A senior donkey rarely announces a problem loudly. He eats a little less, stands a little differently, loses a little condition behind a thick coat, and by the time the change is obvious it has often been building for weeks. A short weekly check, done in the same order on the same day, catches those slow drifts while they are still small: a tape reading for trend, the amounts he eats and what he leaves, his droppings and water, and all four feet read one by one.
The Tape Reading, and How It Fits the Monthly Score
Take his weight tape reading weekly, in the same place on his body, at the same point in his day, and write the number down rather than trusting your eye. A thick winter coat, a full belly after grazing and his natural donkey shape all fool visual judgment, while a run of tape readings tells the truth about direction. The weekly tape check watches the trend between his fuller monthly condition scores, when you work over his neck, ribs, spine and hindquarters by hand and score his overall condition. State that relationship in the record and the two cadences agree rather than collide: a steady tape between monthly scores is reassurance, a tape that slips two weeks running is a reason to look closer and bring the monthly score forward.
Note his shape alongside the number. Donkeys lay fat down in uneven places, including the crest of the neck, so a donkey can look well covered and still be losing muscle over his back and quarters, which the hand check at scoring time picks up.
Amounts Eaten, Leftovers, Droppings and Water
Weigh or measure what he is offered for a week, and note what he leaves, because leftovers are often the first visible sign in a senior donkey. Hay left in longer strands, feed spat out in small wads, or a bucket finished slowly instead of keenly can all point toward his teeth, and teeth are a possibility a vet or equine dental technician should examine rather than something to diagnose at the feed bin. Count his droppings over a set period in his usual space, and note whether they look dry, loose, fewer or more than his recent normal. Check his water: how much the level drops in his bucket or trough between visits, and whether the water is clean enough that you would expect him to drink freely, since a donkey drinking less will also eat less dry forage.
All Four Feet, Read One by One
Pick up and read all four feet every week, in the same order, rather than glancing at the pair that is easy to reach. Feel each hoof for heat, and compare feet against each other, since one warm foot among three cool ones is information. Run your thumb over the wall for cracks, look for growth that has run long since his last trim, and check the frog and the grooves beside it for the dark discharge and sour smell that are signs of thrush to raise with his farrier. Note how he stands and turns afterward: a donkey who shifts weight off one foot, or turns stiffly, is telling you something the hoof check alone may not explain. Keep his farrier's visits on their regular rhythm, and send the weekly notes ahead when a foot change is the reason for the call, so the farrier arrives knowing which foot, and since when. All of it is written into his Pet Passport on the day, while the details are still exact.
Keep each week's readings in the Pet Passport folder on KinsLe, and his farrier or vet can read the trend without a pile of loose notes.