Well it was that dreaded time of year again this week, the annual vaccinations for the ponies and donkeys. I lose sleep over these types of appointments as I never know how they are going to go.

When I booked the appointment, I asked for a veterinary nurse to accompany the vet and said I preferred a morning appointment. From experience, having an extra pair of hands and giving the donkeys and ponies less time to stress seems to be the best option.

I woke early, went outside and started my morning jobs, allowing the ponies and donkeys to go about their usual routines whilst I fed them and mucked out the stables. As the time inched nearer to 9 am I got ready with the equine passports and sample bags, so I could collect some manure and have a faecal worm egg count to see if the equines needed worming. I spent time sorting out the head collars and lead ropes, making sure the donkeys and ponies couldn’t see them as these inevitably appear to be a trigger for their stress. Usually, when the head collars come out it is either the vet or farrier visiting and the ponies and donkeys don’t enjoy either.

Morning came and went and I tried not to remain calm. Eventually, the vet arrived and got out of his car. My heart sank when I saw that he was alone.

My vet is absolutely lovely and I feel so awful for him that my little miniature ponies and donkeys don’t feel the same way. He tries so hard to befriend them all, speaking to them softly and even offering encouragement in the way of small treats, but to no avail. They refuse to acknowledge him, won’t stand still and, for much of the time run around like wild beasts about to be slaughtered.

Chieftain, my feisty miniature Shetland pony was the first in line. Now, a few months back when the same vet came to carry out a dental examination on Chieftain he had to be sedated twice before the vet could get anywhere near him, so it was anyone’s guess how this would end.

He fought, which was to be expected. However, the vet had anticipated this, and came armed with a line so he could get the needle into Chieftain without getting too close. Unfortunately, my husband and I didn’t have that luxury so it was the two of us that Chieftain fought against. The injection was over in seconds but it took a little while longer to calm Chieftain down.

Jo-Jo was next up. He cooperated like a little hero. He was happy to stand still and, whilst he did flinch when the needle went in, he certainly didn’t make a song and dance about it like his pal Chieftain had. Unlike Chieftain, Jo-Jo also allowed the vet to examine him although he did draw the line at having his temperature taken! As Jo-Jo has had some weight problems and suffered a little from laminitis in rennet months, it was lovely to hear the vet give him a clean bill of health and tell me how great he is looking.

It was now the turn of the donkeys. Flynn, always first in line for anything, came forward looking for a treat. Instead he got an injection and let us know how cross he was by running around as if his tail was on fire. George was next and, like Jo-Jo he was an absolute trouper. I don’t think he even knew he had been injected. Finally, it was Jasper’s turn. Jasper is the largest of my three donkeys and he is very strong. He also knew what was coming and had managed to work himself up into quite a frenzy. The vet was armed again with a line in case he couldn’t get close enough to inject properly. Despite being stressed, Jasper did allow the vet to get close enough to inject him but not before running me ragged for a few minutes round the stable!

On the whole it went pretty well; at least all five were vaccinated and I am happy that they have all the protection they need from flu and tetanus for another year. I think the vet was also quite relieved that things hadn’t ended badly, although I did wonder how much he dreaded the visits when he suggested timing the dental treatment with the vaccinations next year so everything could be done whilst the ponies and donkeys are under sedation!

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