Alpacas, alpacas, alpacas

I have honestly touched an Alpaca once before this summer. Now they are everywhere. We have had four alpacas in in the last month, and a llama. Camelid city! My knowledge is growing but I still have much to learn.Apparently the OVC doesn't get a lot of camelids and all the clinicians/technicians have been in shock about our 5 in July. They are gaining popularity but as hobby farmer stock, there is not a ton of money in the industry, so not many people are willing to pour cash into emergency vet fees.

Alpaca 101:
- Alpacas are a different species, but highly similar to Llamas.
- Mostly fibre industry
- Three chambered stomachs; high fibre low fat diets
- Will spit, but most are very well handled and are relatively comfortable with humans around
- Have dental pads just like cows and sheep; also split lips like sheep
- Have a cartilaginous fighting pad to protect their necks/carotid/jugular
- Veins have many valves (that make catheter placement a long and tedious process!)
- Come in two breeds; Huacaya and Suri
- Suri's are more rare (something about the fibre texture being simple dominant trait.... the literature is vague and incomplete on this subject), their fibre is less curly, more wavy, and much finer, worth way more (crias can go for 5 grand!!!)
- Babys are called "Cria"s, but there is no real industry wide name for the males and females (cloesest for males is "Herd Sire") nor castrates
- They have a more "flat footed" confirmation where phalanges 2 and 3 are level with the ground and 1 is 45 degree angle to the metacarpophalangeal joint (in horses known as Fetlock), also they have two toes!


And that is about it. End knowledge.
We have seen them in for broken femoral head, heat stress, interphalangeal luxation, acute abdomen, and neurological weakness of the legs. All seem to be related to heat, dehydration, anorexia, and trauma from injury. So important tip: offer lots of shade and water, and don't let them fight each other. (Easier said then done, eh?)

All Legs and Neck!

Also a cool thing today, had the farrier in to look at a foundering horse (all four feet). Founder = Laminitis FYI. Applied these wooden shoes with plasticine and rubber soles. No nails or screws, just casted then on after a good clean out. They are called EVA Wooden shoes (see www.equicast.us for more info). They reduce shock and wear and allow the coffin bone to stop migrating during the healing process. I had never seen them before. It really made me think about how important it is to have a good farrier-client-veterinarian bond because all the vets just watched as this guy did his thing. The horse is on his way to being a fat happy cart horse once again. Although the "fat" part is probably what started the laminitis in the first place. I definitely will invest in a good farrier for my clinic in the future, or even in a technician with farrier training. That would be awesome, and well worth the salary!

Casted to the hoof!