GIFT - Genetic, Fibre imporvement Technology

This is a poerwpoint presentation, i hope you like it.

Fertility problems with Alpacas

This is how we handle a female that is not holding a pregnancy, it is our experience.

Others may try different other ways.

I think it is a good topic for those with experience, and their views and experiences, whilst for the new breeder, it gives them some scope to work with,

 

 

Female fertility problems.

First of all.

There are two in the game, is the male getting females pregnant at the moment?

Sometimes the males can have a time where they are not as fertile for one reason or other, mainly working in very hot conditions, can make them infertile for approx 3 months, they discovered this in Cocos island when the Peruvians were over there to enter Australia.

Secondly.

The female is she a maiden?

When did she have her last cria if not a maiden?

Is she in good body condition?

The Et program says the flush of green grass prior to mating gives the female a better chance of falling in.

We do not have a lot of fertility problems here, although I have assisted a few people who did have, as we would get the best vet in Australia here, and others would bring their animals here to get the vet visit.

Selinium also and make sure the ADE is kept up, this is giving the female the very best chance to fall in.

Secondly check under the tail.

When you lift the tail up, then roll the tail back, and look where the vulva meets the tail, at this spot, now look at the tail, is there like a greasy blackish spot at this point.

If there is that is a discharge, and the dirt the female gathers will just make the discharge dark.

If this is the discharge, take a picture and document, cut this discharge off.

Always check under tail, and keep it clean, as you want to check if this discharge is old or still happening.

So once you have cut it clean under the tail, then check  again in a day or two, and when ever you have the females, up, always make a practice of checking under the tail.

If the female has fallen and then out for instance, her CL maybe still on, but this will show you that there has either an infection (which will result in a lost pregnancy), or possible a lost pregnancy she has spat out.

 

Once you have eliminated the above, what has been the pattern.

You mate, then run the male past in 10 days time?

Then every 10 days exactly, for a period of time, this seems to get them into a routine, and seems to bring them into a cycle.

 

Does she ever reject?

 

Is she indecisive?

 

If she rejects, how long for, before she sits.

 

First of all.

Get her scanned by a very experienced vet, and look at her uterus, is it normal size.

Has it got fluid in it.

If it has fluid in it, you want to grade the fluid, 1-3, 3 being the worst.

 

What is the uterus lining like, is it thick?

 

If there is fluid in the uterus, is it clear or is it cloudy, which can be seen on the ultrasound, if it is cloudy, then the uterus is not able to hold a viable pregnancy until this is treated.

So she could fall in then out all the time.

 

Ovaries.

Check and look at both ovaries.

 You want to see if there are follicles on the ovaries.

If there is no follicles, then she is not going to get pregnant, as she is going through a non follicular spell, sometimes they do this.

 

If there are follicles on the ovaries, then you need to measure them.

They are not cysts on the ovaries, this needs to be ruled out.

If there is a follicle approx 1 mm, then it is ready for mating now.

Is the follicle on its way in or on its way out.

There is no use mating if it is on the way out.

 

Have you actually, ran the female with a male for a few weeks.

Sometimes, she may come in and out when you have not had a male near her, and so when you are introducing a male to her it is between the follicular times.

 

Running a male he will pick up when she is ready, and take the opportunity, this often gets females in when they are hard.

I am looking at this, because if you do not need to treat her with drugs don't.

 

Look at all the reasons why she is not getting in.

The ultrasound will tell you a lot, take pictures of the ultrasound screen, keep a picture record, I sometimes take photos with my mobile phone or a good camera, just make sure there is no reflection on the ultrasound screen.

 

Measure every thing.

The uterus, is it long narrow, is it nice and small and almost roundish or like a donut.

Send the photos over.

 

 

Over here, they use similar methods as they would race horses for getting females pregnant.

 

Then depending on the result of the ultrasound.

Give postoglandin 1/2 ml three days in a row.

Be very careful of this drug.

Do not accidently inject in yourself, it can at the worst kill you.

Do not have a pregnant woman give this drug, as if she accidently injects herself, it will abort her baby, (it is the drug that is given to women to bring on her labour, it is an aborting drug), so that is why I ask to ultrasound first, in case there is a viable pregnancy in the alpaca.

If you are asmatic, or do not have asmatics around the drug, (even in the needle), this can bring on an asthma attack.

So be careful.

 

What this will do is clean out the uterus, it will squeeze any fluid or infection out of the uterus.

It is not a bad uidea to give a PENECILIN also (not baytril, straight penicilin), for 3 days at the same time.

As if there is a small infection, this will also clear anything out, then two days after mate.

10 days after run male past female, if she sits.

Check under tail.

If there is a mark under the tail, then another dose of penecilin.

Then mate 5 days after.

Then if she sits, re scan the female.

And see if there is any change.

If there is a cyst on the ovaries, then she will need treatment from a vet.

We used to also flush the female's uterus over a period of 3 days in the early days, we never really had much problems, so we have not done thatfor many years, although in those days we would mate 3 days in a row, as that was the practice 20 years ago until they discovered it was harming the females uterus.

 

If there are no follicles, then run the female with the male, he will start her getting follicular.

The ultrasound will give you the next step.

 

 

 

Alpacas as pets

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Alpacas.......

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What a beautiful City we live in…Melbourne

 

Small in comparison to many Cities, but just right for us.

Enough growth and expansion, to appreciate the city benefits and country living, and yet take advantage of the beautiful beaches we have around Port Philip and Westernport Bays, not forgetting along the other side of the bay, Geelong, and further around Torquay, and along the great Ocean Road.

I love the city we live in

Sometimes a mother (Dam), will not let her cria drink at first

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Sometimes a Mother will not let her cria (offspring) drink.
We really like the cria to have a drink within the first 5 hours is the rule, but i like to make sure they are drinking and established in the first 3 hours, that gives you a few hours up your sleeve, if it is getting dark, to establish your cria, before everyone settles for the night.
It is very important this first drink, as it is the colostrium, which carries all the antibodies for the next few months whilst the cria's system starts to make it's own, usually approx 5-6 weeks old.
Of course if the dam does not feed the cria, she becomes very full, depending on the dam and how much milk she makes, but she can become very full, too fulfor the cria to latch on properly, and then the dam can risk getting mastitis, and the cria is not getting enough, and the udder is sore, and so the dam does not let the cria on for a drink, so it becomes a vicious circle.
Thsi does not happen too often, in fact this is the first cria we have had to start off like this in a few years.
but i though it was a good chance to show the new breeder how to establish the cria, and let the milk down from the dam, if there is complications.
The colostrium is very thick, and alpacas do not produce alot of milk, like say goats for instance, but they produce a very rich milk.
you can see The men have flipped the dam on her side.
She will not stay in this position for long, especially remember she does not want to feed the cria.
So the men have to hold the dam down, the man at the back legs is a vital member of this team, as he has to hold the feet tight, as the dam will often try to kick out of the position, and could endanger the cria and it's handler, as they are in stricking range of these two powerful back legs.

First of all, remove the plug, it is just a very small thin piece of wax you will see sticking out on the tip of the teat, and gently ut firmly squeeze with a forward motion down from base of teat to tip of teat.
Again, you will usually only get thick drops, occassionally, you will get a stream, but not often.
Then you place the cria, opening the mouth to go over the teat, by squeexing the cheeks, your pointer finger on one side of the mouth and thumb on the other side, slight squeeze, and the cria mouth will open, place over the teat.
sometimes, the cria will start to hook on, and start sucking, sometimes, squeeze the cholostium into the crias mouth.
If it is too difficult, milk the dam, and then use a syringe and slowly squirt the milk into the cria, making sure cria is swollowing each time.
Milk dam out and monitor.
You may have to do this a couple of times, but the more milk and cholostrum the cria gets the stronger the cria gets, and they usually then bond.
Also the relief of the milk been expressed from the udder, is sometimes enough for the dam to then feed the cria.

 I hope this is of some help to someone.
Once you have emptied the dam out.