We are off to France today on our alpaca/booze cruise. The vet has to come today to check they are healthy and then in the evening we set off for Plymouth and the ferry. Robin in France is filled with glee as the wind is supposed to be getting up and he knows we hate rough seas – what a mean person – perhaps I won’t take him copious amounts of tea bags!
One of our lactating females came in yesterday shaking. Andrew thought she was dead in the field but she wasn’t. I was talking to Nick Harrington Smith at the time and he immediately said hypocalcaemia. Chas was out so I summoned the vet who proceeded to put large quantities of magnesium and calcium into her. She stopped shaking after about half an hour but still isn’t really herself yet. Her bloods showed low magnesium, calcium and phosphorus so we whacked some phosphorus into her last night. I think she will need more calcium and magnesium today. Everything else about her was normal, stomach working, heart normal, colour good and very good condition. Jeff the magazine designer who used to be a dairy farmer said it is usually the ones in good condition (dairy cows that is) who get it. We have only seen this once before, about five years ago at our other farm. One of Chas’s Accoyo females was fitting on the ground. Same treatment and she is alive and well today.