Miranda’s Donkey: a review of published studies with insights on clinical pathology research for breed’s preservation

ABSTRACT: Miranda’s donkey is an autochthonous asinine breed from northern Portugal classified as endangered by the Food and Agriculture Organization. Research on Miranda’s donkey in several scientific areas is important to standardize the breed and to assist the breed’s preservation. Reference values in clinical pathology are used to determine the health status of individuals and herds, and to control the evolution of diseases and their response to therapy. This review summarized the studies performed on Miranda’s donkey and evaluated the state of the art concerning studies performed in the clinical pathology field. Thirty-seven publications on Miranda’s donkey published between 2000-2023 in various scientific areas were found. In conclusion, research on Miranda’s donkey is scarce, and further studies are needed, especially in hematology and clinical biochemistry areas with respect to physiological and pathological changes that affect the breed, thus helping its conservation.