alpacas: [AlpacaTalk] re: cheek pockets

Whew! An alpaca related topic, what a relief!!! :))

I would do a couple of things, first of all, the 'cheek wad' we deal with is very visibly in the pouch area- meaning it is where the teeth meet together, not above or below it (if that makes sense) and it is hard, but if I open his mouth I can scoop my finger inside his cheek and dislodge the wad (VERY CAREFULLY!!!! sharp suckers those molars... yikes!).

With lumpy jaw- which we have had here as well- the growth was lower in the jaw area, below the gumline and actually in the jaw.

Do this, sounds weird but check directly under her jaw in the middle- like under her tongue area but outside under her chin- and see if there is an abscess of any kind or a bump. Had one girl get a pokey that went in her gums and came out under her jaw and she quid as well for a long time before we figured it out. Some of the material was still in there and the vet had to flush and we had to drain it.

Perhaps shaving her face down real well and getting your hands all over the jaw and surrounding area will give you a better idea of what you are dealing with. Sharp hay and seed heads can really wreak havoc on these guys, I can't tell you how many times we have had to deal with issues here... oi.

Slainte~
Rachelle

Black Magic Alpaca Ranch

Honesty, Integrity, Quality

Wyatt & Rachelle Black

P.O. Box 457

6500 Digier Road

Lebec, CA

93243

(661-248-6568)

wyattblack@earthlink.net

http://pasturemusings.blogspot.com

Cheek pockets

Posted by: "Rebecca Wells" rebecca@alpacadero.com kali_dasa23

Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:13 pm (PDT)

Rachelle mentioned that one of her alpacas has a cheek pocket that needs
to be massaged and it made me think to ask about this topic. One of my
females apparently has a cheek pocket too. I had the vet do a dental
x-ray on her, she had a tooth filed down a bit, and was given
antibiotics. It seemed to help for a while, but now she is back to
quidding again (chewing wads of hay and spitting them out) and she is
only minimally interested in eating grain. So, does stuff get stuck in
the cheek pocket and cause chewing difficulty? She doesn't appear to
have "lumpy jaw". I'm taking her back for a follow up x-ray and exam
next week.

---
Rebecca Wells
Seattle, WA
rebecca@alpacadero.com

__._,_.___

Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic

Message posts are the opinion of individuals posting and are not necessarily endorsed or approved by Yahoo! or the moderator of this group. The purpose of this discussion group is to ensure that all points of view can be aired. It is the responsbilty of all individuals who post to treat others with respect and civility.

MARKETPLACE

(1) New IQ Challenge. 92.6% of Americans get this question wrong!.

How Many Triangles? 92.6% of Americans Fail this Question!.

Mom Power: Discover the community of moms doing more for their families, for the world and for each other