Anatomical Differences of the Donkey, Mule, and Horse

Book excerpt: As the number of donkey and mule patients continually rises, so too increases the necessity for practicing veterinarians to expand their knowledge on these often overlooked animals. Donkeys are not small horses, and as such, there are numerous anatomical findings in both donkeys and mules differing from those of horses, and thus often complicating, or even preventing, conventional treatment methods. The object of the book at hand is to depict these differences through both descriptions and images of dissected and living specimens, often with direct comparisons to the situation found in horses, in order to increase the learning effect. This book is not only relevant for veterinarians, but also of interest to owners and breeders. Information on weight calculation, for example, is helpful in preventing the unfortunately common-place obesity which can later lead to clinical issues such as fatty liver. Overall, knowledgeable owners are more likely to have healthy, well-cared for animals.