My lopsided youngster is looking much better. She holds her head very slightly askew now and her gait is a bit odd but other than that she seems fine and the thin maiden who used to stand with back legs stretched because of some sort of gut problem is better and putting on weight. The handful of heavy pregnants who are left are showing no inclination to give birth and prefer to lie around stuffing themselves with hay. It is lovely hay, smells beautiful, a hay sandwich perhaps?
The sons will be pleased to know that last night we went through all the cupboards in the kitchen and Chas threw out everything past its sell by date and attempted to put things together that should be together instead of the chaotic system I normally use. It looks marvellous but will not last I fear as I am not very good at order. I have even been through two drawers of jumpers and recycled two carrier bags full of things I have not worn for years. The Salvation Army got it all. However I have a long way to go as there is a wardrobe full of stuff that is either too big or too small so I’ll have to find a big clear space to try it all on and evict the unwearable.
John (Soleil Alpacas) –
I would like to know more about your “lopsided” cria. We just had a boy born to a real fine mom on Wednesday who may be in a similar situation. He was positioned in the womb on his back with legs to his sides rather than forward and needed to be manipulated and delivered with assistance. He will now probably be a bottle baby because he has not yet nursed (4 days). It took him about 6 hours to be able to stand on his own. He was hanging his head down to the ground and a lot to the left (almost looking behind himself). This, of course, was throwing off his balance. He has since improved but is not normal. He still keeps his head down and just slightly to the left. He does not walk correctly on his left foot. He has the best lineage and will probably have the best fleece of our herd. He’s just crooked.
Soleil Alpacas, Camas, WA, USA
Jen –
We had a boy born this summer who didn’t take an unusually long time to be born to his maiden Mum. But when he was born he seemed very slow and awkward, with exaggerated movements of his legs when he was trying to stand. His head was on one side and we wondered if he was blind at first. After the usual interval when we would expect him to latch on I actually latched him on myself – with maiden Mum standing stock still for me with no restraint. He wouldn’t take the teat running with colostrum. We resorted to our tried and tested Vitamin B1 injection – a support and tonic for the nervous system – and it worked a treat. Within an hour he was walking much more steadily with his head the proper way up and most important, suckling hard. After several months he is smaller than the other cria and slower to achieve weight gains, but perfectly normal in other ways. You can probaly buy Vit B1 (not multi Vit B) in U.S.A. but in the U.K. we have to jump through hoops of fire to import Injectable Vit B from Europe.
Jen
X
P.S. I take a Vitamin B1 pill every day as it helps middle aged womens brains work properly.