Winter - Classical MileEnd Alpacas

Health and Welfare Winter Worries ?
so watch out for this and trim toenails
accordingly.
Finally, if we get some really freezing
weather this winter, make sure that you
remember to check the water tanks and break
any ice, or ensure that automatic waterers are
functioning properly. And minimise any areas
of standing water that may freeze and create
ice-rinks. Be prepared to cordon them off
with hurdles if drainage isn't possible in order
to prevent injury of both alpacas and their
human carers!
Now that we've dealt with the more routine
preventative measures, I would like to make
a few comments regarding specific groups
of animals that may need special attention
during winter. There may be additional
preparations recommended that will help you
to deal with any problems that may arise in
each of these groups.
Geriatric alpacas
As previously mentioned, geriatric alpacas
are more susceptible to cold weather, as well
as to changes in the weather. Ensure that you
check faecals for GI parasites and the teeth, as
described above, and make special provision
to feed these animals extra if they are
struggling to maintain their condition. Coats
may be useful in colder or wet conditions.
Crias
During the winter, all growing alpacas are
susceptible to rickets, or vitamin D deficiency
(see article in the last issue of Alpaca World,
Autumn 2007). Therefore all crias and
juveniles should be given vitamin D during
the winter months. This can be achieved using
either injectable or oral vitamin D-containing
products, both of which have to be sourced
from outside the UK at the current time.
Injectable vitamin D lasts about 6-8 weeks,
and I recommend one injection in November
and another one in February. If winter is
prolonged, a further injection in April may be
necessary. Oral products need to be dosed a
little more frequently – every 6 weeks.
In the winter, groups of crias and
youngsters are more likely to develop
diarrhoea due to confinement as this increases
the risk of transmission of infectious agents.
Coccidia are likely to be a common problem
and GI parasites can also cause diarrhoea
in older crias, but other infectious agents
cause diarrhoea in alpacas, so diagnostics
will help your vet treat the underlying cause
appropriately and also help you avoid infection
personally since many pathogens are zoonotic
agents, meaning that they can infect humans
also. Other potential pathogens include
cryptosporidia, giardia, E coli, coronavirus,
rotavirus and Salmonella.
"In winter, hypothermia can
set in quickly, so be prepared
to have somewhere indoors
where you can bring the new
mum and her cria to keep
warm."
Pregnant females
This group will require special monitoring
during the winter months, especially if
they are due to give birth. Neonates born
in inclement weather are much more likely
to have problems such as hypothermia and
hypoglycaemia, but also failure to ingest
sufficient colostrum as they may not readily
nurse enough. This can result in failure of
passive transfer of immunity (FPT) and
subsequent septicaemia. You can test for FPT
by using a camelid-specific immunoglobulin
(IgG) test which takes about 24 hours. A
blood sample can be drawn between 24
hours of age and seven days, but preferably
in the window between 24 and 48 hours. If
the IgG is low, a plasma transfusion can be
given intravenously in order to prevent your
cria from becoming ill, and can also be used
as part of the treatment for septicaemia if
this occurs first. Your vet may be able to do
this test, but if they do not have it at their
practice, they can send serum samples to the
Diagnostic Laboratory at the Royal Veterinary
College. If your vet is not able to acquire
camelid plasma, you could ask for referral to
the Royal Veterinary College where we have a
supply and also have a neonatal care facility.
Always have a birthing kit ready in case
a female experiences difficulty in labour,
and a 'cria kit' in order to take care of the
newborn cria. In winter, hypothermia can set
in quickly, so be prepared to have somewhere
indoors where you can bring the new mum
and her cria to keep warm. Also have clean
towels available to dry the cria off (alpacas will
not lick their crias), as well as an assortment of
hot water bottles, warming discs or heat lamps
to help warm a hypothermic cria. A few clean
cria jackets are also useful to have available.
Keep some sort of sugary solution available
too (such as honey or syrup) which can be a
lifesaver in case of hypoglycaemia. Just smear
a finger-full inside the mouth of the cria if it's
flat out and unresponsive. The sugar will be
rapidly absorbed and may help save the cria's
life before you can get veterinary treatment.
Finally, females due in the Spring will
need to be on an increasing plane of nutrition
during this period as the unborn foetus is
growing rapidly in the last few months of
gestation. Be especially careful to monitor
BCS regularly in this group during the winter
so that you can add to their ration if necessary.
This group are at risk from 'pregnancy
toxaemia' during this period if they do not
ingest sufficient feed resulting in abortion and
potentially also the death of the female.
Sick animals
This group will be especially susceptible in
cold weather conditions as they will already be
directing their resources towards fighting their
illness. Therefore, always make sure that you
have somewhere that you can house sick animals
to give them shelter from wet and windy weather
and keep them warm. At the very least, this
should be a three-sided field shelter that can
have a portion enclosed with hurdles while still
allowing access to other alpacas. Coats can be
useful for this group as well.
Sick alpacas may not drink enough,
especially if the water is icy cold. Therefore,
be prepared to provide warm water which may
improve the quantity ingested and keep them
hydrated.
Isolation of sick alpacas can help minimise
the spread of infectious disease, such as those
causing diarrhoea or respiratory disease.
Finally, from the above it can be seen that
there are many things that you can do to help
protect your animals from disease and injury
in the winter months. A few preparations can
make all the difference and even help save you
money in the long run!
46 Alpaca World Magazine Winter 2007 / 08