<<Hey Janice,
You might be right, but I would still advise checking your male. Alpaca
males usually have 3 pairs of fighting teeth on the top and bottom when
they reach maturity. These usually come, one set at a time beginning
with the front set. It isn't just one pair of canines on each side, it
is 3 pairs, and they aren't just on the bottom, like the incisors, they
are top and bottom.
If you haven't checked your intact male, you need to do so, regardless
of what the cause of this injury was. Actually, I hope it wasn't a
bobcat and if you suspect that it is do you need to worry about rabies
prophylaxis?
Laurel>>
Well egads is all I can say! I had no idea they had so many fighting
teeth! AND I never gave a thought to rabies. And they haven't had
their vaccinations yet this summer; actually I don't even give rabies
and come to think of it, I don't recall that they got their vaccinations
last summer at all. It just keeps getting better and better :-(.
OK - yesterday morning when I went to change the dressings, I saw more.
I don't know why it is that the older the injury gets the more obvious
it is becoming. I guess because the slashes are thickening (and
hopefully healing without infection). There are not the 5 nice clean
slashes on the upper neck that I thought I saw. They are ragged and not
straight. I also discovered pus and upon closer inspection see that
there are 2 puncture wounds at the beginning of 2 of the slash marks.
It is turning out that these on the upper neck are worse than I thought.
The puncture wounds are a particular worry. And I feel a knot or hard
swollen place under one of the healed over slash wounds. I opened up
the puncture wounds as best I could and tried to really pour the
goldenseal in, but as they are on a vertical surface (neck) I don't
think I was very successful.
The long extremely deep slash is also developing some pus.
I cleaned and treated as usual.
This morning I took some sharp scissors and cut away the hair, which I
should have done to begin with. I soaked with warm soapy water (with
Nutribiotic grapefruit seed extract as every morning) and cut away some
hair (thank goodness they have been sheared) that was grown into the
developing scab/toughened area. Working with the puncture wounds was
clearly painful to him. He has been a real trooper thru this, but this
was nearly intolerable to him. I am becoming more and more worried
about infection.
I am worried about systemic infection now. I am feeling that perhaps I
need to give an antibiotic injection? But I don't know what to give. I
can get penicillin, but I don't know if I can get broad sprectrum antib
over the counter. If I can that is what I will give; if I cannot,
should I give the penicillin?
The wounds are much more ragged than I originally thought. I soaked and
picked out a lot of the scabby stuff this morning. Next to one of the
puncture wounds in a very deep ragged tear. It had already been healing
over so I have not noticed it before. As I picked and pulled off more
scabby stuff I opened it up....which was my intention. Again poured on
the goldenseal and bandaged up tightly - now using TWO diapers and lots
of duct tape.
Boy am I feeling like the faster I go the behinder I get. I still
haven't gotten back to Carolyn (still planning on calling you - just
never have any phone time until very late at night) about the EPE or
sending in fecals. Time just rolls over me like a freight train each
and every day. But at least the cherry trees are coming down one or two
at a time. I hired a couple of young guys and they are having at it
with my chain saw. They cut down and haul out a couple a day and then
spend hours picking up every leave and limb; but still I have to go
behind them every day to pick up the stray leaves here and there that
they don't see....and it's like 110 degrees here this week with 90%
humidity. I never had a chance to follow up with a forester about
whether these wild cherry trees were actually of the toxic
species......I don't have the luxury of time to sit down and track down
phone #'s and the right person to ask.
I have never had to devote so much of my greatly overextended time to
these guys. Usually just enjoy them and they have been for the most
part carefree all these years. They are not my business, just my
pleasure.....and my heartbreak with losing so many babies (5) and
burying my sweet stud male, Charlie Brown, and a breeding female (and
her newborn baby) in the past 2 yrs....which is what brought me to this
list in the first place.
An observation yesterday (I haven't spent this much time out in the
pasture with them in years) has lead me to think of another possibility.
My dd has been laughing for the past month or so and telling me that
our black rooster is trying to mate our black female as he does his
little dance around her and then flies up towards her face. I had never
seen it, but just figured it was dumb rooster trying to mate anything it
could. Yesterday I saw him trying to attack the other male - the small
intact male. Flying up agressively in his face.
I am now looking at SnowBall's wounds and wondering if this damage was
possibly inflicted by the rooster? Given the ragged nature of the
slashes? Oh, he is so toast if so.
But more and more I am leaning towards placing the blame on the intact
male as I see the wounds more clearly each day. Yet he is SO shy and
retiring; I just don't see him getting that agressive and he is SO much
smaller than SnowBall I just don't see him getting the upper hand in a
battle. So I am still puzzled. Now more worried about infection than
obsessed with *how*. As I clean more and more and see more and more, it
is clear to me that I did not catch this on the first day it happened.
Often days go by without me even able to get out to the pasture. My
10yo does all the feeding and watering and she actually alerted me to
something being wrong with SB's neck. It could have been several days
old. We also don't know exactly when the duck disappeard...but we
discovered both things on the same morning. Yes, we are way
overextended and not able to keep up with things the way I would like
and the way I used to be able to, what can I say, it's been a *very*
tough couple of years around here and I am just trying to survive the
best I can, and hope not to lose everything in the meantime :-(.
So, the next problem now is what to do about the teeth - with no vet,
regardless of whether he caused the injury?
But I guess the more immediate question is deciding about an antibiotic
injection. Any info would be greatly appreciated. And I would like to
add that the goldenseal I use is very potent and is *very* effective
against even the antibiotic resistant staph that is rampant around here.
I cut off the tip of my finger on the mower last summer, hanging on
the fingernail. I came in, blood spurting everywhere, rain water over
it, poured goldenseal on it and taped it back together - and went out to
finish mowing.....I don't have the luxury of time for injuries, nor the
luxury of being able to go to a doctor or hospital. The finger
eventually healed up - tho it never got feeling back - with no
infection. I have seen goldenseal do many amazing things. But I also
know that a puncture wound is the quickest route to systemic infection -
I've had that as well. And I am quite sure I would not be able to see
that telltale red line streaking up (or down) his neck as i was able to
see on myself after a cat bite. He is feeling fine, eating normal, and
all seems to be ok with him.
Thanks for being here,
Janice in GA
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