Identification of causes and associated risk factors for lameness in working donkeys in and around Bishoftu

Dejene, Tadesse; Asefa, Zerehun; Alemu, Abayneh; Endebu, Bojia; Kassaye, Asmamaw; Fanta, Alemayehu; Chaburte, Chala

doi:10.31248/jasvm2018.089

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Seventeen percent of studies (11/64) investigated lameness-related outcomes in working equids but were included in qualitative synthesis [ 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 ] ( Spreadsheet S4 ). These studies were not eligible for data extraction, as the sampled population had other concurrent abnormalities (3/11; 27.3%), investigated populations of exclusively lame animals (2/11; 18.2%), the outcome was unclear or not strictly lameness-related (2/11; 18.2%), or did not provide quantitative data for the extraction or calculation of the outcomes of interest (4/11; 36.4%).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Working Equid Lameness in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Merridale‐Punter

Wiethoelter

El-Hage

et al. 2022

Animals

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Lameness is an important concern in working equids of low- and middle-income communities (LMICs) with significant One Welfare implications. This study aims to determine the prevalence and influencing factors of lameness in working equids of LMICs. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to investigate pooled outcome prevalence using a random intercept regression model. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were performed through meta-regression. A meta-analysis of study factors for lameness prevalence was performed. Sixty-four studies were included in the review. The pooled prevalence of lameness was 29.9% (n = 42, 95% CI 17–47%), while the pooled prevalence of gait abnormality was 62.9% (n = 12; 95% CI 31–87%). When considering both outcomes together, the pooled prevalence was 38.4% (n = 46; 95% CI 23–57%) with a significant (p = 0.02) difference between lameness (29.5%; 95% CI 16–48%) and gait abnormality (78.8%; 95% CI 40–95%). Species, country income level, gait assessed, and risk of bias did not significantly affect the pooled prevalence. Lower body condition scores, unresponsive attitudes, and old age were the most frequently reported factors positively associated with lameness-related outcomes. Working 7 days per week was positively associated with lameness. The standardization of outcome terminology, grading systems, and study factor categorization is recommended to enable more accurate interpretation and comparison between studies.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Working Equid Lameness in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Merridale‐Punter

Wiethoelter

El-Hage

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…There is an assumption that owners report less lameness as compared to veterinarians and this assumption is based on surveys of horses, which have repeatedly demonstrated that owners report a lower prevalence of lameness and gait asymmetry than experts (52,53). However, donkey owners have suggested work overload as a potential cause for lameness in Ethiopia (54) and Pakistan (6), and mule owners also recognize this issue (29). Lameness is one of the main welfare issues reported in working equids globally (6,7,10,26,29) and this is an area for important future targeted owner education.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare Concerns for Mounted Load Carrying by Working Donkeys in Pakistan

Bukhari

Rosanowski²,

McElligott

et al. 2022

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Working donkeys (Equus asinus) are vital to people's livelihoods. They are essential for carrying goods, however, globally, overloading is one of the primary welfare concerns for working donkeys. We studied mounted load carrying by donkeys and associated factors in Pakistan. A cross-sectional study of donkey owners (n = 332) was conducted, and interviews were undertaken based on a questionnaire. Owners estimated that the median weight of their donkeys was 110 kg [interquartile range (IQR) 100–120 kg], and that they carried a median mounted load of 81.5 kg (IQR 63–99 kg). We found that 87.4% of donkeys carried a load above 50% of their bodyweight ratio (BWR), the median BWR carried was 77.1% (IQR 54.5–90.7%), and 25.3% of donkeys carried above 90% BWR. Donkeys that were loaded at more than 50% BWR were more likely to adopt sternal recumbency compared to donkeys loaded with less weight (P = 0.01). Donkeys carrying construction material were more likely to carry more than the median BWR, when compared to domestic loads (P < 0.001). Younger donkeys aged between one and 5 years carried more than the median BWR compared to those aged over 15 years (P = 0.03). For the models with donkeys carrying median BWR and above 90% BWR, those working in peri-urban and urban areas were more likely to carry a greater BWR than donkeys working in rural areas (P < 0.001; P < 0.001, respectively). For donkeys carrying more than 90% BWR, mixed breed donkeys carried higher loads compared to other breeds of donkeys (P < 0.001). Overloading based on current recommendations (50% BWR) was common, with the majority (87.4%) of donkeys reported to carry more than the recommended 50% limit. This survey provides evidence of on-the-ground working practices and factors associated with mounted load carrying, which is critical for developing evidence-based recommendations for loading, in order to improve the welfare of working donkeys.

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“…However, donkey owners have suggested work overload as a potential cause for lameness in Ethiopia (43) and Pakistan (40), and mule owners also recognize this issue (20). However, lameness is one of the main welfare issues reported in working equids globally (5,7,17,25,35,40,43,44) and this is an area for important future targeted owner education.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This assumption is based on surveys of horses, which have repeatedly demonstrated that owners report a lower prevalence of lameness and gait asymmetry than experts (41,42). However, donkey owners have suggested work overload as a potential cause for lameness in Ethiopia (43) and Pakistan (40), and mule owners also recognize this issue (20). However, lameness is one of the main welfare issues reported in working equids globally (5,7,17,25,35,40,43,44) and this is an area for important future targeted owner education.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare concerns for mounted load carrying by working donkeys in Pakistan

Bukhari

Rosanowski²,

McElligott

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Working donkeys (Equus asinus) are vital to peoples livelihoods. They are essential for carrying goods, however globally, overloading is one of the primary welfare concerns of working donkeys. We studied mounted load carrying by donkeys and associated factors in Pakistan. A cross-sectional study of donkey owners (n = 332) was conducted, and interviews were undertaken based on a questionnaire. Owners estimated that the median weight of their donkeys was 110kg (interquartile range (IQR) 100-120kg), and that they carried a median mounted load of 81.5kg (IQR 63-99kg). We found that 87.4% of donkeys carried a load above 50% of their bodyweight ratio (BWR), the median BWR carried was 77.1% (IQR 54.5-90.7%), and 25.3% of donkeys carried above 90% BWR. Donkeys that were loaded at more than 50% BWR were more likely to sit, compared to donkeys loaded with less weight (p=0.01). Donkeys working in peri-urban and urban areas were more likely to carry a greater BWR than donkeys working in rural areas (P<0.001), as were those carrying construction materials or bricks, compared to agricultural materials (p=0.004). Age (p=0.03) and breed (p=0.01) were also associated with carrying a higher weight. Overloading based on current recommendations (50% BWR) was common, with the majority (87.4%) of donkeys reported to carry more than the recommended 50% limit. This survey provides evidence of on-the-ground working practices and factors associated with mounted load carrying, which is critical for developing evidence-based recommendations for loading, in order to improve the welfare of working donkeys.

show abstract

Identification of causes and associated risk factors for lameness in working donkeys in and around Bishoftu

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Working Equid Lameness in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Working Equid Lameness in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Welfare Concerns for Mounted Load Carrying by Working Donkeys in Pakistan

Welfare concerns for mounted load carrying by working donkeys in Pakistan

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