Health and Welfare <strong>Winter</strong> 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 <strong>Winter</strong> 2007 / 08
Canchones fine black alpaca Solid Black Suri & Huacaya Peter Kennedy & Robert Gane Phone: 61 3 5773 2468 alpacas@canchones.com.au 360 Swamp Creek Road Taggerty, Victoria, Australia 3714 www.canchones.com.au Alpaca World Magazine <strong>Winter</strong> 2007 / 08 47
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