Camelids- Medicine

camelid populations were nearly eliminated in South America to provide land for grazing sheep (during the Spanish invasion of the 1500s)

• Huacaya (most of them)- Fuzzy ones
• Suri (not many people have these)- dread locks, silky

llamas have short, sharp ears; alpacas have banana ears

• sternal- common position to relax and sleep, also default position when stressed
• rolling- normal behavior
• laying in lateral- NOT NORMAL

• continuous growth of incisors
• chew cud, but not true ruminants
• 3 compartment stomach: C1= rumen, C2= reticulum, C3= abomasum; no rumen papillae
• all compartments have glandular mucosal areas
• last 5th of C3 contains gastric glands

• they are more effective fermenters, slow transit
• need >25% roughage

99-102

• 40-60 HR
• 10-30 RR
• 2-5 contractions/ min

• lymph nodes
• mandible (mandibular abscesses common)
• udder
• abdomen

lungs should b easily ausculted in normal animals

assume abnormal animals are sicker than they appear

• saturated sugar solution (SG >1.025)- LA parasites
• repeat negative fecals- intermittent shedders, Eimeria disease occurs 2-5 days before patency, Nematodirus and Trichuris shed very few eggs

• adenovirus
• coronavirus

choanal atresia

Streptococcus zooepidemicus, and streptococcal septicemia

• hepatic lipidosis
• high metabolic demand during pregnancy + lactation, prolonged illness, stress
• hepatic lipidosis occurs after period of anorexia

• GI parasites- Haemonchus
• Mycoplasma haemolamae- RBC parasite
• Chronic Disease (renal dz, neoplasia)
• Nutritional deficiencies (iron)
• Generalized immunosuppression
• Juvenile Llama Immune Deficiency Syndrome (JLIDS)

• feel the tube on the left side of neck
• blow air into tube while someone auscults C1
• aspirate, esophagus should collapse
• give water first, no cough

• [management problem]
• gang feeding
• pelletized concentrates

• feed material coming from nares and mouth
• discomfort depression
• lowered head and neck and swinging back and forth

• 3-5 month old, more common in llamas
• failure to thrive- poor growth, low BCS
• coughing, regurgitation, esophageal waves
• in young animals- vascular malformation around esophagus; older animals- idiopathic

• Cria- hemolysis and anemia (intra-uterine infection)
• Adults- either subclinical (asymptomatic chronic carrier) or anemic animal
• Immunosuppression may lead to clinical signs
• often associated with marked parasitemia

• failure to thrive, eight loss
• depression, lethargy
• cria- seizures, anemia
• adult- mild anemia, subclinical

• Blood smear- small cocci and rings with rods apparent along margins of RBCs; negative smear does not rule out
• PCR- highly sensitive, EDTA or citrated blood

IV oxytet

• C1 overdistention: undigestible content (fiber consumption too high), diaphragmatic paralysis, grain/ pellet engorgement
• C1 ulcers: anorexia, distended abdomen, feces, normal C1 floria with dead microbes
• C1 gastroliths: usually incidental finding, concretions of salt over straw, sand, etc; found at necropsy

• ulceration: stress induced ulceration, perforation/ leakage--> peritonitis
• obstruction: pyloric or duodenal obstruction, usually trichobezoars
• C3 or spiral colon obstruction: distended bowel loops, palpate or observed after shearing/ shaving

• recent changes in social structure
• transport/ showing
• recent illness in herd
• dietary issues

• reduce stressful situations
• GI protectants (pepto, sucralfate)
• pantoprazole IV or SQ
• cimetadine/ ranitidine SQ or IV
• [gastrogard oral DOES NOT WORK]

• intestinal parasites*****
• Johne's disease

• ileus
• obstruction

• dam's milk production insufficient, orphaned/ bottle fed
• cria will then nurse on dams fiber or pica because still hungry--> trichobezoar

• grooming behavior
• ectoparasites (adults)
• confinement
• weaning
• feeding practices
• dietary deficiencies
• raising animals by bottle (flank sucking, nursing dams fiber)

surface mite- superficial scrape

burrowing mites- deep skin scrape

ivermectin injectable twice at a 2 week interval

• fipronil topically, permethrin-type topical, lime sulfur topical
• clean environment (put animal outside)

• spiral colon
• once a bezoar gets past the pylorus, the next stopping spot is central flexure of spiral colon

• not growing well
• off feed
• "respiratory disease"
• "regurgitation"
• PE: normal TPR, depressed, uncomfortable, abdominal palpation- turgid loops of bowel, NO FECES

• Medical mgmt: fluids, laxatives
• Surgical mgmt: force bezoar anterograde to larger diameter colon for enterotomy; flank approach- paracostal right flank for pyloric regions, mid-paralumbar left fossa for spiral colon

• any disease that produces anorexia, stress, including pregnancy
• feed restriction
• insulin resistance or lack of adequate insulin
• ketosis/ preg tox

• natural disease is much more severe
• insulin:cortisol ratio is lower in natural disease

greater

• lymphoma #1
• intestinal adenocarcinoma #2

• chronic diarrhea
• lethargy
• weight loss
• enlarged lymph nodes
• non-responsive to long term treatments (antibiotics, ivermectin, FBZ, sulfas, etc etc)

• modification of a bovine ELISA to detect camelids antibodies (anti-llama IgG conjugated to horseradish peroxidase)
• culture of feces for organisms
• PCR of feces

• choanal atresia
• milk aspiration (esp if bottle fed, old nipples, etc)

broad-spectrum antibiotics- Ticarcillin, Ceftiofur

• Adenovirus
• Coronavirus

• Strep equi subsp zooepidemicus
• Spreads rapidly to most body compartments- Blood, milk, uterine d/c, peritoneal exudates, abscesses
• Pneumonia, mastitis, metritis- FEVER, ANOREXIA, SIGNS OF DEPRESSION
• Strep zoo IDed by culture of body fluids or tissue specimens
• Always include coverage for Gram + cocci (fluoroquinolones alone are never sufficient b/c not great gram + cocci coverage)

• Vit D injection 1000-3000IU/kg
• Usually recommend Vit D prophylaxis in Nov and Feb, or every 3-6 weeks during the winter

• Somewhat unknown cause- suspect development of steroidal hormone secretion in males--> prostatic hypertrophy/ hyperplasia--> compression of urethra
• Most common sign- straining young male cria
• Anti-microbials (for UTI) and NSAIDs for 2-3 weeks

• outbreaks associated with shearing
• excision helpful for treatment, exudate is contagious material, treat as biohazard
• Dx by SHIT test
• Antibiotics- Ampicillin, Pen G, Doxy

• Clostridial enteritis CDT or 7-way
• Killed EHV vaccine
• Rabies
• WNV
• killed EEE vaccine

• CSF mononuclear pleocytosis, localizing unilateral brain lesions
• Oxytet, procaine pen G, or florfenicol, NSAIDs, thiamine, supportive care

• young animals on high conc diets, abrupt changes in feed
• animals consuming bacterial thiaminases
• animals consuming diets high in sulfur
• animals receiving Corid for coccidiosis

• global brain swelling/ edema--> non-localizing CNS signs
• central blindness, opisthptonus, bruxism, incoordination, head pressing, recumbency, convulsions, death
• DORSOMEDIAL STRABISMUS

• thiamine
• NSAIDs or steroids
• supportive care

• compatible Hx (deer in pasture)
• neuro exam- localizing neuro lesions
• CSF- eosinophilic pleocytosis highly suggestive
• rule out other common neuro diseases (Listeria, polio)

• Fenbendazole (injectable ivermectin can cause severe reactions in camelids) [moxidectin may also work]
• flunixin and Dexamethasone
• Naxcel or Excenel or Oxytet
• anti-ulcer therapy (pantoprazole, cimetidine)
• supportive care**

• llamas>> alpacas
• adults
• unshorn
• stressed
• --> death, abortion, or infertility common sequelae

• cooling with ice pack,fans, shearing, alcohol
• fluid therapy
• flunixin
• vit E
• floating in float tank