Dr. Deb Eldredge asks that you send good thoughts Sugar's way.
Facing tough times here. My 25-year-old donkey (normal size) is heading to Cornell tonight for colic care/possible surgery. Sugar is a wonderful animal – and not just our family feels that way. The blacksmith, my colleague who helped with her care, everyone who has met her comments on how great Sugar is.
Sugar has an amazing capacity for spreading “peace.” I know that sounds very “New Agey, but if you are around her or touch her, you truly do feel calm and peaceful. And yes, that is true even for people who boldly announce that they don’t really like donkeys – until they meet Sugar.
Donkeys have many legends surrounding them, but Sugar is a dark brown donkey and doesn’t even have “the markings of the cross” like her gray daughter Spice has. Her bray is fairly melodic but I have heard donkeys with better voices.
Speaking of voices, when a new neighbor moved in down the street a few years ago, I ran into her one day at the local farm stand. She did look a bit tired and asked me “What fool sets off a fog horn at 5 am every morning?” I was at a total loss until I realized that our donkeys announce the first crack of dawn each morning. There is a male down the street who often returns their calls too.
Having Sugar in a bad way is very difficult for me. It is extremely hard as a vet when you can’t fix your own animal. Realistically, if Sugar needs surgery, it is above my skill level. At Cornell she will be in a warm barn, have heated fluids if need be (hard for me in our barn!) and 24 hour observation and care if she needs it. After 5 hours straight in the barn last night, then hourly checks plus 8 hours straight today, I am so cold I can’t feel some of my extremities.
Please, if you can spare some positive thoughts our way, send them to Sugar, care of Cornell. I need my peaceful donkey and hope to have her in my life for many more years.
Sugar update for Friday:
Sugar is doing much better. She’s quite happy to have the NG (Nasogastric) tube out. She heard the horse in the next stall getting a carrot – apparently someone snapped it in two – and gave Cornell its first full-blown donkey bray 
A very good sign!
She is passing manure on her own & they are starting feed slowly. I hope to get down to visit her tomorrow.
Bless you and Sugar. I have two mini donkeys and I love them dearly.
What a beautiful face Sugar has. Good Luck and Good Thoughts go out to Sugar and Dr Eldredge.
Sorry to hear about Sugar. I don’t have any of my own but love the long ears, large and small. Sending blessings and prayers your way.
I would like to thank everyone for their good wishes for Sugar. Unfortunately I just had to approve her euthanasia on the surgery table. She had both ovaries greatly enlarged (35 cm in diameter) with possible cancer into her uterus. She also had a large cancer in her ileum (section of intestine) & a large area of her jejunum (also type of intestine) intussuscepted & another tumor there. Sugar would have needed both ovaries & the uterus removed (doable), resection of part of her ileum (doable though getty risky) & about 70% of her jejunum removed (the surgeon there had not ever heard of that much intestine being removed before). The intestinal tumors are suspected to be lymphoma & probable metastasis elsewhere as it had already obviously spread inside her. Requiring all three surgeries made it highly unlikely she would survive & if she did survive the surgeries, recovery & being able to eat normally was unlikely.
Her case is considered unique by the multitude of vets who were at her surgery. Her necropsy findings will hopefully help another donkey someday.
And I have lost an incredible force in my life – an animal who simply exuded peacefulness & made you feel calm & at ease simply being near her or touching her.