Saturday, August 13, 2011

Alpaca Weight Loss - Could Be Mycoplasma Haemolamae

Weight Loss in Alpacas
One of the More Unknown Causes: Mycoplasma Haemolamae 
Following is an article that I am reprinting with permission from the farm that wrote it, Morning Moon Alpacas. My first year of owning alpacas I experienced this nightmare without the vet having any idea what was going on. At the suggestion of another alpaca farm I requested the test. I did receive a positive for the blood test but she was gone by the time I received the results. Photo of her included - skin and bones.

The Article:
Saving your alpacas' life from one of the known alpaca diseases that you may not have heard of, but should be aware of, is Mycoplasma Haemolamae (MH). It is a Silent Killer! MH has been detected since the 1990's and was called Eperythrozoonosis or EPE. Recently the name has changed in the medical community for camelids, but it's still the same disease. Alpaca health is very important to an alpaca business. Educating yourself about this disease will help protect your investment. 

Important Information:
If you have an animal that is lethargic with chronic weight loss and has light or heavy anemia you should consider Mycomplasma Haemolamae (MH) as a possible cause and start tetracycline treatment immediately. Weight loss can be +/- ¾ of a pound per day, lethargy and anemia happens very quickly. Then the alpaca can die within days without treatment. The alpaca’s response will be quick and over the 10 days of treatment they will respond with weight gain, less lethargy and less anemia until they are back to normal and gaining their weight back in just a short period of time. (See Treatment below)

If you call your vet and they draw blood for testing, ask for the blood to be tested by Oregon State University. OSU has the only lab testing for MH in the country. OSU holds the patent for the process and I have not found another lab or university who performs the testing. If blood is sent for testing it must be in a purple top test tube, handled and processed properly and delivered imediately to OSU. OSU will provide your vet with the handling and shipping procedures, found on their web site. OSU does testing on Thursday's and if your sample arrives late it does not get tested until the next testing day which is Thursday of the next week although they claim 1-3 days turn around. Results can be delayed causing death prior to recieving them. Also if the blood is handled improperly or the alpaca has had antibiotics or some types of worming medication prior to testing, the results can be affected. Treat your alpaca imediately and then wait for the results. You will find that if it is positive for MH your ahead of the dying curve. If it is negative you have not hurt your alpaca with tetracycline treatments.

Mycomplasma Haemolamae is a bacterium that attaches itself to the red blood cells of an alpaca. The immune system recognizes this as a problem and destroys the red blood cells. Your alpaca then becomes anemic. In the majority of alpacas infected with these bacteria, there are no signs of the disease. If your animal becomes immunocompromised through another one of the alpaca diseases or is stressed from a move or through other environmental changes, Mycomplasma Haemolamae can rear its ugly head. Because of the immunocompromised condition of the alpaca, other opportunistic parasites like strongyles, nematodes, coccidia, EMAC, clostridium A, B, C etc., can quickly infect the alpaca and Mycomplasma Haemolamae symptoms could be masked by the similar symptoms from these other parasites and illnesses. Many animals have died from Mycomplasma Haemolamae with an incorrect necropsy. Most vets and/or labs do not look for Mycomplasma Haemolamae during necropsy or even during standard blood panels. What usually comes back is anemia with high counts of white blood cells. This should be an alarm and treatment should start imediately to prevent death.

The disease can manifest as an acute problem. Your alpaca may suddenly be unable to stand and be extremely weak. Or it may be a chronic problem. As mentioned before, your alpaca may have chronic weight loss and lethargy. Anemia is one of the last symptoms to appear. Check for anemia by raising the eyelid of the alpaca. It should be bright pink and/or red looking (healthy) This is called the FAMCHA method found in the sheep and goat industry. Pale pink and/or white or almost white is close to death by intense anemia.

If you suspect infection with Mycomplasma Haemolamae, have your vet do a PCR (polymer chain reaction) test from OSU. This test amplifies the DNA so low levels of the bacteria can be detected on the red blood cells. In case you cannot get the PCR results back from your vet or lab in a timely manner like (1-3) days, start treatment immediately, especially if you have exhausted all other potential causes. This disease is a KILLER and once your alpaca is weak and down it is only days to hours to save their life, maybe.

This is one of the alpaca diseases thought to be spread by blood. Blood sucking insects such as biting flies, mosquitoes, lice, fleas, and ticks should be kept to a minimum on your farm. Only use a clean unused needle on each individual alpaca when giving injections. Needles are cheap. There is no reason to reuse a needle on another alpaca and risk the chance of transmitting any disease (besides, you dull the needle after the first use and it hurts more). Biting flies can be controlled by placing fly predators around poop piles and in areas of fly population. (search: (fly predators) on the net - they really work) Fly traps and Fly Stix help as well but do not elliminate the root of the problem like fly predators, they really work cutting the fly problem by 70 to 90% in a season. They last for 2-3 years or more without placing more. Having chickens free range with your alpacas can eliminate many parasites like ticks, (1 chicken can consume 500 ticks per day) fleas and other biting and sucking insects.

Treatment:
Mycomplasma Haemolamae is treated with tetracycline (LA200) (other brands of tetracycline are available but make sure they are the same strength as LA200) at your local farmer’s co-op a very common antibiotic. The dosage normally used is (.045) X (body weight) subcutaneously for 5 doses given every other day. Tetracycline is an over the counter drug and does not need to be prescribed by your vet. Check with a vet for dosages if you are unsure. Unfortunately, it appears that tetracycline does not completely rid the infected animal of these bacteria, but only lowers it to safe undetectable levels and save your alpacas life. 

Once infected, an alpaca becomes a carrier known as a "tick" in the cattle industry. They will not have problems with the disease unless they become immunocompromised. This is an opportunistic bacterium. 

The problem with having a carrier in your herd is that a fly could bite the carrier and then bite another animal passing on the bacterium. If you live near other livestock,(horses, cattle, sheep, goats etc..) this disease can be contracted from them via biting and sucking insects moving to your farm and making contact with your alpacas.

If you suspect Mycomplazma Haemolamae in an alpaca, you should probably test your whole herd and treat any animal with positive PCR results. Otherwise, you could have a reinfection of the disease. Not totally necessary if you are watching your alpacas closely for changes in normal conditions especially their weight. Young alpacas and cria seem to be affected much quicker that an adult. Probably because they weigh less and have less blood. Test and treat your suspected alpaca(s) who seem to have chronic weight issues. Then if positive consider doing others or all in the herd. Watch weight closely as it is the primary symptom that is recognizable without the interference of other opportunistic parasites.

Treated animals usually go on to live a long healthy life. Even though they have not gotten rid of the disease, they can live with it. 

It's important to weigh or evaluate alpacas when sheared or learn body scoring so you can spot a thin alpaca being a potential carrier of Mycomplasma Haemolamae. You should, also, require a PCR test from OSU before purchasing. The Mycomplasma Haemolamae carrier may look fine, but you bring them home and they infect your herd causing problems. Biting flys can be found everywhere and your alpaca can be bitten at your farm, during transport or even at an alpaca show and become a carrier back on your farm. A carrier can be healthly not showing signs for months or even years.

Here's a couple of interesting facts about camelid red blood cells: 
• They have a lifespan of 235 days vs. 100 days for human red blood cells 
• Camelids have oval red blood cells instead of round like other mammals. This gives them a larger surface area so there is better oxygen exchange which helps them survive at higher, thinner air altitudes in their native South America.

The unusual shape of an alpaca’s red blood cell makes understanding alpaca diseases a challenge to veterinarians. 

Mycomplasma Haemolamae is thought to be in 25% or more of Camelids (alpacas and llamas) in the United States. More studies are being done to try and eliminate alpaca diseases. Until something better is found for Mycoplasma Haemolamae, keep the insect population down on your farm and test and treat to keep it in check if present. 

Remember: Your Vet Does Not Save Your Alpaca’s Life. YOU DO!

"I am not a vet", but an experienced alpaca owner. When I say experienced I mean, having experienced the effects of this silent killer disease first hand. I have seen animals die on my farm and other farms, with most necropsies determining the death of the alpaca was from common parasites, heat stroke, failure to thrive or some other educated guess from the vet(s). This is done without the exact testing for MH. Without these tests it is the vet's best guess. Remember, other parasites become opportunistic during the process of this disease. The alpaca cannot fight anything else because it is busy fighting MH by attacking its own red blood cells, hence anemia. The alpaca dies quickly. Once you see an alpaca die from this disease with all parasite and other medical treatments doing nothing to stop it you will never let it happen again! I am not a vet, but an experienced alpaca owner. If you are not sure about the information I have given, call your vet and discuss MH with them prior to treatment, then get a second opinion and maybe a third. 

My personal opinion is that hundreds if not thousands of alpacas have died in the U.S. from MH without the knowledge of the vet or the owner. Many times the death is blamed on something else, failure to thrive, heat stroke, internal parasites etc. How many times was this just an "semi-educated guess"? I think many! When you hear of multiple death's on an alpaca farm(s) around the country it creates the alpaca disease of the year fear. Every year something new hits, SNOTS, EMAC, Barber Pole Worm and so on, and the blame is placed unknowningly on the new found disease of the year. Then the "experts" begin to give a series of seminars on the new fear. Be safe rather than sorry and treat for MH during these so called outbreaks and you may save your alpacas' life.

Giving LA200 in the dosage mentioned earlier is Risk Free and can do nothing to harm your alpaca, and it can't hurt even if the alpaca is by chance, ill from something else. Most vets do not recognize this disease and little is written about it, even in the Norm Evans field manual, it is just a mention. Most of the articles I have found do not stress the seriousness or deadliness of MH. 

Educating yourself can save your alpaca investment, money spent on vet assistance and your alpacas.

Feel free to copy this information and pass it to other alpaca owners. Knowledge is Power!

Be aware, I am not a trained vet and many may poo poo this article. I say, poo poo back! Time will tell.... To date, passing this information has saved many alpacas and I am sure many more to come!

Thank you for the information about MH found on the web at: owning-alpacas.com, OSU, and other internet sites reviewed, (the word is getting out and alpaca lives are being saved), but even as you read this there is an alpaca dead or dying from Mycomplasma Haemolamae unknown to the owner and their vet.

Alpaca owners, potential owners vets', techs' if you would like to discuss this further or if you have any questions contact me anytime.

Michael Six 
Owner/Operator
Morning Moon Alpacas, Inc.
417.235.5171

Alpaca Teeth Grinding

Alpacas are so stoic that it is often difficult to tell when they are not well or declining. One little behavior to let you know they are in PAIN is if they are grinding their teeth. Pay attention as pain can lead to them going off feed which leads to more serious problems.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Unhealthy Alpaca Cria Dies

Last year we experienced our first case of what vets call "failure to thrive" or "poor doer". Our star female gave birth to her 6th cria who was fully developed, a good birth weight but the cria couldn't get up and she was hypothermic on a warm, sunny summer day. I gave her over 24 hours of constant support and eventually got her walking and nursing. She never played like the other crias. She had another relapse at 2 months where she would collapse and stay down for a few minutes then get back up and appear fine. I gave her supportive care through that and she recovered. Then at 6 months, after a rabies vaccine, she developed a baseball sized lump on her nose. She never recovered from that. My daughter wrote a poem about the experience for a class assignment:


Out of the Snow

By the Fire
As the storm howls outside
snow falling
and piling up
and blowing about in the big angry gusts
of wind.
I lay by the stove
with a dog at my feet
and another curled at my side
and a cat,
purring on my stomach.

When I am here
I can forget about the cold outside
because I am warmed
by their bodies
and the stove.

Snowday
It has snowed all afternoon.
There is more than a foot
of heavy, white , beautiful snow.
Tomorrow, surely there will be a snow day.
A snow day would be
wonderful
then I can sled,
and read,
and sleep late,
and ski,
and just take a break
so I can finish my homework
and have some fun.

My mother is
grumbling
about going outside
to do the chores.
It is too cold.
But the animals have to be fed,
and watered,
and closed in
because they get cold too,
and they don’t have a fire
to keep them warm.

Morning
 When I wake up
there is even more snow.
It snowed all night
and now it is piled
in drifts, on the road
and on the trees.
It sparkles
in the sun.
And the road is a carpet of white
with no tracks.
That means we cannot go to school.
A snow day!

I go downstairs
and prepare myself
some breakfast.
As I eat,
my brother comes in
from outside.
There is snow
falling off his big boots
as he stomps into
the kitchen.
“Abby” he says.
”Pandora is sick again”
“Pandora is always sick”.
I say.
“This time she’s really sick”
He replies.
“She’s in the basement with the heating blanket”
“She’s hypothermic”
I hurry down
to the basement.
She’s there
just a small,
six month old
alpaca,
who has never had
much life in her.

Little hope
It is nearly
noon
and we have not
been plowed.
My brother and I go out
to do the chores.
There is so much
snow
that we have to shovel
a hole
to get the door to the goat barn open.
As we shovel
we hear the plow
and look down to see it slide off the road
into a ditch.

My brother
runs
to tell my father
and I go in to see my mom
and Pandora.
She is under the heating blanket,
shivering
with her eyes closed
every once in a while
kicking
as her body tries to warm her.
My mother’s face
is grim
“I called the vet” she says
“and when we get plowed I will take her there”
“It doesn’t look good though”
I nodded
It wasn’t the first time
we had had something die.
On a farm
it happens.

In my bathtub
By mid afternoon
another plow comes
to pull the other one out.
It hooks the towrope
and drives in the other direction.
For a moment it seems
that it has been pulled from the ditch
but then, with a scurry of snow
both trucks are back,
in the ditch.
My dad goes to help
and I wonder
why does this storm
have to happen when Pandora
is dying.

The trucks cannot get out
and my mom decides to soak Pandora
in hot water
in my bathtub.

We take her upstairs
and fill the tub
with hot water.
When we place her in
her body is so limp
I would think her dead
if I had not seen her blink.
After a while
she starts kicking again.
A moment later
she stops
and we know
that she has died.

She doesn’t look different
there is just a feeling
an empty feeling.
And we know
that we just lost that fight
but in some ways
we won.
Pandora has ended a life
where she had never been healthy.
Since the night we saved her from dying,
the night she was born.

My mother takes her
to the garage
where we will put her
until this storm has stopped
and we can bury her.
As I leave
I think of my bathtub
that will now
be haunted by Pandora’s spirit.
I go to the window
and look out
at the snow and wish
we had never had
this storm.
If we could have gotten out,
maybe,
Pandora wouldn’t have died.
I want to get out.
Out of the snow.

Out of the snow
By morning
we have been plowed
and the trucks have been
removed from the ditch.
I run downstairs
happy to be free
of the snow.
My dad says
he will take us skiing.
We gather our equipment
and load up the car.
As I get into the car
I look
one last time
at Pandora
wrapped in a blanket in the corner.
Then we drive down the road.
Out of the snow.


Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Controlling Alpaca Parasites Naturally


A Whole Farm/Organic Approach to Parasite Management    

            Internal parasites are a part of most every livestock producer’s farm. Regardless of whether they are pasture raised or in a confinement setting, livestock will be exposed to internal parasites at some time in their life. In the Northeast, and in other humid climates, parasites can be a major problem and small ruminants, including alpacas, are more likely to have major disease problems with internal parasites than larger ruminants such as cattle.
            So why adopt an organic approach to parasite management? Chemical dewormers are losing their effectiveness, with parasites developing resistance to them at an alarming rate. There are some parts of the country where internal parasites have developed resistance to all commercially available dewormers without new ones being developed. In our area where Meningeal worm is a threat and there is widespread use of Ivermectin, parasites that were formerly managed with this drug have grown resistant to it. Resistance means that not all the worms are killed during deworming. The surviving worms pass that genetic resistance on to offspring.
            The growing concern about the resistance of internal parasites to all classes of dewormers has caused people to look for alternatives. By looking at the whole farm as an interrelated system, it becomes apparent that there are parts of the system that can be managed to decrease internal parasites and their effects. This management strategy not only postpones the day when chemical dewormers no longer work, but it also increases the overall health of the animal and future herd and it may even decrease costs.

It All Starts with Prevention and Management:
1. Healthy, properly conditioned animals – Parasites do not usually cause much harm to a healthy, well-nourished animal. Nutrition plays a major role in how well alpacas are able to overcome the effects of internal parasites. Quality feed, fresh water, minerals, managing stress and monitoring for condition are essential. Check weights/body score and mucus membranes regularly to monitor condition.
2. Stocking Density -  By maintaining a healthy stocking density you decrease the overall infectivity rate of the farm. It also allows you to have more areas (pastures, etc) that you can rest for longer, creating more ‘clean’ areas. To calculate the optimum stocking density you’ll find a good worksheet at www.sarahflackconsulting.com
3. Quarantine – When an animal comes or returns to the farm keep it with a buddy in a quarantine area for one month while monitoring their health and doing regular fecals. This can protect your herd (particularly the geriatric, cria, weak or pregnant/lactating females) from parasites overloads and other disease to which they have not previously been exposed.
4. Pasture Rotation -  There could be an entire article alone on this subject. Narrowing it down to two subjects there is rotation for the health of the grasses and soils and rotation to beat the lifecycle of parasites.
            A. Lifecycle of parasites –If we begin with an understanding of the interrealtionship between the animal, the planst it  Although some parasite eggs can live in the soils year round without a host, many of the parasites we are dealing with go through a 21 day lifecycle outside the host. The infected manure is dropped, three days later the eggs hatch into larvae searching for a host (the alpaca) and most die by 21 days if a host does not ingest them.  We can take a simplistic view of this by considering wildlife where parasite loads generally do not cause disease and death in the host because, instinctively, wildlife are on the move. The parasites, therefore, have no host if the animal is no longer where the manure (eggs/occists) were dropped. The same principle applies to livestock. If we rotate our animals every 2-3 days to new pastures and not put them back on that same pasture for a minimum of 21 days we are significantly decreasing the numbers of larvae available to be ingested. Ideally, you want to size your pastures so that they eat it down to 2” in 3 days or even better 12-24 hours as most larvae live in the bottom 1-2” of grass.
            B. Health of Grasses and Soils - Overgrazing of pastures

5. Cleanliness – we keep clean barns and pastures. We scoop manure twice daily and pile it in the current active compost pile. Scooping this often keeps the alpacas from stepping in it and dragging it all over and ingesting eggs or larvae. Actively composting your manure by creating the proper carbon/nitrogen mix will heat up the manure to 135 degrees and kill pathogens.
6. Encouraging Hardiness – our alpacas live most of their year out in the elements even though provided shelter year round. The winter barn faces south and is built into the hill providing shelter from winter wind while offering the warmth and health benefits of the sun. They have outside as well as inside hay feeders but mostly prefer to be outside. They live out on pasture in the summer months with areas of shade and a run-in shelter. They give birth in the pasture, sleep out under the stars and only take cover during a heavy rain. This encourages them to
7 Selective Breeding - Select for parasite resilient trait. By monitoring our animals we can most often detect which animals almost never shed eggs, those that do sometimes and those that always do. Obviously we would not want to perpetuate the animals that are easily infested as they will take down the health of the entire herd by shedding more eggs that our other alpacas can pick up.
Then moves to monitoring and treatment . . .
• In house fecals – we began doing these about ten months ago and believe it is one of our greatest tools to monitor alpaca health (along with body scoring/weighing and daily observation) and alpaca parasite resilience. We do a fecal on each alpaca when we do monthly herd health and we do them in between as necessary.
• Close observation of an animal in question –
• Strategic Deworming – treat the individual animal not the whole herd. This encourages the alpacas that do not have a parasite issue to continue to be resilient. Proper dosing is equally important because if you do not knock out the parasite but only knock it down then you are encouraging it to adapt to the drug, that is, develop resistance to it.

            Please note:  The information shared in this article should be approved by your veterinarian before being utilized in any way on any individual farm.

Our approach:

We are working toward an organic approach to parasite management for the benefit of our individual animals and for the greater good of the herd. In many areas of the country alpaca owners and breeders are experiencing parasite resistance to many of the drugs available and not many new ones are being developed. In New England we are looking at possibly another 3-5 years before the drugs don’t work here. Continual use and the incorrect use of chemicals as the method of parasite management results in parasites that become resistant to those very drugs. Then when we need them they no longer work. This is already seen with Ivomec due to the widespread use of it to control Meningial Worm. It no longer knocks out many of the parasites it used to.

For this reason, we take a multi-faceted approach to parasite management to limit the use of chemicals while working toward an organic approach. It may seem overwhelming but organic livestock raised for human consumption are doing it and even the non-organic livestock has withdrawal periods which cost farmers time and money.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Alpaca Foot Rot

As the name suggests, it rots away the foot of the animal, more specifically the area between the two toes of the affected alpaca. It can be extremely painful. It is contagious.


It is caused by a bacteria, found in the environment, that gets into the skin. It can affect an alpaca due to wet weather, stress, an injury to the skin of the foot or a mineral deficiency, namely zinc.


It is pretty easy to identify. In the early stages the toes appear lumpy or swollen. As it advances the foot will have a foul odor and cheesy-like discharge.


It is best and easiest to treat if caught early. The alpaca should be quarantined in a dry area while treating. This bacteria is contagious and can live off a host for 7 days.
• Clean the foot thoroughly and make sure it is foot rot. 
• My vet suggests spraying/applying Iodine over the affected area for three days. Follow this by applying Otomax for several days til the foot rot is gone. This is an anti-yeast/anti-bacterial cream.
• Other suggestions are: soak in Nolvasan, apply Zinc Sulfate 10% or Copper Sulfate 20%, and/or treat with penicillin or tetracycline. 


If the alpaca is not responding to treatment within a few days consult a veterinarian as serious tissue and nerve damage can be done.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Blood Draw on Alpacas - Do It Yourself from the Tail

There are certain things we can do as livestock owners and breeders that can save us a vet visit and bill and allow us to get things done on our own time with less stress for the alpaca. It is very handy to know how to do a blood draw on an alpaca.

Whether you need a few drops for an Alpaca Registry DNA test or 1-2 ml for a progesterone test, these simple steps can lead you on the way to being a more self-sufficient farmer.

1. Use a 20 gauge needle that is 1" long.
2. Have someone hold the alpaca on halter, facing the alpaca and in front of the shoulder to prevent lunging forward.
3. You will lift the tail with your left hand (if you are right handed), not higher than horizontal or you'll restrict circulation.
4. With your right hand, scrub the under-side of the tail well with an antibacterial wipe. Lie the wipe on the alpaca's back, clean side up to be used after the blood draw.
5. The plunger should be pulled out just a bit so that you can see the flash of blood as you hit the vein.
6. Feel around with your finger for the vein. Sometimes it helps to close your eyes or lower the tail in a more relaxed position to find the vein.
7. Even if you aren't sure you located the vein you're likely to find it once you insert the needle.
8. It is approximately 1" from the base of the tail and right under the skin. You can move up or down a bit until you are able to find it.
9. Insert needle slowly, almost parallel to the skin. Move SLOWLY so that you can stop when you see blood in your syringe. Most people go too deep and go right thru the vein and dead end at the bone.
10. When you see the blood, draw back on the syringe with your right hand. You can use your left to hold the needle in place. If the alpaca jerks and you loose it, you can find the source of blood easily and either re-insert or draw directly from the wound.
11. Once done, hold the antibacterial wipe on the wound with pressure til the bleeding stops, usually within 30 seconds.
12. Praise your alpaca.

There are many laboratories that you can send blood to for a progesterone test. The one I use is Rocky Mountain Instrumental Laboratories. For $20 I can confirm a pregnancy. They supply the vial and can email you the results within days.