So this is not my mule, but it is under my care. She is 2 years old and has been with me since January. She is a feisty little thing, and has endless energy and overall seems healthy. She got a PPE back in January and nothing abnormal caught the vets eye.
However, she is not shedding out. It’s now in the 90s, and her hair is still 4-5 inches long.
She got so hot that she was sweating and rubbing her hair out, so we actually clipped her body but her legs still have hair on them. I know that donkeys tend to shed out late but it seems odd to me that she hasn’t shed by June.
My first thought was Cushings but she is only 2.
Thoughts? I’m about to tell the owners to have the vet out, but I don’t want to if this is normal mule stuff.
My little mini jenny customarily does not start shedding until late June/early July. I’ve put her on chaste berry in the past to get her shedding sooner. This year, for whatever reason, she started shedding early May without any chaste berry (but she is on raspberry leaves because she gets really bad donkey PMS with them–don’t know if they somehow affect the hair coat and shedding). I would NOT worry about Cushing’s with a 2 year old especially since she is a high energy sassy little princess. I have a friend with 4 mini donks, and she swears they don’t shed until late July, and then immediately grow a new winter coat within weeks. Donkeys and mules are sooooo different than their horse cousins…
My yearling mini donks just started shedding this week. I’m in PA.
Ok, sounds like I shouldn’t worry too much about the wooly mammoth 
We have a mini mule boarder at our barn that doesn’t fully shed out until July. Health issues were ruled out and it’s normal for her. We don’t clip her, but she’s curried daily and that helps the shedding process along. The area over her bum is the last to shed, making her look quite comical.
I wouldn’t worry about it at all. Perfectly normal for a mule/donkey to shed up until July. Not likely it is Cushing’s if she doesn’t other symptoms such as increased water intake and urination…and she is only 2.
Update: she is finally shedding out. Took her long enough! Weirdly enough, unlike a horse she didn’t shed slowly, coating everyone in hair. It’s like overnight she just went poof! And all the hair fell out.
Enjoy short hair while you can. Our mule shed out in the heat of July, then started growing winter hair about 2 weeks later! Ha ha Mule friends body clipped to have short haired, shiny mules in summer.
I can’t recall anyone body clipping a donkey, not sure if it would help or be harmful to them in the summer sun. But they are made to take the heat, which is why they have funny hair. Donkeys don’t do well in damp locations. Make sure she has a sand pile to roll in, they love rolling! A vacuum on blower works pretty well getting sand off for use, clean to the skin.
She LOVES to roll. It is her favorite hobby. If there is a new surface, she immediately rolls. Rolls in the barn isle. Rolls in the dirt pile. Rolls on the driveway pavement. Rolls in the hay.
Warning! Talked to my Vet after reading that donkey got body clipped. He says “Don’t body clip a donkey!!” We are in Michigan, weather has been hot, humidity can get very high, creating high heat indexes. Vet has had several donkeys in with heat problems! All were body clipped, took a couple days at the Clinic to stabilize them! They needed LOTS of IV fluids, kept inside in stalls with fans on them. He is figuring loss of hair coat affects their ability to self regulate outside heat in their body. No other details, like if they were shelterless in the sun, not drinking enough, or other causes.
He is an older Vet, has seen and dealt with most equine problems. But having several donkeys arrive in recent weeks with heat issues, is a new one for him. All were body clipped, which seems to be a new thing in donkey keeping. They were little, though not all minis, so unlikely they were actually being worked. All ages, never had problems before.
So keep an eye on the little thing, in case she develops a heat issue suddenly. She may need the IV fluids, and plenty of them, to hydrate. Cold hosing her won’t be enough help.
She is a mule, which I think makes a difference. Donkeys are hot weather creatures so I could see not wanting to clip them. She was sweating in March. So far, she is happy and doing well.
My mule was always late to shed out too and like yours it happened all at once!
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