Don;t laugh :) Old Ethyl looks so hot standing out there, and I thought maybe she would like to come up by the fence while I spray her gently with the garden hose to cool her off. Any of you think she would appreciate that, or would she come through the fence kicking and screaming? I don't think I can resist giving it a try, unless someone on here makes a strong case for letting her be. She belongs to my BF, and he said I could give it a try, but that permission came with a warning that it might not turn out to my liking. Opinions? Thanks. Carole

-- Carole (carle@earthlink.net), July 12, 2001

Answers

i don't know a thing about donkeys so don't go 100% by what i say but a important thing that i've heard in cattle and in goats is DON'T GET IT IN THERE EARS. so if you give it a hose down i would stop in the middle of the neck and use a sponge or wash cloth to wipe the top of the neck and the head. we have a pony (i know not the same) who absolutly hates the water any time we even get out the fly dope mister she takes off running as hard a posibol. maybe just start with a wet rag or mister and see what she thinks of that. or just wait till some one who knows about donkey's answers.

-- lindsey in southern il (l_shamhart@hotmail.com), July 12, 2001.

I've only had one donkey to work with...what a contrary beast. You would think that an animal that stands out in the rain wouldn't think much about being hosed down. Unless they've been trained to it, that's not likely to be the case.

Things that make bathing easier are to turn on the hot water as well as the cold and mix the two so that it is lukewarm -- a cold blast usually isn't appreciated by human or equine alike. I also use a multi-setting hose that allows you to choose 'mist', 'shower', 'flat spray' and 'full action'. I usually start out with 'mist' for animals that haven't had it done before, and I don't just start hosing them down immediately, I hold onto the animal with halter and rope (best not to tie them up if you don't know how they're going to react -- some animals will absolutely flip out and start fighting the halter/rope when they find their head is trapped. They can break a neck that way, or if something does give, still flip over backwards and injure themselves and/or you if they land on you) and spray the hose off to the side, then gradually let some of it work it's way over so that the side of the spray lands on them. With some horses I let it hit their legs first, with others usually over their backs as it is more like rain that way.

If all goes well, things can progress. If not, you may spend the time teaching the animal about bathing etiquette instead. I have a feeling that if you just start hosing through the fence, the donkey is going to leave in a hurry. Bucket-baths with lukewarm water and a sponge (also put on a halter and rope and use them) will probably be better accepted and can help.

When it's really really hot, I hose down my horses (we have automatically calibrated water on the wash stall hose so it's always lukewarm) to get the sweat off and cool them down. You can buy something called Refreshmint made by Absorbine that is very cooling to add to the water, or, alternately, you can pour about a half cup of wintergreen rubbing alcohol (or even plain) into the bucket and use that in sponging down. Do not get this into their eyes and avoid the genital area (altho hosing down the groin area or washing with plain water makes your animal MUCH more comfortable) with it.

As mentioned, do not get water into the ears. I sometimes sponge- clean the insides of my horse's ears to get out dirt and accumulated wax and such, but with a well wrung-out sponge. Most horses do not like water on the face and even less delivered by a hose, still, with training, two of mine allow me to hose their faces off, one actually enjoys it quite a lot and makes a game out of drinking from the spray at the same time. For the others, I just wipe their faces off with a wet sponge and they think I'm mean. (strangely enough, the horse that plays in the hose spray also thinks that flysprays are Horse Eaters and will run unless you tie her up. Tie her up and you can spray with no problem)

Your heart is in the right place -- hope it works out for you!!

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), July 12, 2001.

Our two love to be hosed off, though I will soak their legs and feet, I only sprinkle/mist their bodies. It is so hot and humid here it actaully will make them hotter being soaking wet. Be careful also if they are sweating, especially if you have cold well water like us. vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 12, 2001.

You might want to turn the sprinkler on and let her decide! Let us know!

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), July 12, 2001.

Our Donkey hated his one and only bath so far. He was not shedding his winter coat and I could not stand it any longer. We tried first with Steve just holding the lead rope. Nope. So we snubbed him to a tree and gave him a good scrubbing with shampoo. I know he felt better. He just did not want us to know he liked it! He sure walks like he's handsome now. I don't think they like to be dirty and icky feeling. Spirit the pony loves a bath, and her lip just goes up in the air no matter where you scrub!

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), July 12, 2001.

Thank you all for all the advice. I am going to give it a try over the weekend and I'll let you know how it turns out. If you never hear from me again, you will still know how it turned out LOL. Carole

-- Carole (carle@earthlink.net), July 12, 2001.

My dad had a donkey that he gave a bath to.

-- (blacklabradors@hotmail.com), January 25, 2002.