The Alpaca Vet

31/10/2026

Putting a new alpaca in “the next paddock” is not automatically quarantine.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸:

👢 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿
🪣 𝗯𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀
🚜 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
🦙 𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁
💩 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
🙋 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿

Biosecurity works when you interrupt routes of transmission.

It's a system — not a checkbox.

30/10/2026

𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬!!! 🔥𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗱𝘀

Weight loss in camelids can sometimes occur gradually and may have several different causes.

Because their fleece can conceal changes in body condition, owners may not notice weight loss until it becomes more significant.

A variety of health and management factors may contribute to reduced body condition.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:

✅ Internal parasites affecting nutrient absorption

✅ Dental problems that reduce effective chewing

✅ Poor pasture quality or inadequate nutrition

✅ Chronic illness or stress

Regular body condition scoring helps detect subtle changes before they become serious.

Investigating weight loss early allows owners and veterinarians to address the underlying cause.

Maintaining good nutrition and health monitoring helps ensure animals remain in optimal condition.

Have you ever had to investigate unexpected weight loss in your herd?
Did you find something unexpected? Tell us below!

28/10/2026

26/10/2026

🌡𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿? 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀!

When it comes to keeping an eye on your animals' health, every second counts! 💚🐾

Meet our Digital Thermometer – a handy little essential for quick, easy and convenient temperature checks.

✨ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝘁:

⏱️ 𝟭𝟬-𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 – No more waiting around! Get a temperature reading in a flash.

💧 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 – Easy to clean and ideal for everyday use.

🧠 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Keep track of previous readings with ease.

🚨 𝗙𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗺 – A helpful alert when a high temperature is detected.

🌿 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗽 – Designed for a more comfortable experience.

🔋 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 – Ready to use again and again!

Whether you're checking on an alpaca who's looking a bit off-colour or simply keeping your animal care kit well stocked, this clever little thermometer is a must-have.

💚 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.

Because caring for your animals starts with having the right tools at hand.

👇 Find out where to get yours in the first comment!

24/10/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗹𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄?

Not eventually.

Not after you've moved three gates and found some spare hurdles.

𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄.

Good quarantine needs planning before the new animal arrives.

New additions are one of the most obvious routes for introducing disease and resistant parasites into a herd.

Biosecurity isn't exciting.

Neither is introducing a disease you didn't previously have.

24/10/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀!

You can now take a very affordable short course online on controlling Haemonchus - AND get your properly calibrated FAMACHA colour charts! (Anything printed offline is likely to be incorrect in colour shades, plus it's illegal to do so! 😉)

And yes, there IS a camelid-specific section in this that I helped to produce. (Disclaimer: I didn't, don't and won't get any financial compensation for this.)

Benefits of the course:
- Access modules anytime, at your own pace
- Inclusive course fee of £60
- Supports sustainable parasite health planning for sheep, goats and camelids
- Training manual and case studies
- Two FAMACHA cards.

📚 Interested in taking the FAMACHA Online Short Course?

👇 Check the first comment below for details on how to access the course and enrol!

Please help spread the word by sharing this with fellow camelid owners! 🦙

23/10/2026

𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬!!! 🔥𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘀

𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮 occurs when an animal has fewer healthy red blood cells than normal.

In camelids, anaemia is often associated with heavy parasite burdens or certain illnesses.

Because camelids tend to hide signs of weakness, early symptoms may be subtle.

Careful observation and regular health checks can help detect problems early.

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:

✅ Reduced energy or activity levels

✅ Pale mucous membranes

✅ Ill thrift in young animals

Checking mucous membrane colour during routine handling can provide a quick health indicator. Always check this whenever you handle your animals for any reason.

If anaemia is suspected, veterinary evaluation is important to determine the underlying cause.

Early detection makes treatment far more effective.

Have you learned how to check the colour of mucous membranes (often called FAMACHA screening) in your alpacas? Share your experience below!

22/10/2026

🎃 𝗡𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿! 🦙🍂

When it comes to keeping your alpacas and llamas happy and healthy, there's no room for spooky surprises! 👻

Inside The Camelid Care Handbook, you'll discover how to:

🍁 Build reliable daily care routines

💩 Stay on top of parasite management and nutrition

🚑 Recognise health concerns and respond to emergencies with greater confidence

Because good camelid care shouldn't be a guessing game — especially when your animals' wellbeing is at stake.

👉 Discover The Camelid Care Handbook via the link in the first comment.

📘 Available in Paperback & Kindle. You can order online at your preferred online retailer… BUT if you’d prefer to support the author over filling Jeff Bezos’ pockets (!), order from our website if you're in the UK (with free shipping!), or from my own personal online bookstore if you're outside the UK. You'll find the link on my website page for that!

21/10/2026

🐾 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗮𝘀?

If alpacas can be so subtle when they’re becoming unwell, we need ways of identifying problems before they become obvious.

These are five things I think every alpaca owner should be monitoring:

1️⃣ 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿
Know your individuals. Who is first to the feed? Who usually follows whom? Who normally sits where? A subtle change in behaviour can be an important early warning.

2️⃣ 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Please don’t rely on looking at them! Fleece can hide a surprising amount of weight loss. Put your hands on your animals and body condition score them regularly.

3️⃣ 𝗠𝘂𝗰𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿
Learn what normal looks like. Increasing pallor may be an important warning sign of anaemia, including that caused by Haemonchus.

4️⃣ 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀
Don’t expect diarrhoea to tell you there’s a problem. Because of their digestive physiology, camelids can carry significant parasite burdens while continuing to produce apparently normal dung.

That’s why strategic faecal testing is so valuable.

5️⃣ 𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵
Particularly in crias and growing animals. One weight gives you a number. Regular weights give you a trend.

And remember to record what you find! 📝

The aim isn’t to obsessively check your alpacas for disease.

It’s to establish what is normal so that when something begins to change, you notice.

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹. 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻. 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲.