Alpaca Articles - Uterine Torsion in Alpacas

Posted 5 June, 2008 in Alpaca Articles | No comments

Alpaca Articles - Uterine Torsion in Alpacas This is the latest article I have written. Not only have I experienced first hand a female showing no sign of having a torsion other than not eating, but recently a fellow breeder just lost a female due to a torsion that was not corrected quickly and caused further internal issues. When I asked them what the dam’s symptoms was I was told only that she wasn’t eating. Do not be fooled into thinking that your dam will roll violently on the ground to let you know she is in trouble. Read more by clicking on the above link.

DMAR Update for Week 3/31/08

Posted 2 April, 2008 in Alpaca Health, DMAR Store, Alpaca Articles, Maremmas, Alpaca General | No comments

DMAR Update for Week 3/31:

We are still anxiously awaiting the birth of DMAR Athena’s first cria. Today is day 352. Tom and I cannot sleep the entire night through as we wake up to check the camera to see if she is showing any signs of labor. We have the camera hooked up right to our bedroom television and we don’t shut it off. Very convenient on one hand and awfully annoying on the other. However, I want to be sure to catch the birthing especially if there are any complications. Don’t forget to watch the Live Cam at Home and you too may catch the birthing.

Last month Tom and I had to deal with an alpaca, DMAR Apollo, getting very sick. We were very nervous about his not eating, having severe diarrhea, and a temperature. Although he never went down we could tell that this young male was very ill and we immediately took action to take care of him. You can read about our ordeal at How We Got an Alpaca to Start Eating Again.

Gino, the maremma pup, is now 3 mths old. He is still available and for $750 he comes fully dewormed, second set of shots, and microchipped. Gino is growing nicely and is already following the rest of the adult dogs around barking and trying to keep up with the chase. Gino is not afraid of the alpacas and does not chase after them. He will occasionally walk up to them and sniff them out, but for the most part he leaves them alone.

The Arizona Fiber Co-op recently received back our products from the mill. Every year the co-op gathers donated fiber only from the Arizona Alpaca growers and sends it off to the mill to have yarn, sock, and other products made. This year DMAR store has had rose grey cable knitted dress socks and cream colored yarn skeins made. You can view and purchase these items now at DMAR Store. All payments are done through Pay Pal which is secure.

We now have gardeners coming by for our alpaca manure. We off the manure for free, so simply call us for a first time appt. We will show you where it is. After that you can stop by at your leisure to pick some up. We do have a shovel for you to use, but you need to bring your own bags or buckets.

Alpaca Article - Alpaca Shearing

Posted 8 May, 2007 in Alpaca Articles | No comments

Click on the link Alpaca Article - Alpaca Shearing to view the most recent article.

Summer is coming up quickly. Alpaca ranchers in SE Arizona are busily preparing their alpacas to be sheared by late April through May. For the health of the alpaca you want to get the fiber off of them before summer hits as to not create heat stress. Are you ready?

Articles on Alpacas - Keeping Alpacas Safe

Posted 1 April, 2007 in Alpaca Articles | No comments

This month’s articles on alpacas is Keeping Alpacas Safe.  Owning alpacas means having to think about keeping predators away. This article is mostly about what we did to protect our alpacas. Of course there are other things that can be done, but hopefully I can get your mind thinking.

Alpaca Article - Ulcers-in-Alpacas

Posted 2 March, 2007 in Alpaca Articles | No comments

The March Alpaca Article - Ulcers - in- Alpacas is the hardest article I have written to date. I am still filled with emotion and cannot even begin to explain how my husband feels. Overall we hope together that our loss will be someone’s gain if this article can help them read the signs of their alpaca having an ulcer. Ulcers unfortunately are a silent killer, but as silent as ulcers are they are very painful to the alpaca. There is nothing worse than to see an alpaca you love in pain and feeling useless in helping to resolve the issue. Please feel free to post or to contact us privately at info@desertmtnalpacas.com should you have any questions or comments.

Alpaca Article - Creating an Alpaca Ranch Store

Posted 8 January, 2007 in Alpaca Articles | No comments

January’s article is now up. Click on the link to go to the page. Creating an Alpaca Ranch Store

Feel free to post any questions you might have.

Alpaca Article - Got Milk?

Posted 1 January, 2007 in Alpaca Articles | No comments

In the Alpaca Article - Got Milk? I mentioned using Domperidone as a treatment for enhancing the milk production in poor or non-milk producers. I failed to mention that Thiamine shots also need to be given at the same time. Tests done by Dr. Evans shows more success in dams creating milk when given additional Thiamine. This was our second year using Domperidone and Thiamine on a poor milk producer and we are very happy with the results.  

Cria Preparedness

Posted 1 December, 2006 in Alpaca Articles | No comments

My new article has been posted at Cria Preparedness. If you are new and needing a list of necessities here is a good place to look.

If anyone has anything they want to add, please comment here. I would love to hear what other ranches are or are not using.

Soon I will be posting the 2007 arrivals.  

Alpaca Shows

Posted 1 November, 2006 in Alpaca Articles | No comments

I have published my November article of Alpaca Shows. It can be viewed at Alpaca Shows. Let me know if I left anything off my list that you feel is important. I am also interested in hearing about any show experiences that can be shared with others.