Do alpacas like bananas?

I have to say ...it never pays to be a smart a a#5* (not sure if that is spelt alec or alex). There was I suggesting to Mark that leaving a gate open was at best rather silly (if very amusing in his case)...something that I had done once but wasn't going to repeat. To be fair I didn't do the going in one gate and out of another... I thought that I had closed it... It was when I saw Hollywood (who had been seperated yet again for fighting with Almost Illegal...he does not start the fights...it is just that he is so big he finishes them!) in with Legacy and Snowstorm... Legacy is at least fourteen years old (I say at least because he was imported from Peru, with a January the first birthday...usually meaning that they really don't know the date of birth). He is getting on...he is much smaller than Hollywood...he is the boss...no fighting!!

Hollywood (photo not taken today...as it seem like it has rained for ever, our alpacas have never looked such a mess).

After last year's debate over vitamin paste versus vitamin injections, we now have both on farm. However today, as they like the taste of the paste and therefore it is easy to administer, Amanda and myself thought that we would give the first dose as paste...well that is what we thought...has anybody else tried the new eggs-port paste...it is bright pink...it is too sticky...it tastes of bananas (they tell me)...and the alpacas hate it (some were actually retching)...we quickly moved on to injections...and I will try to get a refund on the unopened tube...why do they change things...

With all the photos of barns, house building and studios on the blogs...I thought that I would share my little effort...the portacabin (I should have done a before and after...you will have to believe me when I say it is much improved...and about 30 years old). It still needs some steps but is no longer an eye sore. It is to be our teaching and meeting venue. Lots still to do inside so it will be next spring before it will be up and running (it is now full of fleece!)

A work in progress...The Education Centre!

Reckless behaviour.

Yesterday was one of those days when there was so many things to do on 'the to do list' that I ended up doing very little. Self regulation requires discipline...it was definitely lacking yesterday...it was also cold, wet and Monday. As a consequence today has had me work doubly hard.

On the immediate list:

Fasinex (against liver fluke) to be given...whole herd

Vitamins paste/injection to be given...whole herd

Vecoxan to be given as prophylactic measure...late born cria

Toe nails to be trimmed...those in need

Paddock cleaning (always on the list)

Content to be written for new website

Photos to be taken for new website (product range)

Fleece to be sorted so that there is a product range

Lots of emails to be sent

Etc...Etc...Etc

Paul decided at the weekend that the task of paddock cleaning was not only to be allocated to yours truly...but that it would be best done on a daily basis...Paul does not know how to ride a bike...but if he did... he would most certainly be on his! But as a nod to my duties, I did do a couple of paddocks. I also wrote the content for the website and took some more photos, so not a bad days work. Feeling on top of things I even agreed to take on some nursing-legal work...this has instructions and a deadline so is good for my time management...it is also incredibly interesting...and I get paid!

Feeling a bit reckless I decided to throw one of our 100% alpaca throws into the washing machine (inside a duvet cover)...wool cycle...non-bio Persil (best thing I had available) and a drop of fabric conditioner. Thrown over the banister to dry...it has come out a treat...actually softer that before it was washed...the scarf came out equally well. So that's a scarf and a throw that I have acquired in the name of product testing!

Explorer has had his toe nails trimmed...boy was he mad...he didn't behave too badly...it was all in the eyes...he was blazing. Explorer is now going to the YAG show on Saturday hence the pedicure. He was entered but we had decided to give it a miss as we though that Roma was pregnant (not the case). In the mean time I had agreed to help out as Chief Steward (BAS training to level 2 is required so a limited number of people were available). Then I was asked if I could take the BAS trailer (this is stored in Cumbria) and on a whim I decided if we are going to tow a trailer lets just take some alpacas...Explorer is far too fat...he is filthy...probably not a good decision...but he does enjoy himself! More reckless behaviour?

It is hardly surprising that he is fat with the amount of grass that we have...it just never stops raining! Here is Finesse ankle deep in lush grass. I have been having lots of deliberations over females...I had decided that we had no more females for sale this year...however we continue to get enquires...but I really do want to hang on to her.

Beck Brow Finesse

Poor Magellan (looking rather soggy) got such a fright when he wondered up to me with some greenery hanging out of his mouth...for a moment I though that it was ragwort...but thankfully not.

Magellan...with his salad

Quintos and Boots remain firm favourites. I have somehow started calling Quintos 'Cute Pants' . Not sure how that happened...I wonder if it is because he is always with 'Snooty Boots'!

Quintos (aka Cute Pants) and Snooty Boots

Naughty!

The mums and cria are now in a paddock that is completely new to them (this years hay field and prior to that grass let). We are preparing for the arrival of Easter-Wood Metisha and Easter-Wood Adelle and have been moving the herd around 

A new view for the mums

In the opposite direction the young girls are next to the house. As you can see we really are in the valley. With alpacas in the foreground, cows in the centre and sheep at the top...it really is a layer cake of a country view!



Feedback from Karin Mueller (Consultant in Camelid Medicine) talk...and lots of feeding.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early and on our way to Wetherby Town Hall by 7.45 am...I had forgotten a couple of things so we had to come back and set off again so it was actually 8 am but hey ho...we still managed to get there in good time. The town hall was the venue for a lecture presented by Karin Mueller (Consultant in Camelid Medicine at Dick White Referrals) and had been organised by the Yorkshire Alpaca Group.

Karin gave us a morning packed with information gathered from her visit to The International Camelid Conference 2011 held in Oregon. She really is the most interesting speaker and well worth travelling to listen to, but here are just a few bits and bobs from the morning session that might be of general interest:

• Not all skin conditions in alpacas is mange (although many are). If mange treatment is not improving the skin consider other possibilities... If considering insect bite allergy note that symptoms will always be symetrical.
• Sarcoptic mange (treated with Ivomectins) is itchy and can cause hair loss on face. Chorioptic mange is not itchy and does not cause hair loss on the face (treated with pour ons/ Frontline). It was suggested sulphor mixed with vaseline may be an effective treatment.
• Nuflor (often used to treat jaw abscesses) has a higher peak and is less variable when given intramuscular rather than subcutaneous. We have found this ourselves.
• Spring matings result in a gestation period approximately 10 days longer than those after the 21st of June (taken from American study)
• Recal scanning should be avoided due to the fragile nature of the alpaca bowel. Abdominal ultrasound is advised at 45-50 days. 10% abortion rate prior to 45 days, 5% after (American study)
• Karin advised that when using Lambivac she would give it at 6 monthly intervals (post initial doses) as there is not enough evidence to be sure that yearly doses are sufficient.

http://www.dickwhitereferrals.com/

I mentioned on my last blog that we were going to stay at a spa hotel for the night and we had the case packed including our swim wear (well that might have been what I had forgotten actually). However, I did remember when we got to the hotel that I had had a change of plan and decided to go for the food option rather than the spa (now there is a surprise). I has chosen a hotel featured in the Good Food Guide instead. Now our guide is the 2008 version (this coincides with the purchase of our first alpacas...obviously we don't manage to eat out as often as we used to!) but thankfully the food lived up to the promises made.

Paul and I like to think of ourselves as would be food critics when we eat out (don't worry it is only when we are paying...we don't do this at home...or even worse at friends). So we are always tasting each others food and making comments...I find that this always gets you extremely good service...look like hotel inspectors! We agreed to disagree on the lime scented mash (I just don't think you should have citrus with potatoes but Paul liked it and it was his order) however we could certainly recommend Crathorne-Hall...great building (the stuff of period dramas)...great food and excellent wine recommendations...and good value too.

Despite a plentiful breakfast we still managed to fit in an excellent lunch...again taking a recommendation from The Good Food Guide...we tried out The Sand Piper Inn at Leyburn...we both agreed that we really should have had two nights away...however we still managed to fit in some alpaca business before heading home in time for just enough day light to get in an hour's poo picking...he wouldn't want to spoil me too much now would he!

Milking it just a little?

Velvet got the all clear at her vet check up yesterday morning. The consensus of opinion is that she is one lucky little dog (well not so lucky eating fungi but lucky to still be with us). She isn't quite herself and is still pretty tired, all the same I think that she may be beginning to milk it just a little:

The sick bed!

Yes, Velvet has been allowed to sleep in our bed since she was taken ill (we have had to buy a new quilt as the old one seemed to be missing a few togs...Velvet must be one of the most costly dogs ever!). Paul does not normally give his permission, but even he got soft on this occasion. The paw out means that she is a tad warm...too many togs?

I really should be poo picking...I have been out with the poover...it is far too cold...the poo is all wet (too much rain) and keeps sticking in the pipe...I watched the cria for some time (this is important as problems can be picked up!)...took some photos...and decided I would do it this afternoon (might have dried up by then!)

Boots is causing me a little concern as she just does not put on much weight (she never goes backwards... she just goes forwards very slowly). She is still only 15.4kgs at nearly two months of age. Lady Gaga has milk (although not as abundant as some), Boots drinks at suitable intervals (she is not constantly going for more as though she is hungry), her tummy feels full. She will not entertain being bottle fed. She eats Camelibra, hay and grass. She has gets regular Boost and Go (similar to Jump Start) and has had a selenium, colbolt, Vit B12 drench. She is bright eyed and bushy tailed, always play fighting and in the thick of it. Obviously just not a chunky monkey!

Boots with Quintos (the youngest cria) who over took her long ago...now he IS a chunky monkey!

Still we all look the same size when we stand in a hole...Boots, Quintos, Alfie (left to right)

Not the case when out of the hole...Quintos who is our youngest with Magellan our oldest cria

The hole causes much amusement...although Rumour does not look best impressed with the antics of Synergy and Magellan...Boys!!

Lastly...Sophie who always keeps out of trouble.

We are off to Wetherby to the Yorkshire Alpaca Group talk by Karin Mueller tomorrow. As it was Paul's birthday yesterday, we are treating ourselves to a night in a spa hotel that is recommended in the Good Food Guide, before heading back on Sunday. Craig is on alpaca and dog duties...I don't suppose he will be poo picking though...I wonder...No!

Welcome Home

I got the long awaited call from the vet at 8 am this morning; Velvet had been drifting back and forth from being totally lucid to being completely knocked off, since yesterday afternoon. However, in the early hours of this morning she had awoken and chewed through her intravenous fluid line (they had tried to piece together all the bits to see if she had swallowed any of it...they thought probably not...is she the most accident prone dog ever!) and she had not looked back since...she could come home.

I saw two magpies on the the way to collect her...two for joy that seemed quite apt. What wasn't so fortunate was that a mention on the radio (Ken Bruce's Pop Master was to blame) of Peters and Lee's 1970's number one hit; Welcome Home...well this got me singing it to Velvet for the next 30 minutes...now the original was bad...but I am tone deaf 9yes even more tham Peters and Lee)...still we were happy!

She is not 100% her old self...hardly surprising after how ill she has been...but the biggest relief is that she can see. She is obviously very tired, but she isn't quite processing things as she would normally, however I am sure it will all resolve with time.

A big thank you to everyone who showed their concern via comments, emails and calls...it did help. I received an interesting link from Karen (Amiryck) about seasonal canine illness. I have been convinced from the start that Velvet's illness was some how connected to her jaunts into the wood. We have 5 acre of woodland which Velvet considers to be her playground. I am sure that she has some kind of stash in there, as whenever the opportunity araises she is off to the wood. She always comes back after about 15 minutes as through she has just been to check on something. And she did this on the morning the illness began. This means unfortunately for Velvet she will have to be kept on a lead for sometime...no more woodland outings for a while...my theory is that it is connected with fungi in some way?

I promise I will to try to be cheery for the rest of the year!

Velvet update.

Many thanks for your comments and emails regarding Velvet. We had a really tough night with neither Velvet nor myself sleeping a wink. As you may have picked up we were not at all impressed by the treatment given by the on-call vet, but unfortunately being Sunday this was our only option. It was the longest night ever, just watching the clock and waiting for 8 am to come around, when I could then register her with another veterinary practice (the one which we use for the alpacas, they are less local, but with hindsight are well worth the extra 30 minute drive). There was a point at 5am when I was beginning to lose hope, she was having numerous small fits and was totally out of it. I was concerned about her liver but took the decision to give some Metacam which did take the edge off. I was in tears... Paul was in my dressing gown...trying to hold back the tears in case he looked like a girl!

Anyway things are looking a bit better. As we expected, and many of you suggested, it appears that she has ingested some toxin of some description. We did suggest this to the other vet on the Sunday but he was unconvinced!. This morning I asked why dogs could not be given activated charcoal (given tubed to absorb toxins...something used a lot in A&E). The answer was; it can be and will be, but unfortunately we have probably missed the window of opportunity...argh! I have just had an update and she is to stay in doggy intensive care overnight. She is on intravenous fluids and regular intravenous diazepam. Her renal and liver function tests, as well as all other blood work, have come back normal (to be retested in 2 days as damage can be delayed...but hopefully not). They also think that she may be responding to light (difficult to tell as her wiring is all crossed at the moment, but there is hope for her sight returning.) The best news of all... they said that she had just given a little wag of her tail, she could barely stand never mind wag her tail earlier. Velvet is normally the happiest little dog ever...so no tail wagging...that was bad. Fingers crossed Velvet, our little bundle of trouble and joy.

Velvet taken a couple of days ago...Magellan and her best friend Quintos looking on.

Whilst totally sleep deprived this morning, I have made a couple of rash decisions that probably would have been better slept on. I am sure that I will probably regret them. But they are not life or death, and in the grand scheme of things, that is all that really matters after the past 24 hours we have all had.

Sick Dog...any ideas?

Nothing to do with alpacas I know, but I wonder if anyone has any ideas about what might be wrong with Velvet (our young dog). After being perfectly okay this morning she was sick at lunch time but otherwise seemed well. Then she suddenly began acting strangely, with jerky movements, walking backwards and shaking her head. She then appeared to loose her sight (her pupils are very dilated). She has a slightly raised temperature. We took her to see the vet and he gave her a shot of antibiotics and a sedative and said see how she goes. The vet looked in her eyes and reported no signs of a bleed or swelling but there is something wrong neurologically. We are worried.

We had our farm vet (different from pet vet) out on Friday to microchip the cria and to scan some of the girls who we were having difficulty assessing for pregnancies with spit-offs. All pregnant thankfully. It wasn't until after the vet left that I realised that I had missed scanning Lucie. Lucie is very submissive with St. Patrick, who is rather assertive in his wooing, so is always difficult to read her. Hence I decided to pop her in with Explorer...who had a good sniff where he should not...and got a full on spit for his trouble...pregnant then!

We have moved everyone around over the weekend and Explorer is now back next to Lucie much to his delight. He is now in a paddock previously used by the young girls and is having a day of poo sniffing!

Explorer...ummm I smell girls!

Lucie looking over the gate at Explorer (Roma behind)

St Patrick has gone back over with the other stud males now that we have finished the matings for this year. The boys were reintroduced with a fence between them yesterday then let in together today. After much screeching, chasing and smelly stuff flying around, St Patrick has let it be known that he is back... and he is top dog!

Legacy arrived back from his holiday by the seaside today (he has been on lease for the summer). I am not sure being greeted by a worming injection was the welcome return that he was expecting. Now, at 14 years of age, he really is top dog. However he is on his own for now before going back in with Snowstorm (poor Snowstorm came as his companion but I don't think that Legacy actually likes him if the way he treats him is anything to go by.)