The effect of providing feed supplementation and anthelmintic to donkeys during late pregnancy and lactation on live weight and survival of dams and their foals in central Ethiopia.

Anthelmintic treatment (A), feed supplementation (F), anthelmintic and feed supplementation (A+F) or traditional management (Control) was given to 166 pregnant female donkeys in three localities (Holetta, Debre Zeit and Adami Tulu) in Ethiopia during an on-farm study. Treatments started during the last trimester of pregnancy and continued until 6 months after parturition when the foals were weaned. The same treatments were administered to foals once they reached 1 month of age. Live weights of adults and foals were measured throughout the study along with work output of adult donkeys and survival to weaning of the foals. Faecal worm egg counts (FEC) and blood packed cell volumes (PCV) were recorded monthly. When applied alone, anthelmintic treatment (A) or feed supplementation (F) had no significant effect on live weight gain or foal survival. However, when combined, anthelmintic and feed supplementation (A+F) significantly (p<0.05) improved both live weight gain in adults and foals and foal survival. Workout was not affected by any of the treatments. Treatments A and A+F resulted in a highly significant (p<0.001) reduction in FEC in all three localities during the course of study and for at least 6 months after the last dose of anthelmintic in one of the study areas (Holetta). None of the treatments had any significant effect on PCV. Donkey owners in Ethiopia should be encouraged to adopt both anthelmintic treatment and feed supplementation if they expect tangible benefits in animal performance.