Small Ruminant and Camelid Mobile Veterinary Services

The year of 2007 has been another very challenging year for llamas and alpacas here in North Carolina. The extremely mild winter has allowed coccidia to survive and attack camelids in our state with vengeance. This parasite can cause severe gastrointestinal damage which may result in anemia, slow weight loss, and eventually death if not properly treated.

This has been the first year that significant numbers of coccidia have been consistently detected in herds routinely monitored by this practice via fecal evaluations. Coccidia need about 30 days of constant extreme weather being either below 32 F or very severe drought with heat above 100 F for about 30 days to destroy them.

This has not been the case for this past winter or the current summer here in our region. My practice has seen one alpaca death resulting from coccidiosis this year. There are several drug available to successfully treat this disease. Owner are advised to consult you local veterinarian to have routine fecal evaluations performed to determine potential parasite problems. Your veterinarian can then provide you the best recommendation for treatment and prevention of future problems with these potentially lethal parasites.

 

 

Tapeworms are a common parasite that routinely infect llamas and alpacas. This highly preventable parasite does not normally cause major problems in these animals. However, in severe cases, tapeworms may become so abundant in number that they can cause blockage of the intestinal tract. This may result in death if left untreated. It is very beneficial to have annual fecal evaluations performed to determine if these or other parasites are present. This is the only way to determine if your deworming program is working effectively. Tapeworms can be effectively treated with a few different anthelmentics (dewormers). Some of these medications may cause severe reactions like abortion and possibly death in pregnant or severely debilitated animals. Consult your veterinarian to determine which product is safest to use for your situation.

 

 

Strongyles can infect llamas and alpacas. It is seen most commonly in large herd with limited pasture space or in herds where llamas or alpacas are forced to graze with sheep and/or goats. Camelids are naturally clean animals that will typically designate a chosen area of a pasture or paddock for urination and defecation.

Sheep and goats do not discriminate over where they urinate and defecate. Their behavior make them very prone to contaminating valuable grazing area with parasite infested feces that may eventually cross over to other animals.

It is advisable to put camelids housed with these species on similar parasite management plans to effectively prevent problems in these herds. It is very important to regularly monitor parasites in these situations. There are several dewormer available to effectively kill strongyles. There is no single dewormer available that will kill all parasites that camelids get. Consult your veterinarian to determine the best plan to manage your herd.

 

 

Caprine General Information

Ovine General Information

Lama General Information

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