Alpaca Health and Behavior

We are not veterinarians and we are only sharing our experiences so please consult with your veterinarian first for protocols for your particular situation and for your area.  For expert advice please visit the Alpaca Research Foundation and Washington State University.

We have found the alpaca community to be so willing to help in times of need.  Over the years we've experienced many different things and have learned so much from other breeders by sharing their information with us.  In turn we would like to share our information with you.  We will include everything from breeding problems to different protocols that have worked and those that haven't.

Some of the topics we will start with are:

• Keeping alpacas cool in the summer - things to do and not do
• Male breeding problems
• Worming - what worked and what didn't
• Listeriosis Meningitis - Celine's story
• Behavior problems
• BVDV and what we can all do to prevent this emerging threat

Our first page in this series is on BVDV.  We started with this subject because we want everyone to be aware of the possible threat this disease may hold for the alpaca industry.  This disease affects the unborn fetus and if born persistently infected, the cria would have to be euthanized.  A situation that would be devastating to any breeder.  Please take the time to read up on BVDV and see how you can prevent this disease from spreading.

If you have something you feel is worth while sharing with others please email us with the information and we'll be happy to either add it to our health and behavior pages or create a link to your site with the information.

Thank you for your time and help and we'll be adding more soon..