Sasha
Sasha
Name: Sasha
Type: Miniature Donkey
Color: Brown & White
Markings: Spotted
Sex: Mare
Birthday: 12/28/1995
Our Sasha is an older lady now, and has been a mainstay of her little herd for over three decades. Sasha is a spotted miniature donkey with beautiful markings and a pronounced cross on her back and shoulders. She and herd mates Poncho, Micky and Scarlett are old friends. A few years back Mr. Moses and Lilli joined their group and all of them live at our Hee Haw Hideaway barn at Red Bell Run. Because Sasha has Cushings, she suffers from bouts of laminitis which is an inflammation of the laminae on the inside of her hooves. Imagine that you smacked your foot with a hammer and it was swelling and painful but it was encased in concrete or a tightly fitting shoe – that is what laminitis is like.
When this happens, she stands patiently in her ice boots, and of course, we give her pain medications. Her diet has to be watched carefully to be sure she doesn’t get access to high sugar feed, hay or treats. This is why it is so important if you have donkeys that you have a large dry lot or track system without grass for them to live on. It’s especially true for donkeys with Cushings and to manage their weight. A typical day for Sasha and her little herd involves breakfast (low sugar hay) with a smidgen of grain balancer and medications, and turnout in their dry lot. Sasha has arthritis now and moves a bit slower these days, but she and Poncho, who is her ever-present companion, lie in the sun, enjoy being groomed by our staff and volunteers and are always ready to enjoy the next meal or low sugar treat!
