Hands on Medical Information for Camelids

This content is provided by: Pamela G. Walker, DVM, MS, DACVIM-LA
Camelid Care Veterinary Services
Grove City, OH 43123
pamwalker@hotmail.com

Digestive Tract: Camelids

  • Three Compartments
    • Compartment 1
    • Compartment 2
    • Compartment 3
  • Eat hay/grass
  • No top incisors
  • Fighting teeth
  • Chew cud
  • Resistant to bloat
  • Efficient at utilizing poor quality forage

General Care: Behavior

  • VERY curious
  • Social, best when with other camelids
  • Usually not aggressive to humans
  • Most are not very cuddly
  • “Talkative” (hum, cluck, scream)
  • Ear position indicates “mood”
  • Know what is “normal” for each animal!!
  • Keep in mind their origins – evolving in the Andes Mountains gives them unique traits
  • Do not forget to spend some time just watching them and enjoy

The Ideal Farm

  • Enough barns & pastures for everyone!
    • Expectant females, females with new crias
    • Females with young crias with Creep feeder (area only crias can go)
    • Maiden females
    • Weanlings
    • Special needs females
    • “Jenny Craig” females
    • Show males and females
    • 3 age groups of males
    • Quarantine
  • Barns and pastures cleaned twice daily
  • Perfect barns and pastures (good drainage)
  • Perfect hay year round
  • Perfect grain supplement
  • Perfect watering and feeding system
  • NO flies, birds, mice (pests in general)
  • NO SICK ANIMALS!!!!!

Reality

  • Wonderful animals that are a joy to work with, but have many needs
  • Research that cannot keep up with the knowledge needed to always keep them healthy
  • Dynamics of day to day challenges

General Environment – Barns

  • Always build larger than you think you will need – they multiply!
  • Make sure no dangerous sharp corners, sharp nails, etc are available for eyes, skin to catch on – keep checking
  • Place electrical outlets high and have wires in conduit. Be careful if heat barns – dangerous.
  • Make an area for a creep feeder – cria friendly with grain feeders at different levels, hay and water in creep area. Hang water buckets low.
  • Best are automatic waters, but if not in budget, then make sure many water buckets available and clean daily.
  • Water buckets should be hung on the wall at different levels so crias can also access them. Crias start to drink water at a few weeks of age when they also start to eat solid food (if not before)
  • Careful placement of weigh scales is important for acceptance. Best to have in a walk way type arrangement so they do not feel trapped.
  • Floor of barn options: hard packed dirt with limestone screenings, concrete (do not make too smooth), can put carpet, rubber mats over top
  • In cold weather, need to put down straw for warmth
  • Attempt to have dung piles outside of barn – they might disagree!
  • Make generous dry lot area outside of barn
  • Have generous over hangs for roofs
  • Have barn doors that can close (important for moms with crias)
  • Have spots for loose minerals along with grain feeders at different levels – but not too low (poop gets into them)
  • Have smaller catch pens inside of barn to more safely catch and restrain individual animals
  • Have one area that can be heated and or cooled if needed
  • Ask other camelid owners what they would change about their barns

General Environment – Pastures

  • Have an easy to follow, direct path from barn to pasture.
  • 5 to 7 camelids/acre. May be less/acre if poor forage.
  • If possible, have an alternate pasture for each barn
  • If possible, use automatic waters in pastures, if using water tanks, clean often (scrub brush) and place fencing around to prevent them climbing in to cool off when it is hot and soiling the water
  • Have shade shelters above the water
  • Use no – climb fencing, never barb wire
  • If feel the need to use electric wire, be very careful with placement
  • Clean up the dung piles in pasture daily if possible
  • Have a shade shelter in each pasture, with a hay feeder
  • oCheck pastures regularly as objects sift to the surface, especially in winter•

How to Try and Stay Ahead

  • Daily observation of everyone
  • Daily weighing of every cria up to 50 lbs (alpaca) 75 lbs (llama)
  • If crias have stagnant weight for three days or lose more than a pound overnight – do a fecal sugar centrifugation floatation to check for parasites
  • Put coats on crias if having weight problems in winter – even if the cria seems too big/old

Weanlings

  • General rule: 6 months and 60 lbs (alpaca) 100 lbs (llama)
  • Minimum is 4 months, if dam has weight problems (or dies)
  • It is best if they are going into the creep feeder often before weaning
  • Best if keep cria in place and move dam – but not very practical
  • Weigh every few days at first, then weekly until gained a solid 5 lbs
  • May need to put them on Sucralfate (1 gram/50 lbs, orally, twice a day) if lose several pounds in first few days.
  • Day weaning is good transition from mom (away during day, back at night)
  • On occasion, may need to put back with dam.

Monthly Herd Health

  • Every 1 – 2 months: weigh, body condition score (BCS), mucous membrane check every animal (FAMACHA – see later).
  • Put your hands on them regularly!
  • Check toes and teeth for trimming
  • Booster CD&T vaccination if necessary
  • Give Ivermectin or Dectomax if scheduled
  • Determine which maidens are ready for breeding

Calendar Medications

A good way to remember when to give CD&T boosters and Vitamin A&D supplements for crias is to schedule them ahead of time by using a calendar system. Write them in ahead of time when the cria is born

Vaccinations

  • Adults
    • CD&T- 3 mL, SQ (yearly – usually at shearing). Best not to vaccinate pregnant dams. Do after birth at same time as cria.
      • Do not listen to “experienced” owners that say this is not a necessary vaccine. They can and do get Tetanus (T portion) and will die as treatment usually unsuccessful.
    • Lepto 5 way- 2 mL, SQ (3-4/year)* if problem in area
    • Rabies- 2 mL, SQ (yearly)* if problem in area
    • West Nile, EEE – Eastern Equine Encephalitis $$$
  • Crias
    • Oral Rota – Corona virus & E. coli antibody given 2 – 3 hours old First Defense: Dual Force or Tri-Shield Gel at 1/3 to 1/4 calf dose
    • CD&T – 2 mL @ 48 – 72 hours and booster with 3 mL, SQ at:
      • 4 weeks
      • 8 weeks
      • 6 months
      • 12 months

Vitamin Supplements

  • Vitamin A&D – 1,000 IU of Vit D/lb, SQ, every 60 days. Do this for 6 – 24 months depending on legs.
  • Can use an oral Vitamin ADE supplement (33,000 IU, orally, every 2 weeks)
  • DO NOT USE BOTH – overdosing will kill your cria
  • Used routinely in crias to help prevent rickets and leg angulation.

Sites for Injecting Medications

  • The area over the ribs BEST for SQ. Make sure to have the needle almost parallel to the ribs. Can use the fiber to tent (pull up) the skin.
  • Connection of neck and shoulder (IM)
  • Triceps (above the elbow) of front legs (SQ, IM), small volume
  • The lightly-haired area on the back of the rear leg (SQ, IM)
  • MOST injections are Subcutaneous (SQ)
  • Vaccines can be given with a 20 gauge, 1 inch needle, 3 mL syringe. SQ
  • Procaine Penicillin G – shake very well!! It is thick – use 18-gauge needle in adults, 20-gauge in crias (smaller volume). Let warm up to room temperature before administering. SQ ONLY

How to Body Score

  • Place hand behind shoulders in middle of back, using angle between thumb and forefinger determine score from 1 to 10. You are trying to estimate how much of the space below/beside the backbone is filled (or not filled) up with muscle.
  • A score of 5 being perfect. Less than 5 – thin, greater than 5 – heavy (10 scale). If using a 5 scale, then 2.5 is perfect.
  • Feel over the rib area. You should be able to feel the ribs, but should not stick out.
  • Feel over the hips, they should not be very prominent. Note, older females will naturally have more “bony” hips.
  • Very heavy animals will have a fatty deposit in the front chest area (brisket).
  • Just like humans, animals put on weight differently.
  • Using all these areas as a composite, average the areas and determine a final score. A score of 5/10 being perfect. Less than 5 – thin, greater than 5 – heavy.
  • Some farms use a 1 – 5 scale, so 2.5 is ideal.
  • This is a subjective measurement and there will be variation between people, so the same person should do this each time.

FAMACHA SCORE (An Assessment of Color)

Order your card from Dr. Adriano F. Vatta at LSU School of Veterinary Medicine at famacha@lsu.edu.

  • Score 1 – very bright pink
  • Score 2 – pink 
  • Score 3 – paler pink
  • Score 4 – very pale pink
  • Score 5 – white/dead

When doing FAMACHA score on camelids, it is similar to goats with the exception that you will have an easier time if you assess the color of the upper eyelid rather than the lower (tissue under the upper eyelid). Camelids do not like to have their heads touched and will throw their heads up when touched. This allows the eye to roll down and with slight pressure you can push in the eye using the lower eyelid causing the tissue under their upper eyelid to evert. This also takes into account that the lower eyelid is more tightly adhered and harder to roll out. As this is also subjective, the same person should do this each time.

General Care: Internal Parasites

  • Gastrointestinal parasites can be a problem in both crias and older camelids without appropriate monitoring.
  • Parasites that we consider to be the most important in older crias through adult camelids are:
    • Strongyle type (which includes Nematodirus)
    • Whipworms, Capillaria,
    • Tapeworms
    • Coccidia (plus Eimeria macusaniensis – E. mac, Eimeria ivitaensis)
    • Liver flukes and Lungworms in some parts of the country
    • In younger crias, we are concerned about Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Coccidia.
  • This will be a brief discussion on adult type parasites.
  • Strongyle type: There are many different Strongyle parasites and in a regular fecal floatation, the many different types cannot be differentiated (with a few exceptions) and are referred to as Strongyle type of parasites.
  • Third compartment (C3 or true stomach) parasites: Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Ostertagia, Camelostrongylus, Teladorsagia and Marshallagia.
  • Small intestinal parasites: Cooperia, Nematodirus, Trichostrongylus, Lamanema and Tapeworms. These parasites rarely cause diarrhea, but rather weight loss, ill thrift and low protein
  • Cecum and large intestine parasites: Whipworms, Capillaria, and Oesophagostomum (Strongyle type).
    • Whipworms and Capillaria are not commonly found in fecal analysis due in part to adult parasites shedding eggs intermittently and the eggs do not float very well unless saturated sugar solution and a longer float time is used.
    • Both are clinically important and resistant to treatment. The larvae penetrate the small intestine where they mature, then migrate to the cecum and large intestine and become adults. The adult’s tunnel into the intestinal wall traumatizing vessels and in large enough numbers can cause intestinal inflammation and diarrhea.
  • Fasciola hepatica and F. magna are the most important Liver flukes in the U.S., particularly in the Pacific Northwest
    • Wet environment and intermediate hosts (snails and slugs) are needed in transmission. These parasites can cause an ill-thrift syndrome characterized by low protein and changes in blood work that indicates liver disease with specific increases in GGT and bilirubin concentration.
    • Keeping in mind how often our camelids travel, any visiting animal showing signs of liver disease should be evaluated for possible liver flukes
    • Fluke eggs are not routinely found in fecal sugar floatations, a special test, Baermann test, is needed that involves maturing the parasite larvae to the next stage and identifying the larvae using specific mouth and tail anatomy.
    • Treatment is with Clorsulon which is in Ivomec Plus® or with Valbazen®
  • .Coccidia (Eimeria)
    • There are six types of Eimeria species or Coccidia that can infect camelids
    • These are species specific parasites (only infecting camelids) with differing degree of pathogenicity.
    • Eimeria lamae (medium coccidia) is considered to be the most pathogenic of the “regular” (small and medium) coccidia, with
    • Eimeria alpacae (small coccidia) the least pathogenic.
    • Eimeria macusaniensis (E. mac) is the largest, slowest maturing and most pathogenic of the coccidia parasites. Eimeria ivitaensis is another large coccidia, not as frequently seen.
      • It is rare for adults to have clinical disease to “regular” coccidia, but E. mac can cause clinical disease in adults, frequently characterized by an ill-thrift syndrome or diarrhea in some acute cases.
      • There are many differences from “regular” coccidia.
      • E. mac takes longer than other coccidia for the infection to mature in the animal (32 to 36 days)
      • It also sheds for longer in the feces, greater than 45 days
      • The youngest it can be seen is about 45 days of age (in the US) versus 21 days of age for “regular” coccidia.
      • E. mac can be seen in all ages, with clinical disease seen more frequently in younger crias and breeding age females traveling to a new farm.
      • If E. mac is present on a farm, herd immunity will develop in adults; leaving younger animals most susceptible to infection and disease.
      • It will expose naïve animals (never exposed to E. mac before) that are new to the farm to infection with E. mac. These naïve animals should be monitored closely as serious disease (even fatalities) can occur before any clinical signs are seen.
      • To do this, a fecal analysis should be performed when the animal comes to the farm and repeated in 30 and 60 days. This should allow for any new infections with E. mac and/or other significant parasites to be discovered and managed.
      • Further complications are that clinical signs can range from no signs to severe diarrhea or death.
      • Any animal that shows signs of ill thrift, weight loss, and/or diarrhea should be evaluated by your veterinarian.
      • Treatment is best done with Marquis® (Ponazuril). It is a horse medication and should be diluted when used with alpacas and young llamas. To dilute mix 20 mL of distilled water with 40 grams of Marquis paste, using a gram scale. This results in a concentration of 100 mg/mL. Of this dilution, give 9 mg/lb (which equals 9 mL per 100 lbs), orally for 3 days. Since the equine paste has carrier as well as drug it is best to dilute the whole tube at one time. Each tube has enough for 3 dilutions. Baycox® (Toltrazuril), the parent drug to Ponazuril, (not approved for use in the United States) is also used for the treatment of E.mac. Baycox dose: 9 mg/lb (1.8 mL/10 lb), orally, once. This can be obtained from Jonathan at Light Livestock as he has a reliable source from Australia. Other, possible fraudulent or toxic products have been purchased from unsuspecting owners from various sources on the internet.
      • It appears as if treatment with these drugs will reduce shedding of the oocysts (“eggs”) and the ability of the oocyst to be infective.
      • It is also effective on regular coccidia and is the preferred drug of choice to use in adults with coccidia
  • Parasites are developing resistance to current drugs
  • Treatment strategies used to treat parasites in our camelids must change.
  • For many years parasitologist have recommended that all animals in a herd be treated with an anthelmintic at the same time.
  • This has proven unsustainable as there is still development of resistant parasites.
  • The current approach is to selectively test and treat only animals with:
    • High parasite load
    • Low Body Condition Score (BCS)
    • Pale mucous membranes (mm).
  • This will leave a population of parasites (refugia) that have not been exposed to specific drugs and will help prevent selection by the parasites for drug resistance.
  • This also takes into consideration that 20 – 30% of animals on a farm harbor 80% of the worms.
  • Ideally a fecal exam should be done on each animal before any anthelmintics are administered.
  • So monthly assessment of BCS and mucous membrane color can aid in choosing which animals to test and treat.
  • As a minimum, 10% of the animals or at least 10 animals should have a fecal done (various ages, etc) two to three times (or more) a year.
  • If there are several barns, choose animals with low BCS from each with the total equaling 10 (or more) per barn.
  • In addition, perform a fecal exam on every female immediately postpartum, and crias after weaning.
  • For this information to be meaningful, the correct procedure should be used.
  • There are many different techniques and variations written about – some are more appropriate than others for Camelids
  • Research has compared several techniques and floatation times. A centrifugation- floatation technique (Modified Stoll’s) using an egg per gram (EPG) method and concentrated sugar (specific gravity = 1.27) has been shown to be superior in detecting the parasites that have the potential for causing problems in camelids.
  • Using a minimum of 1-hour floatation time, with a maximum of 3 to 4 hours will result in good egg recovery.
  • Using an EPG method allows direct comparison of before and after treatment when determining if the medication used was successful.
  • Treatment is not just a matter of numbers of parasite eggs found. Many factors are considered, body condition score, FAMACHA score, age, lactation and other health factors.
  • Copper Oxide Wire Particles (COWP): an article appeared in the Summer 2020 Alpacas magazine promoting the use of COWP (Copasure boluses) as a new treatment for parasites in alpacas.
  • They state that there are scientific articles in peer review for safely and efficacy that will hopefully be published soon.
  • These have been used for quite a long time in other ruminants with good effect if used properly. They can also cause Copper toxicity in ruminants if not used properly or other factors are present.â–ª Copper toxicity can be hard to predict as risk will differ from farm to farm based on the herd mineral supplementation, and other factors (copper water pipes, etc.). Risk will also vary by geographic location. For example, in the Southern US, the soils, plants and water are low in copper, but there is a lot of iron oxide in soil. Iron oxide will bind to dietary copper leading to marginal to deficient copper tissue levels. Supplementation is needed and must be taken into consideration when using products such as Copasure. Other regions may also have unique factors to take into consideration.
  • Using Copasure boluses in Camelids may eventually be one approach in control of Strongyle type parasites, but until we know more about the safely,
  • strategies and efficacy, they should not be used as a routine. As this is just a brief, preliminary discussion on parasites, it is recommended to take a seminar on Gastrointestinal Parasites and Fecal analysis lab for owners to learn more about Internal Parasites and how to manage them in your herd.

General Care: External Parasites

  • Chorioptic mange: thickened skin, will look like “folds” or “ridges” in the skin. Lesions located between toes, front and back of feet, inside thighs, abdomen, axilla, beneath the tail and on udder in females and along the prepuce of males. Sometimes on the face and ears. Only moderately itchy in some camelids.
    • Surface – dwelling mite that feeds on epidermal debris
    • Live entire life on animal, but can live in environment for 70 days
    • Transmission is by direct and indirect contact
    • Skin scrapings MAY show the mites
    • Can be seen on animals with NO lesions, so suspect that animals with lesions may have a hypersensitivity to mite
  • Chorioptic mange – treatment
    • Many different types suggested, hard to cure, takes a long time to resolve (several summers)
    • Topical works best
    • Bathe with an anti – seborrheic shampoo (Tgel, etc) to soften skin and loosen scale
    • Lyme – Sulfur ointment. The ointment works best because it can be rubbed into the skin and helps to soften the skin and helps heal.
    • Front line spray on affected areas – best reserved for lesions only on the feet as it will just run off scaly skin.
    • “Shot gun” approach if not sure……but Dr. Walker prefers Lyme – Sulfur
      • Skin Mix Recipe (combo recipe of Renzo et al)
      • DMSO 50 mL
      • Prednisolone 20 mL (do not include if pregnant)
      • Gentamycin 12 mL (100 mg/mL)
      • Ivermectin 20 mL
      • Mitaban – 1 vial
      • Vitamin E oil 30 mL
      • Can put in a spray bottle or a dauber bottle
      • Apply every 3 days until hair is growing backo
  • Chorioptic mange – environment control
    • Treatment of environment (barns, bedding)
    • Difficult as can be anywhere/everywhere
    • Lyme – Sulfur spray
    • Permectrin II spray (comes as a concentrate that can be mixed to different strengths)
    • Front line spray $$
  • Biting and sucking Lice: not commonly seen on camelids
    • Topical powders work on both
    • Ivermectin® and Dectomax® only work on sucking lice
    • More common in winter when animals spend most of time inside
  • Sarcoptic mange: thickened skin, crusted, itchy. Lesions located between toes, inside thighs, abdomen, axilla, beneath the tail in females and prepuce of males. Can become generalized. Not very common in the US.
    • Deep dwelling mite
    • Deep skin scrapings MAY show the mites
    • Treatment: Ivermectin® (1.8 mL/100 lbs) or Dectomax® (2.5 mL/100 lbs,) repeated every 10 days for 3 treatments
  • Spinose ear tick: head shaking, drainage from ear canal
    • Treatment: Ivermectin® or Dectomax® or Front line spray and Tresaderm® ear drops daily for 5 to 7 days
  • Tick paralysis (Dermacentor sp.): Female ticks produce a neurotoxin injected at feeding. Progressive paresis to paralysis starting in rear limbs going forward. Death is due to suffocation. Only one tick needed to cause clinical signs or kill.
    • Treatment: remove ticks, signs may reverse in 2-12 hrs. Ivermectin® or Dectomax® or insecticide dip (Amatraz® 10.6 mL/2 gal water) for unseen ticks.
  • “Munge”
    • Typically seen in younger animals or animals under severe stress
    • Unknown the exact cause, appears to be a combination of bacterial infection with sensitivity to their own saliva
    • Seen as crusts or what looks like dirt on the lips
    • Superficial to deep skin infection on the lips and where the lips come together
    • It is a very painful condition
    • Can have generalized infection and need systemic antibiotics (Penicillin, Excenel)
    • Most of the time can treat topically
    • TREATMENT:
      • Clean using a wet soft cloth or 4 x 4 gauze, VERY gently! Daubing NOT scrubbing at the crusts along the lips
      • Blot dry and gently work in a 50:50 mixture of Hydrocortisone ointment and Triple antibiotic ointment. Mix ahead in a container. Use ointment not cream.
      • In severe cases, clean daily and start on either Procaine Penicillin G (20,000 IU/lb, SC, daily for 5 to 7 days) or Excenel 2 mg/lb, SC, daily for 5 to 7 days
      • Milder cases can be treated topically every other day until skin pink and soft

General Care: Teeth

  • Fighting teeth (up to 3 (4) pair present)
  • More developed in males than females
  • Cut off to prevent injury when fighting other males
  • Lower incisors may need to be trimmed to maintain proper tooth angle
  • May need to “float” molars when older or if packing cud in their cheek pouch
  • Fighting Teeth – Males
    • Essential to cut off to protect other males
    • Sedation may be required
    • Wire saw method or Dremel tool with cut – off wheel (be careful to only cut teeth!)
    • Cut below the gumline – into tooth
    • Booster CD&T before procedure

Castration

  • Any non-breeding male
  • 1 year for alpacas
  • 2 year for llamas (18 months)
  • Earlier castration may lead to a chance of arthritis due to delayed closure of growth plates
  • Many owners elect early castration to minimize possibility of unwanted pregnancy and to control normal male behavior
  • Booster CD&T before procedure

Geriatric or Poor Doing Animals

  • Once you have ruled out the most common causes of thinness, knowing that not all problems have a “test”, what do you do? The next step is to feed them extra calories and I also recommend putting them through a vitamin regimen:
    • Vit B Complex 1.5 mL/50 lbs, SQ, SID for 10 days
    • Vit A & D 1000 mg/lb, SQ, Once
    • Bo-Se 1 mL/40 lbs, SQ, 1 time/week for 4 weeks.
    • If they are moderately anemic then treatment for anemia is warranted: Vit B12: 3,000 mcg (alpaca adult), 5,000 (llama adult), SC, daily for 7 days, then three times a week for 3 weeks;
    • Iron Dextran: 300 mg (alpaca adult), 500 mg (llama adult) SC, every 3 days for 3 treatments.
  • Even if they do not gain the 50 lbs you would like, this should have them feeling better and should stop the weight loss. Keep in mind the extra feeding will have to continue possibly the rest of their life. During the summer when grazing it can be hard to feed them extra while grazing. You might just have to be content with the regular meals the whole barn receives. Usually the warm weather will compensate for the loss of calories as they do not have to keep themselves warm as in winter. They are quick to be “trained” to come into a stall/area for extra feeding!!

Items in Medical Kit

  • Digital thermometer
  • KY jelly or similar generic lube
  • Stethoscope
  • Banamine
  • Epinephrine
  • Thiamine
  • 3 Drugs to have on the Farm
    • Banamine: 1 mL/100 lbs, SQ, every 12 – 24 hours
    • Thiamine: depends on concentration, usually 3 to 6 mL, SQ, every 6 hours
    • Epinephrine 1:1000: 1 mL/100 lbs, IM can repeat in 15 to 20 minutes if breathing not improved
  • Exam gloves – various sizes
  • Pedialyte or generic similar oral electrolytes
  • Glucometer – VERY important to have if you still are having crias!!!
  • 50% Dextrose (date and keep in fridge once opened)
  • Betadine solution and scrub
  • Triple antibiotic ointment
  • Hydrocortisone ointment
  • 4 X 4 Gauze
  • Scissors
  • “Vet wrap” 4 inch or similar type wrap
  • Elastic bandage
  • White cotton tape
  • Roll cotton for padding
  • Blood stop powder
  • SWAT
  • Syringes with metal dosing tip
  • 3, 6 & 12 mL Syringes
  • 18 & 21 gauge, 1 inch gauge needles

When to Call the Vet!!

  • To a certain extent, you will have to use your own judgement; these are only some basic guidelines.
  • Animal is down and or non-responsive
  • Animal is stumbling around the barn, running into objects as if blind – probably Polioencephalomalacia “Polio” – Vitamin B1 deficiency ****
  • Animal has a deep/wide wound with jagged skin edges
  • Newborn cria is active when first born, but shortly after birth is now a “limp rag” – classic signs of sepsis (bacterial infection in the blood).
  • Animal walking around with an irregular gait, or as if drunk – could be early signs of Polio, or Meningeal worm
  • Animal seems weak and has pale or white mucous membranes – Anemic probably from parasites, or possibly from Mycoplasma haemolamae
  • Female is in labor for greater than 1 hour and none of the cria has shown – concern that there is a malposition of the cria, or the dams cervix is not dilating
  • ANY animal rolling around on ground, but not actually dusting itself –

intestinal twist or possibly intestinal gas or possible uterine torsion•

What to Tell the Vet!!

  • What you have observed
  • Temperature, Heart and Respiratory rate (buy a stethoscope)
  • FAMACHA score
  • Age, sex and if female, is she bred/pregnant and her due date
  • Can the animal see, stand, walk, stay in cush
  • Any recent medications you may have given
  • Any changes on the farm/animals/feed
  • Recent travel of the animal or others on the farm

Conclusion

Camelids in general are easy to take care of and wonderful to interact with. Careful, regular observation is important because as a species, they are prone to hiding when they are severely ill – survival of the fittest mentality to the extreme. Overall, they are not prone to major health issues, but they, just like any other animalneed some general care on a routine basis

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