DEATH DEFYING DELIVERY
Newborn cria Defiant was not expected to survive after his dam, Chugga was diagnosed with a uterine torsion or twisted uterus. But as BAS chair Ron Mackintosh, Redens Alpacas, explains Defiant survived, and thrived.
I
t was a beautiful June morning and Chugga was stretching our patience at 368 days gestation, she seemed a bit different and I felt this must be the day when she would birth at last. I had said that every day for the last two weeks but this time there were subtle changes in her mood in that she seemed slightly different and restless.
By midday she had been to the poo pile a couple of times and yet there was still no sign of anything happening. At 1pm Linda said surely this must be the day and yet apart from the appearance of a little discomfort nothing seemed to be happening. I decided to give her another hour and then examine her at about 2pm feeling that something was just not right. We got hold of Chugga fairly
ALPACA
PODS
28 Alpaca #86
easily in the field and saw that her vulva was swollen. With a veterinary glove and lots of vet lube I started to examine her; instead of being able to gently slide my fingers and hand into her cervix to feel the legs and head of a cria as I expected I found she was quite tight and I felt my hand being twisted to the right in a clockwise direction. I immediately knew there was a problem and
Weather: Protecting against adverse weather Ventilation: Provide good air flow Flies: Shelter against summer heat and flies Adaptability: Water drinkers, troughs and deep bedding can all be added Husbandry: A great place to complete feet-trimming, vitamin drenches or as a quarantine area Appearance: Practical and attractive Size: Various options and sizes available. Please visit our website for more details.
Being an Alpaca breeder the welfare of our animals is paramount so the pods are designed and manufactured by ourselves taking this into account. We designed the Alpaca pods for our own herd and are now pleased to offer these for sale. UK Design Numbers 6031339, 6031340, 6031342
www.tockwithalpacas.com
07791 881556
sandhillsalpacas@aol.com Sandhills Alpacas, Sandhills Farm Cottage, Ness Lane, Tockwith YO26 7QL
