DMAR Alpaca and Maremma Blog

Bianca has her puppy – A female born on 12/23/08. Oddly enough she had last year’s pups on the same exact date. Of course last year she had to have an emergency c-section due to Gino getting stuck in the birth canal. Well this year again she had to have an emergency c-section as I noticed dark green discharge. I quickly ran into the house and jumped on the internet. From what I read it meant that she was having placental separation and the puppies were to be born quickly. I called the vet and sure enough I had to bring her in.

They took x-rays and saw that no puppy was in the birth canal and the vet recommended the c-section for the puppies could be in distress. I was allowed to watch the operation and saw the vet take out two puppies. I found out one was a male and the other a female. Unfortunately the male never took a breath. However the female did and it was going to be a long night for Tom and me to make sure she nursed and Bianca didn’t roll over on her by accident. Bianca was groggy and past out for most of the night due to the anesthesia.

Today is day 3 from the operation. Bianca is doing wonderfully and is in total control of her senses. She loves her baby and is defending her from Santino at the gate. Not that Santino cares about the pup, but he so worries about Bianca. He stayed outside the feed room gate for the past two nights just hoping to get a glimpse of his beloved Bianca. Now he is greeted by her growls and advised to stay back as she has a pup to care for.

The puppy is doing great too. She is active and cries. It is amazing how they can crawl around from one side of the whelping box to the other. She loves to crawl on mom’s leg and fall asleep. I know this will be one spoiled pup as she gets all of mine and Tommy’s attention. She is already spoken for and it will be a sad day in about 8 weeks when the new owners come to get her.

On a side note; we had Bianca spayed during her c-section operation. This was a hard decision for Tom and I to make as her puppies are truly beautiful. However, considering that she has had only two litters so far with a pup dying in each litter leaving us with only 1-2 pups to sell it hardly seems worth it. The pups that we sell do not cover the cost of the operations not to mention that we didn’t want to put Bianca through another c-section operation. We still have Donatella and when the time comes to breed we will see what kind of a producer she is. We hope for the best as we truly love this breed and feel that all ranchers would benefit from having them on their property to work.

I have one camera focused on the whelping box in the feed room. It is kinda hard to see the pup right now as she isn’t always moving and still quite small, however as she grows it will be easier to see her. Go to http://www.desertmtnalpacas.com and click on Live Cam link to view.

DMAR Update for Week 12/21/08:

DMAR Valentino and DMAR Royal Peruvian Princess: Our two newest crias are both thriving and doing well. Valentino had a little bit of retained fluid at birth which caused him breathing issues. It sounded like he had a snotty nose that he needed to blow. It was agitated when he nursed and the first day he went to open mouth breathing. This isn’t what you want to see as all alpacas must breathe through their noses. Crias especially since they continue to breathe through their nose as they are nursing. However with some naxcel, banamine, and pure oxygen Valentino had cleared up the fluid by day 2 and is now a rambucious two week old cria. Princess, on the other hand, has been battling some diarrhea that started out with a case of e-coli. Her poop was yellow and pasty which is a sure sign. I immediately started her out on Albon and within a week the e-coli was gone, but not the diarrhea. We are currently giving her pepto-bismol and probios. It is getting better, but we aren’t too concerned as we see her nursing regularly (getting hydrated) and is running around being active. The diarrhea we are contributing to mom’s rich milk as we believe she only produces heavy cream and not milk.

DMAR Store will be open all this week for the last minute Christmas shoppers. You can stop by the ranch store, but please call for an appt first at 520-803-9569 or you can shop online at http://www.dmarstore.desertmtnalpacas.com. You can still get the items ontime if you select next day or 2nd day shipping.

Registrations have now opened for the 2009 SouthWest Regional Alpaca Show held at the Arizona State Fairgrounds on March 7th & 8th. The alpaca show is free to the public and if you ever wanted to learn more about alpacas attending a show is a great way to network and meet alpaca ranchers and ask questions. Tom and I are the event show managers, so please contact us at swralpacashow@yahoo.com if you have any questions. The show website may also answer a lot of your questions and that address is http://www.swras.org.

Our maremma dog, Bianca, is due sometime this week or next. We are excited as always to welcome her new pups. The whelping box is in place and Bianca has made herself comfortable in it many times now. I truly felt like she gave a sigh of relief when she saw me putting it in place. I know she was searching a location to have her pups and now she needs to search no more. This week Tom will place a camera in the feed room where the whelping box is, so we and online viewers can watch. Remember that you can reach the web cam by going to http://www.desertmtnalpacas.com and clicking on the Live Cam link at the top menu.

Don’t forget that in January we will have the Alpaca Know How Seminar. This is great for all you need alpaca ranchers to get a hands on as to how to select a good quality alpaca from a pet quality. For more information click on the DMAR Seminar link on the left hand side menu.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

 

 

 

Hello DMAR Valentino!

DMAR Valentino was born at 11:21 this morning. Mom, AOCR Michelle, is doing fine even though this little cria was born two days early. It was quite a surprise for me to go out around 10 am and see that Michelle was dialating. Birthing for Michelle went quickly. It took the baby approximately 11 minutes to hit the ground. Mom and herdsire, Snowmass Incan Emperor, are both medium rose grey in color. It appears that Valentino is a light rose grey cria.

Feel free to watch mom and cria on the live webcam at http://www.desertmtnalpacas.com. Simply click on the live cam link on the top menu.

Bianca is confirmed pregnant by ultrasound today. The ultrasound was performed by Dr. Truong at New Frontier Veterinary Center in Sierra Vista. There is currently a small waiting list for her pups. Each person will be contacted and a deposit will be collected by serious interests.

If you are interested in a maremma pup, please contact us at 520-803-9569 or by email at info@desertmtnalpacas.com.

For more information on maremmas, please visit our webpage at Maremmas.

DMAR Calendar for December 2009:

December 3rd: Tucson’s Women’s Night Out held at the Radisson Suites at 7pm. I was thrilled when they asked me to be one of the vendors. All shopping will be conducted in one of the ballrooms between 5pm and 7pm. They expect to have over 80 professional women attend.

December 4th: Take Bianca (Maremma LGD) to vet to confirm that she is pregnant. I can tell you that her mammary glands have begun to swell and it looks promising, however I have my doubts about the whole testing procedure. Last year I took her in twice to the vet. One time he palpated her stomach area and the other time he took x-rays. Both times he told me she wasn’t. I didn’t believe him and luckily I didn’t as on Dec. 23rd she went into labor. I had Tom prepare a whelping box for her a couple of weeks before, so we were prepared. What we weren’t prepared for was that a young pup would make the wrong turn and go up the other uterine horn. The pup was stuck and blocking the passage out. Bianca had to have an emergency c-section. I am sure Bianca nor the pups would have survived if I believed the first vet who said she wasn’t pregnant. I am thankful that I stayed with her for two nights when her temperature dropped and was able to help my beautiful Bianca when she was in trouble.

I am happy to say that the new owners of Bianca’s pups from last year, Gino and Poppy, have kept in touch. Tom and I were able to personally see Poppy last month while at a show in California. Her new owners were kind enough to bring her over. Wow! She has really beat the expectations I had on her. She has Bianca’s face and Santino’s coat. She is a tall girl who appears to still be growing. She is now 11 mths old and after a little time I truly believe she remembered me. Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera, so no pictures were taken. The owners are thrilled with Poppy and plan to breed her in the future.

On the other hand, Gino’s new owners sent us pictures recently. Gino is the spittin’ image of his dad, Santino. The owners love his look and especially his personality. They say he is one of the family, however just recently he was on the wife’s bad side for chewing up Christmas ornaments outside. Oh well…..Gino still is a puppy after all. Take a look at how nicely Gino is growing.

Gino at 11 mths old.

December 10th – December 29th: Waiting the arrival of Michelle’s cria.. I will pretty much be homebound during this time period simply waiting on the newest arival. As usual Tom and I are full of anticipation and excitement. I love having small crias running around the place playing with each other.

December 25th – Christmas Happy holidays to everyone. The ranch will be closed on Christmas day.

Desert Mtn Alpaca Ranch welcomes all visitors. Please remember to call at 520-803-9569 or email at info@desertmtnalpacas.com to schedule an appt. before coming out. We do need to put our guardian dogs away.

DMAR Makes the SV Herald!  

They find new life and business with livestock

By Laura Ory
Herald/Review
Published/Last Modified on Tuesday, Dec 02, 2008 – 05:15:10 am MST

HEREFORD — When Janice Buttitta was contemplating a new career, she didn’t know it would come in the form of an animal that spits, gives kisses and is prized for its hair.  

In 2004 she began looking for a new passion and lifestyle change when inspiration struck in the form of a commercial about alpacas. Soon she was researching the animals online and took a class on alpaca ranching with her husband, Tom Buttitta.

Four years later they have created Desert Mountain Alpaca Ranch and have more than 20 alpacas, with a few babies, a new store and their own classes about the business on the way.

Janice Buttitta, owner of Desert Mountain Alpaca Ranch LLC, brushes the coat of Dominique, an 11-month-old alpaca. (Beatrice Richardson•Herald/Review)

Although Tom Buttitta, an engineer, has kept his day job, he has been able to create the shelters and new store, at their home.

As a former supply chain manager, Janice found her business skills useful for negotiating deals, marketing the ranch and creating their Web site.

Alpacas are not only relatively new to the Buttittas but to the U.S. and the rest of world, since they began being imported in 1984.

It’s not a surprise if consumers haven’t started seeing alpaca burgers on the menu, because these relatives of camels and llamas are just bred for their fleece in the U.S.

“It’s stronger than wool, more water resistant, has more shine and is as soft as cashmere,” Janice said.

Both varieties of alpaca, the Suri and the Huacaya, are bred with the goal of producing an alpaca with silky, shiny fiber that is used to create clothing, blankets and other products.

“Huacayas look like teddybears and the Suris have longer hair, almost like dreadlocks,” she said.

The Buttittas’ alpacas are all Huacayas. The most recent addition was born Nov. 24. The light fawn colored cria, or baby alpaca, was named Royal Peruvian Princess.

“RPP for short,” Janice said.

Each of their 23 alpacas have a name — from Apollo, their first alpaca — to White Russian, whose coat reminded them of the drink.

“We don’t want them to become a number,” she said.

When alpacas are happy, they’ll give kisses. When they’re mad, they might spit. Male alpacas like to neck-wrestle too, but they are gentle creatures most of the time.

Alpacas won’t crawl into your lap, said Tom, but they are kind of like cats.

“They’ll come to you when they want to,” he said.

“They’re stoic animals,” Janice said.

Besides not being raised for their meat, alpaca ranches differ from others because they don’t need much space, and all the Buttitta’s alpacas live within 1.5 acres. They’re also easy on the land, because they have padded feet, she said.

One of the surprising things about alpaca ranching is how low-maintenance they are most of the time, she said. They give them fresh water and hay and clean up their waste each morning and evening.

The Buttittas also get a little help from their Maremmas, white Italian livestock guardian dogs, which stay with the alpacas to protect them from coyotes or stray dogs — the most common killer of alpacas, Tom said.

Alpacas require attention for the occasional toe nail trim, vaccination and other health needs. Their health can sometimes deteriorate quickly if they aren’t treated quickly, so Janice has made their health a priority by taking veterinary-assisting and neonatal classes.

In the summer they work to keep their alpacas cool with fans, plenty of shade and a hosing-down every now and then for their legs and bellies. The routine generates kisses from all the herd, Janice said.

Besides selling products made from the fibers of Arizona-raised alpacas, including their own, and imported goods from Peru, the Buttittas have been breeding their herd, boarding and transporting alpacas for other ranchers, to grow their business.

“Now we’re at the point where we can start selling part of the herd,” Janice said.

Typically females are sold for about $12,00 to $25,000, and top quality males are sold for about $20,000 to $50,000, according to the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association.

The Buttittas also attend shows to have their alpacas judged, give tours of their ranch, visit festivals and are getting more involved in the industry as members and board members of the Alpaca Breeders of Arizona. This year the Buttittas are also managing the 2009 Southwest Regional Alpaca show in Phoenix.

Across Arizona there are an estimated 40 alpaca ranches, so there seems to be room in the market to grow, Tom said.

There are about 80,000 alpacas across the U.S.

In January they will begin their “Alpaca Know How Seminars” to teach others about topics, from buying alpacas to the tax benefits of the business.

The willingness of other ranchers to teach them the business helped them to create their own business, and allowed her to find a new start, Janice said. Now they’re also ready to share what they’ve been able to learn.

For more information, visit desertmtnalpacas.com or call 803-9569.

Herald/Review reporter Laura Ory can be reached at 515-4683 or by e-mail at svhnews@transedge.com.