Heat Stress:
Signs - Panting and frothing at the mouth, sweating, incoordination, depression, premature birth, sterality in males
Causes - Obesity, long shaggy coat, high temperatures and humidity, excessive muscular effort (packing, birthing, fighting, etc)
Treatments - Cool down (shade, water)
Internal Parasites:
Signs - Loss of appetite, gain in appetite, unusual behavior changes, worm segments in droppings
Causes - droppings from infected animals spread worms into nearby grass, which other llamas ingest, restarting the process.
Treatment - Keep infected animals away from those who are clean. Certain combinations of crushed herbs may help, but nothing has been proven yet.
Denistry:
Signs - Bleeding gums, slow chewing, trouble maintaining weight
Causes - Untrimmed fighting teeth in males grow to be absurdly long and sharp
Treatment - Cut fighting teeth in males at a young age (may need to be repeated over several years), saw the tooth off with wire
Ulcers :
Signs - Depression, lack of appetite, decreased manure production, signs may be overshadowed by symptoms of other diseases caused by the ulcer
Causes - Stress, overcrowding, hot weather, nervous animals, weaning young, isolation
Treatment - Treatment must be performed aggressively, as death is common in animals with ulcers. Stress reduction (place the llama with familiars if isolated, separate him and a friend if overcrowded), put an end to other causes as well. Numbweed can be used to reduce stomach pain and calm the animal.
Winter care:
Llamas enjoy snow, but should be given easy access to shelter at all times. Feeding and watering, as well as a dung pile, should be moved into the shelter. The shelter should be closed up completely if highwinds or harsh conditions occur. Make sure that bedding is available for llamas at all times during the winter months. It helps a llama to mantain their body temperature and comfort. Heated water is a good thing to provide, but isn't necissary. Crias born in the winter (not reccomended) should be warmed and dried immediately after birth to avoid hypothermia.
Deformities :
Polydactyle - not harmful
Fused digits - make for a clumsy animal who may have trouble getting around properly
Tipped over ears/gopher ears - may cause a llama to have social problems, as he cannot express himself properly
Closed nostrils - usually fatal (the animal must breath out its mouth and cannot nurse)
Do not breed animals with defects, as it is likely that the traits will pass onto their young.
Underfed llamas :
Mothers - give birth to weak crias, may not recover well from birth, will not produce adequate milk
Crias - stunted growth and delayed maturity
Prevention - feel out animals often to make sure they are not emancipated. Do not overcrowd.
Overfed llamas :
Geldings - Very common, be careful
Females - infertility, poor milk production, birthing difficulties, DO NOT DIET PREGNANT ANIMALS, wait until the cria is weaned.
Overfed llamas have an increased chance of heat stress.
Rickets :
Signs - Lame llamas, leg deformities, easily broken bones, pain
Causes - not fed enough, bad nutrition
Prevention - carefully monitor the nutrition and develoupment of crias |
