A bit of soapy water

As I am sure has everyone, we have been busy, much of it battling the elements.  The alpacas live on top of a hill but we have still had difficulties with ground water making tracks and runs lethal.  Yesterday was our first break for what feels likes weeks - we went out to lunch and had a lovely time with conversation ranging from early warning rain detectors, children falling out of cars, rats in the bedroom, being decapitated by a church bell to the place of the internet in a fete quiz.  Today we are back to thick misty fog and all is damp.

I have been battling with mastitis in George, one of the sheep.  Getting a yellow dry cow tube (that's what I call them!) up a sheep teat is something of a challenge but that combined with milking her out and a course of Pen Strep is saving her - although she may end up with half an udder.

We have also had a case of fly strike in alpacas (not our own).  I think the cause was the wood shavings they used for bedding which had worked right in and rotted, got dirty and attracted flies.  A trim, spray of Crovect and all the horrid maggots dropped out.  We also gave him a spray of Click as a preventative measure and he is now as right as rain.


Then, in the middle of torrential rain, Bert had her cria.  I had been watching her constantly ready to administer plasma, colostrum, antibiotics, spray but she chose to have it between 4pm and  6pm while I had gone to cook tea, no sign at all beforehand.  Bert never can feed her babies due to a damaged udder so at least I was prepared.  First he was very slow to catch on to drinking from the bottle and then I realised he kept straining and nothing was coming out.  He had two lots of soapy water and some cod liver oil and appears to have recovered.  I thought we had lost him as I found him flat out on his side in the rain, shivering and obviously in pain late on Friday evening.  He is now drinking very well and runs over for his bottle.  Not a very good photo today I am afraid due to weather!

 I had hoped it would be a girl as I think they are easier to bottle rear but he isn't and I keep reminding myself that it went okay with bottle fed Greeves.  Greeves is now a perfectly normal alpaca who does not seek attention but is very easy to handle when you have caught him - but still will not walk on his halter!

This afternoon I managed to finish the first update of the online shop - http://www.westhillalpacas.co.uk/11.html
and it now actually accepts Paypal (which it would not do before) - and I have updated Alpacaseller with our sale alpacas -
http://www.westhillalpacas.co.uk/4.html
although there is one I am not too sure about and who may be coming back off again!

Now I must go and feed Bert's baby!