Alpacas With Southern Charm

Basic Alpaca Neonatal Care

 Immediate Care at Birth

1.                  Immediately after birth of cria, rub cria briskly over the head and body with towel and remove any remaining birth membranes from mouth and nose. Observe breathing. If breathing is noisy from excess fluid in nasal passages, pick cria up by the front legs and back legs with head down, and spin around with cria, rear end first. This will drain excess fluid from airways.

2.                  Move cria and dam to a warm, dry area, or leave in birthing pasture, if weather permits. Avoid drafts or windy conditions until cria is dry. Protect cria from older crias.

3.                  Treat navel with Nolvasan solution diluted 1:4 with water. Trim any excess tissue from cord, being careful not to trim too close. Umbilical stump should be about ½ to ¾ inch from abdomen. Note any bleeding or fluid dripping from stump. Cord should be treated 3 times in the first 8 hours. If there is any persistent bleeding from cord, apply pressure, or tie sterile suture or string snugly around the distal portion of cord. Consult your veterinarian if this does not resolve with in one hour or so. Clear fluid dripping from cord could be urine. Consult your veterinarian if this persists beyond 24 hours.

4.                  Take cria’s temperature.

a.      If temperature 99-101, proceed to 5.

b.      If temperature is < 99 or if shivering, use hair dryer to dry and warm cria. Be careful not to burn cria with hot air. Apply cria coat if cool outside.

c.      If temperature is < 97, consider submersing cria in warm water (110-120 degrees). Place cria in plastic garbage bag with head out, and place in tub of warm water for 10-15 minutes. Recheck temperature and repeat until temp is 99. Avoid getting cria wet, overheating cria, and do not leave cria unattended.

5.                  Weigh the cria for a baseline weight. Cria should gain .25 to .5 pounds per day. However, the cria may lose ¼ of a pound or so in the first 24 hours. This is OK as long as cria is urinating, nursing well with adequate milk supply, and appears active and alert.

6.                  Check the dam for milk by milking each teat until milk is obtained from each teat. This ascertains milk is present, and removes the waxy plug from each teat.

7.                  Consider administering .5 cc Bo-Se IM or SQ (supplemental selenium) if appropriate for your area. Check with local veterinarian or county agent regarding selenium status in your area.

8.                  Allow dam to bond with cria.

9.                  Observe dam for passage of placenta-usually within 2 hours, but may be longer.

10.              Observe the cria from a distance for normal cria behavior. Cria should stand within one hour and nurse within two hours. Cria should pee and poop within 6-8 hours. Bright lights will help cria find udder as they will instinctively look for the udder in the shadows. Do not assume cria is nursing just because she is under the dam. Visualize the cria actually latched on and sucking. If the cria cannot nurse for some reason, or the dam has inadequate milk, supplemental feeding with a bottle or a tube may be necessary.

Supplemental Feeding Protocol

1.                  When to supplement: If the cria has not nursed within six hours of birth, consider supplemental feeding. Objective is to give cria adequate fluid and calories until the cria can nurse dam and/or dam’s milk comes in, without suppressing the cria’s stimulus to nurse. Nursing stimulates milk production. If cria is unable to nurse for several days, it is necessary to milk dam in order to maintain adequate milk production.

2.                  What to feed: In the first 24 hours after birth, colostrum should be used for supplementation. Frozen cow or goat colostrum is OK in the absence of alpaca or llama colostrum. Also powdered Colostrix is well tolerated. After 24 hours, other successful milk substitutes include whole cow’s milk, Land O Lake Lamb Milk Replacer mixed 1:3 or 1:4 parts water, or goat’s milk. Some breeders add 1 ounce of live culture yogurt to the feeding daily.

3.                  How much to feed: Cria requires 1½ ounces of milk per pound of body weight per 24 hours. For instance: 15 # cria x 1.5 oz. = 22.5 oz. per 24 hours.

4.                  How often to feed: Divide daily requirements into 6 daily feedings x 2 weeks, then gradually decrease feedings to 4 feedings by 4 weeks, then to 3 daily feedings until weaned. So 22.5 oz. / 6 feedings = 3.75 (or 4 oz) at 7, 10, 1, 4, 7, and 10. Many crias will spontaneously wean themselves from the bottle at 12 –14 weeks. Continue to monitor to insure adequate weight gain.

5.                  Monitor: Cria's weight should be monitored daily for the first 2-3 weeks as an indicator of adequate nutrition, and thereafter every few days, to insure nutritional needs are met. The amount of formula should be adjusted to obtain a weight gain of .2-.3 # per day. Cria should not have diarrhea during supplemental feedings. If cria does not appear sick, signs of diarrhea may indicate a different or more dilute formula may be necessary.

Failure of Passive Transfer: If there is any question about cria receiving an adequate amount of colostrum in the first 12-24 hours, consider a plasma intraperitoneal infusion within 48-72 hours after birth. This procedure should be performed by a veterinarian unless you are trained and experienced in the procedure. Plasma, administration supplies, and instructions are available from Triple J Farms in WA at 360-398-9512. They also carry supplies for testing IgG levels.

 Tube Feeding: Some crias refuse a bottle while others are too weak to suck a bottle. In this case tube feeding is required.

Supplies needed: Small gauge (14 F), pliable feeding tube, preferably clear, Catheter tipped squeeze bottle (Miss Clairol) or 60 cc Catheter tip syringe, and a cup or basin of water.

Procedure:

1.                  Measure with the tube the distance from the corner of the mouth to the base of the neck and mark tube with a permanent marker. This is the approximate distance to pass the tube.

2.                  Straddle the cria and cradle his chin in your left hand parallel to the ground. Moisten the tube with water to facilitate passage.

3.                  With your right hand slip the tube into the cria’s mouth and slowly advance to the measured mark. There should be no resistance encountered. You may feel the tube pass down the throat with your left hand.

4.                  Place the open tip of the tube under water. If water bubbles with respiration, or if water is “inhaled” up the tube, remove tube immediately as the tube is probably in the lungs. A single bubble or two is probably a stomach air bubble. If in doubt as to the location of tube, remove tube and try again.

5.                  Once the tube placement is verified, administer the formula over 1-2 minutes either with the syringe or bottle. If milk appears in the mouth, the cria’s stomach is full and feeding should be stopped.

6.                  To remove tube, disconnect the bottle, crimp tubing to avoid milk leaking from tube during removal and entering trachea and lungs. Tube should be removed by pulling out in one, quick motion.

This information is based upon my experience in successfully raising over 100 cria, and is intended only as a guide and source of general information. It is not intended to replace the advice of your veterinarian.

Veterinarian’s Phone Number   ______________________________________________

References:    Smith B, Timm K, & Long P. 1996. Llama and Alpaca Neonatal Care. Clay Press.

                                    Barnett, B. The Bolivian Suris

Evans N, Lampton D. 1997. Veterinary Lama Field Manual.