[Alpacasite] Re: Dam with history of Meningal worm...question

Ears on Monday through Thursday..........at least until Verizon gets
its act together.

Don, I would expect that in the right setting an alpaca with a
history of meningeal worm infection will live a full and productive
life. As long as that animal is fully mobile and able to get to
shade, water, wind protection, etc it should do just fine.

That being said, here are some special risks that a meningeal worm
affected lama would have that could shorten its life. Because its
rear legs are stiff (this is generally the case) I would expect it to
be particularly prone to skin breakdown and cellulitis in this area.
We have a female who is much like yours, and I pay particular
attention to her rear legs. Sometimes I see loose gravel caught in
her fiber, and either brush it off or in the hotter months make sure
to spray her rear legs clean.

Another consideration is that a meningeal worm affected lama might
not be able to compete with others in its pen for scarce resources
(pellets, hay, water). In our case this is not an issue. Our female,
appropriately named "Hot Tamale", don't take no stuff from nobody!
With a more timid lama this might be an potential problem however.

What remains to be seen will be the effect rear leg stiffness has on
joints over time. It may be that these meningeal worm affected lamas
will have an increased risk of debilitating arthritis. This may be
more of a problem with llamas given their larger size and greater
weight, but only time will tell. Certainly the more severely affected
lamas will be at greater risk.

For now I'm cautiously hopefully that given proper care and provided
a healthy environment these relatively mildly affected alpacas and
llamas will have both a normal life span and productive lives.

My thoughts as of 11/05,

Neil
A Paca Fun Farm
Mt. Airy, Maryland
Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland
www.apacafunfarm.com

--- In Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com, "Jeannie Wells" <jeannie@b...>
wrote:
>
> Hi Don,
>
> Hopefully Neil Padgett has his "ears on". I bet he can help with
your
> question. I'd like to know, too!
>
> Jeannie Wells
> Wellspring Suri Alpacas, LLC
> <http://www.wellspringsurialpacas.com/>
> http://www.WellspringSuriAlpacas.com
> 210-698-8018
> Boerne, Texas
> Also on AlpacaNation:
> http://www.alpacanation.com/farmsandbreeders/03_viewfarm.asp?
name=11752
>
>
> What we see depends mainly on what we look for. --- John Lubbock
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of the_alpacarosa
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 4:00 PM
> To: Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Alpacasite] Dam with history of Meningal worm...question
>
>
> hi all,
>
> we have a suri girl here who had meningal worm as a youth and is
now 5
> years old. she has had 3 very nice cria, with no problems. She is
stiff
> walking in rear legs. We wonder what some of you have seen with
> reagards to lifespan and birthing longevity with these miningal
worm
> victims.
>
> Thanks
>
> Don
> The AlpacaRosa
>
>
>
>
>
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