VACCINATIONS

 

Most alpaca injections are sub cutaneous ( under the skin not into the muscle) and are easy to administer.

It is very easy to learn to administer injections and a neccesary part of alpaca ownership.  Only the financially blessed can afford to drag their vet out every time there is an injection to administer.

Sub cuteanous injections are administered by pulling up  a 'tent' of skin and then pushing the needle into one side of the tent and administering.

At TOFT we always use short needles to prevent pushing the needle through the other side of the 'tent'. Given that most of the time whilst administering sub cutaneous injections you will be dealing with up to 5 inches of fleece on an alpaca, it is worth always feeling the site of the injection, after adminstration, to feel for damp. If you have accidentally shoved the needle through the other side and administered you will feel moisture and the vaccination is not in the alpaca but on the fleece. If in doubt re-administer.

CHLOSTRIDIAL VACCINATION

Alpacas like all other livestock are vaccinated against chlostridial disease- at TOFT we administer to our adults annually.

At TOFT we currently give our expectant Mums a pre birth chlostridial booster a month before their due dates. We follow this up with giving the new born cria a 60 days and 90 days vaccination against chlostridial bacteria. this completes the course for a new alpaca and from then on the alpacas are only given an annual chlostridial booster throughout the rest of their lives.

?Other farms might use a different routine but this has always worked for us at TOFT.

WORMING

Alpacas are normally wormed on an annual or biannual basis.

To prevent developing a resistance and worming uneccesarily, current 'best practice' is to couple your worming routines with frequent feacal sampling to monitor the levels of worms, coccidia and other parasites  to ensure you are worming only when neccesary.

?All livestock are susceptible to parasites and will have varying levels of parasitic infection at any one time. By monitoring your alpacas via regualar recording body score and weighing ( in larger herds) you will recognise a loss of condition sooner and by reacting you will  deal with it before it becomes an issue. Through regular sampling and testing of feacals you will gain knowledge and avoid unnecessary worming or developing a resistance to a given wormer. Your vet will recommend routines and regimes applicable to your grazing and locale.