spits summer - the Hawkesbury Blue Mountains Alpaca Region

(Continued from page 11)
12
Spits & Pieces
By then I’d found an old bed sheet, which we
folded and then cut four slits for her legs.
Tom and I picked our way down the hill to
Serenade. We slipped the sling under her
belly and as gently as we could, got her legs
through the slits and tied the corners
together on each side of her for grip. It was a
slow and difficult exercise, working our way
back up, and excruciating, no doubt, for
Serenade. Tom and I were aching. As soon as
the vet arrived, she administered a
painkiller. We discussed options including
amputation but would wait for x-rays to
show the extent of the damage. Using the
“Robert Jones” method, Serenade’s leg was
padded and bound firmly, alternating with
cotton wool and elastic bandage (about four
layers) to form an excellent temporary splint.
Early next morning Tom was back and
helped me with her into the back of my van
where I sat with her to keep her immobilised.
Tom drove.
It’s such fun to hold an alpaca sitting up on
her tail on an x-ray table with everybody else
disappearing during the “zap.” The break
was angular but with few fragments and
Andrew Gough considered that pinning and
wiring it would be possible.
We picked her up late that afternoon
after successful surgery and brought her
home to a temporary pen measuring one
by two metres. She was able to stand and
move a little in the restricted area on
three legs without attempting to put
weight on the fourth. The stitches were
removed after a week and the bandage
left off. We gave her about three metres
by three metres to roam in for the next
six weeks. Another trip to the vet and
through a small incision on top of the
knee joint, the 200mm (8”) long pin was
removed.
We’ve no idea how she broke her leg and
therefore it’s difficult to reduce the risk.
Even though it is rough country, the
alpacas handle it with ease. It’s been
about five months since the break and
Serenade is as good as gold with no limp
and so we let her back down the hill,
hoping SHE will know the danger of
whatever caused her pain and suffering.
Thanks to Warwick for this story. I’m not
sure what the “Robert Jones” method is,
but personally I’m never going to use
anything else!
If you have any tales to tell, please put pen
to paper or quill to parchment and share
your story with the rest of us. Ed