THE speakers at the British Camelids Conference at the Ashdown Llama Park in East Sussex were Dr Patrick Long from Oregon, USA, and Karin Mueller from the Cambridge Veterinary Hospital, UK.

Dr Long's emphasis on knowing the normal to spot the abnormal was continued as Karin Mueller reported on the 2006 International Camelid Conference, held in Ohio, USA. Her attendance was sponsored by the British Camelids Association (www.llama.co.uk). She concentrated on three of the topics covered: behaviour and illness, plant poisoning and abortion.

Recognising Illness She started by reminding owners that the vet relies on them to observe and report any change from normal in an animal. This can include vocalisation, the position of the ears and tail, an increase in spitting and kicking, its stance and gait and pattern of urination and defecation.

Body-scored an animal on a monthly basis means any changes can be picked up early with the relative rather than absolute scores being important. If there is a change of 5% ( point), the animal needs careful observation. If the change is 10% (1 point), then the vet should be asked to call, while a 20% (2 point) change requires urgent action. Allowances must be made for lactating females while they are nursing and also after shearing.

Does the animal spend a lot of time lying down? This is not a problem if it is aware of movement around it and gets up when someone approaches too close. Any deviation from its normal recumbent position could also indicate a problem such as colic or abdominal pain. Suspect a problem if an animal either stops grooming or does it to excess. Increased itching and scratching could indicate mange.

Ulcers can occur in the third compartment of the digestive tract and be caused by anything disrupting the passage of food. If the ulcer perforates and food passes into the abdomen, the animal can suffer severe colic when the food ferments. It may flinch when touched, but diagnosis of ulcers is not easy.

Plant Poisoning In their natural environment in South America, alpacas usually avoid poisonous plants. If they do eat them, it is usually in very small quantities or the animal develops a method of detoxification.

In the UK, there is a danger that poisonous plants can occur in feed and, if this is mixed with molasses, animals are unlikely to detect and avoid them. When dried, ragwort tastes sweet and is likely to be eaten with the rest of the hay. Avoid leaving clippings from hedges, such as yew, within reach, even beyond the fencing. Dispose of poisonous plants with great care.

Foxglove in dried meadow hay can cause depression in mild cases and irregular heart beat, breathing difficulties and death in severe ones. Other toxic plants such as rhododendron, azalea and caster bean affect the digestive system, causing salivation, colic, breathing difficulties, staggering, weakness and, ultimately in severe cases, death. In the worst possible case, yew can kill within five minutes. Other plants affecting the nervous system include nightshade and datura. Animals start trembling, have difficulty breathing, suffer from hypothermia, their heart beat slows and they can die.

Ragwort and comfrey affect the liver, particularly with long-term intake. When the problem is severe enough to be diagnosed, the liver is usually damaged beyond repair.

This all seems rather depressing, but knowing what could be causing symptoms can lead to rapid diagnosis and treatment. Prevention is better than cure. Keep pastures clean and give attention to neighbouring land which can be reached through the fence. Check ditches to ensure that roots which can leak toxins into the water have not been disturbed during digging or cleaning. Feed sources, particularly hay, should be acquired from a reliable source and checked for any dried poisonous plants. Don't use lead-containing paint used on housing.

Abortion One of the most distressing experiences has to be the abortion of a cria. This may not be immediately obvious as foxes can scavenge the dead cria if it has been dropped in the paddock. The first you may know is when the female fails to give birth at the anticipated time. With an early loss of pregnancy, the foetus can be reabsorbed, leaving no external sign.

A number of circumstances can lead to abortion including the weather, transporting the female at a critical stage in the pregnancy, moving her to a new environment, shearing or vaccination.

In order to establish the cause, the vet needs a blood sample from the female, part of the cleansing and/or part of the dead cria. The causative pathogen is identified in around 30% of cases.

Stress can cause the cria to produce corticosteroids which initiate parturition. If a female is generally unhealthy, this can cause abortion, as can a severe nutritional deficiency, a hormone imbalance or umbilical torsion. The female may have a genetic predisposition to abort or she may have an abnormality in the reproductive tract which prevents the placenta from forming normally. Twins are also likely to be aborted.

If 3-5% of the females abort, this is not a cause for great concern, unless several do so within a short period. However, if a large number of abortions occur, this could be because of an infection such as Chlamydia, toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis, brucellosis, neospora, bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) or salmonella, all of which can also cause problems in humans.

Animals are the main disease carriers so those identified should be quarantined away from the rest of the herd, particularly the pregnant females. They should be the last to be inspected and dedicated staff and equipment should be employed.

Good herd health management, including nutrition, worming and vaccination, will help reduce the incidence of these diseases.

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Dr Long continued the discussion on BVD. This is common in cattle but rare in camelids. Until recently, it was thought that persistent infective (PI) offspring, ie, those carrying the disease while not showing symptoms, did not occur in camelids but this is not the case. If infection occurs at a particular stage of development, the foetus does not recognise the virus as harmful and incorporates it into its system. It then sheds virus particles throughout its life.

If one is weak or doesn't do well, it may be worth testing for PI status.

Caring for the aging alpaca All alpacas get old and the UK is beginning to see the problem of aging animals when a decision has to be made whether to keep them in production or extend their life comfortably for as long as possible. Age is not necessarily a linear event, with some alpacas being taken out of production at 13 years of age and others continuing to breed until over 20 years old.

Vets have wide experience of caring for older pets such as cats, where they recognise and control the factors which pose a risk to health, try to detect disease early, correct and delay its progress and seek to improve/retain existing function. Treatment includes nutritional programmes, dental care, blood tests, physical examinations, parasite control and pain management.

These can be applied to the aging camelid. Body score recorded monthly will give an early indication of loss of condition which may be corrected with an adjustment to the diet. It is also important to make sure the animal is actually eating the food supplied. Check teeth regularly to ensure it can feed properly. A bad, infectious tooth can be removed surgically but a check must be made to ensure the opposing tooth does not overgrow. A monthly physical examination allows a check for external parasites and skin neoplasia. Eyes can be checked for cataracts as proteins can leak from them and cause inflammation.

A decision may be made not to breed an older female every year as she will lose weight during lactation. Mating can be delayed until after the cria is weaned and the dam has regained condition.

I found this conference extremely interesting. Some may not want to learn about the 'negative' aspects of keeping alpacas, and it should be stressed that most alpacas live a healthy life with the majority of births being trouble free, but as far as I can see, the more you understand about potential diseases and problems, the greater chance you have of early detection and better overall health in the herd.

n Claire Waring is Society Secretary for the British Alpaca Society (www.bas-uk.com).