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Alpacas Summer Health Newsletter 2008
A sunny summer has seen hot days, which is good for birthing alpacas, and dry
paddocks, which is not so good for feeding alpacas, or for rye grass staggers.
Read about Rye Grass Staggers below.
If you see an alpaca with the tremble of head
or limbs that is the start of staggers, ACT QUICKLY. Get the animal and a
companion off the rye grass and into a yard area with other food - chaff, green
tree branches, lucerne hay - not meadow hay made of rye grass as it can carry
the toxins as well
We sprinkle Equiguard over the chaff feed, and
this aids in removing the toxins. You do need to do this in the first 48 hours
of the staggers beginning. Early treatment gives good recovery. And put
the alpaca onto non rye pastures.
Delay treatment and you may have a worse case
to deal with. Re-occurrences will happen. Permanent neurological damage can
occur. It will be worse with stress e.g. travel, shearing and seems to recur
when there is rain or irrigation on the pastures. If you have mushrooms,
conditions are right for staggers.
Nic Cooper and Linda Blake
Main West Coast Road, West Melton, RD1, Christchurch, New Zealand
Phone 0064 3 318-1917 | fax 0064 3 318-1927 | email
alpacasnz@xtra.co.nz
