Vernon Tharp Street, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Perez-Ecija, Alejandro
  • Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Cordoba, Campus Rabanales, Road Madrid-Cadiz km 396, Cordoba 14014, Spain.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Endocrine System Diseases / diagnosis
  • Endocrine System Diseases / metabolism
  • Endocrine System Diseases / therapy
  • Endocrine System Diseases / veterinary
  • Equidae
  • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
  • Horse Diseases / metabolism
  • Horse Diseases / therapy
  • Horses
  • Metabolic Diseases / diagnosis
  • Metabolic Diseases / metabolism
  • Metabolic Diseases / therapy
  • Metabolic Diseases / veterinary

Citations

This article has been cited 11 times.
  1. Goodrich EL, Behling-Kelly E. Particle Size Distribution of Plasma Lipoproteins in Donkeys from Death Valley Compared to a Sampling of Horses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Oct 13;12(20).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12202746pubmed: 36290132google scholar: lookup
  2. Kamran K, Akbar A, Naseem M, Samad A, Samiullah, Achakzai JK, Rehman ZU, Sohail Sajid M, Ali A. Participatory appraisal for healthcare and welfare management strategies of donkeys (Equus ascinus) in Balochistan, Pakistan. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:1005079.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1005079pubmed: 36118345google scholar: lookup
  3. Humphreys S, Kass PH, Magdesian KG, Goodrich E, Berryhill E. Seasonal variation of endogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations in healthy non-geriatric donkeys in Northern California. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:981920.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.981920pubmed: 36032308google scholar: lookup
  4. Gehlen H, Schwarz B, Bartmann C, Gernhardt J, Stöckle SD. Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction and Metabolic Syndrome in Donkeys. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 8;10(12).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10122335pubmed: 33302557google scholar: lookup
  5. Goodrich EL, Llanos-Soto SG, Ivanek R, Pinn-Woodcock T, Frye E, Wells A, Purdy SR, Berryhill E, Place NJ. Both Season and Equid Type Affect Endogenous Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Concentrations in Healthy Donkeys, Mules and Hinnies in the United States. Animals (Basel) 2026 Jan 16;16(2).
    doi: 10.3390/ani16020290pubmed: 41594480google scholar: lookup
  6. Zhu Q, Khan MZ, Peng Y, Wang C. A Comparative Review of Donkey Genetic Resources, Production Traits, and Industrial Utilization: Perspectives from China and Globally. Animals (Basel) 2025 Nov 21;15(23).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15233372pubmed: 41375431google scholar: lookup
  7. Duaso J, Perez-Ecija A, Navarro A, Martínez E, De Las Heras A, Mendoza FJ. Evaluation of Blood Biochemical Parameters and Ratios in Piroplasmosis-Infected Horses in an Endemic Region. Vet Sci 2025 Jul 5;12(7).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci12070643pubmed: 40711303google scholar: lookup
  8. Mendoza FJ, Toribio RE. An Overview of Donkey Neonatology. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jul 6;15(13).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15131986pubmed: 40646885google scholar: lookup
  9. Mendoza FJ, Buzon-Cuevas A, Aguilera-Aguilera R, Gonzalez-De Cara CA, De Las Heras A, Perez-Ecija A. Hemodynamic Response to Lipopolysaccharide Infusion and Effect of Meloxicam Administration on Cardiac Function in Donkeys. Animals (Basel) 2024 Dec 18;14(24).
    doi: 10.3390/ani14243660pubmed: 39765564google scholar: lookup
  10. Meng Q, Shao Y, Li W, Lu J, Wang X, Deng L. Evaluation of Serum Lipids, Biochemical Parameters, Selected Antioxidant Elements and Oxidative Stress Profiles in Late Pregnant Jennies with Hyperlipemia. Vet Sci 2024 Dec 18;11(12).
    doi: 10.3390/vetsci11120664pubmed: 39729004google scholar: lookup
  11. Mendoza FJ, Toribio RE, Perez-Ecija A. Metabolic and Endocrine Insights in Donkeys. Animals (Basel) 2024 Feb 10;14(4).
    doi: 10.3390/ani14040590pubmed: 38396558google scholar: lookup
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