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13½
months - and still no cria!
Dam Rejects Cria
Disrespectful Llama
Toenails
It's
late afternoon and your pregnant llama's labour begins.
Problem - will the newborn get that all-important first
dose of colostrum from mum during the night?
One
of the great things about llamas is their habit of birthing
early in the day ... an altogether commendable and convenient
practice. Under these circumstances, there is sufficient
daylight in which to observe whether the new cria has suckled
successfully and received those all-important anti-bodies
provided by the dam's colostrum.
And
there's no greater satisfaction than seeing milky lips on
a 4 or 5 hour old bub.
Usually,
we've found if the expectant mum hasn't commenced labour
by midday, it's fairly safe to assume the birth is on hold
'til tomorrow.
However
... as always, it's the exception which proves the rule,
so sooner or later most llama owners will face that time
when the 'early-in-the-day' birth pattern is broken.
Luckily,
Anita and I have experienced only a handful of late-day
births at Llovely Banks, but when they have occurred, it's
usually because something is not quite right ... and some
extra care has been needed for mum or bub.
As
always remember ...if in doubt, call your vet!
Finally
the cria arrives, normal checks of dam and cria are completed
and everything appears to be in order. The only question
remaining is will the cria receive those vital anti-bodies
in its first 24 hours. This is the awkward part.
If,
like me, you're up early each morning for your day-time
job, you don't view with enthusiasm, the two-hourly trudge
outdoors during the night, to see whether (s)he has milky
lips and a full tummy. But you don't want anything to go
wrong either.
To
avoid the night-long trudge, Anita and I have a standard
rule ... any cria born less than 2 hours before dark, or
during the night, automatically gets a dose of plasma or
colostum whether it needs it or not.
The
reasoning - it's not going to do him/her any harm, and we
can go to bed secure in the knowledge the cria has some
anti-bodies and fluid in its system. That solves the problem
for the first night.
Most
of us have access to frozen colostrum or plasma, both of
which contain anti-bodies, whether it be from the veterinarian,
another breeder, or stored in the freezer in case of just
such an emergency. And for a normal, healthy cria it's good
'Band-Aid' therapy.
However,
it is not suitable for those times when the bub is premature
or has some other health problem. On those occasions, there
is no easy option. Full nursing care is essential ... so
call the vet and set the alarm for those two hourly checks!
13½
months - and still no cria!
Dam Rejects Cria
Disrespectful Llama
Toenails
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