A warning to BYC'rs with Alpacas, etc.

I just lost my big beautiful Jude Thursday morning to reasons unknown, but preliminary findings are indicating its the SPINOSE ear tick. He was perfectly fine the night before, found him dead in the stall the next morning. Absolutely no marks on his body, other than a tiny bit of blood in one nostril. Heat stroke has started already, but I don't think this was it. We took him to the U of I for a necropsy and the ticks have been the first real warning sign they have found. This has been a devastating loss for my little farm, and I want to warn everyone who has animals to treat them. Jude's ears were full of these ticks, had I known I would have been treating them months ago. Google them and there is some good information about them. They can live in the ear canal up to 7 months and cause neurological issues and then death. We are out in the pasture all the time, and not one of us has come in with a strange tick on us, so they must be completely different from the usual old wood ticks. We put Ivermectin down all their ears, just a few drops, and will do so from now on every month. Dogs can also have a dab in their ears too, because it appears we might be in for an epidemic of this. We tried syringes without the needle, but its thick like most of the wormers and sort of plugged up the port, so I think an old fashioned eye dropper would work better and you would have better control.

A local farmer has lost three cows, out in the field for reasons unknown also, so am going to contact him today and tell him what I do know so far. I don't think this is a tick that guineas can control. I haven't even seen a picture of these types yet, so if anyone finds one, post it so we can all get a look.

Be careful please, because I don't want anyone else to go through what I just did. I am in Illinois, and it is probably different in other parts of the country, but the Midwest needs to start taking action againest these killer ticks.

 

THANKS for the pictures, and I had read where you can use the miticide to spray down the barn area. I did spray pure bleach all over the area where Jude was laying as a precaution, because we didn't know at the time if it was communicable or not. What a horrible ugly looking bug. I am paranoid now, and if I don't see everyone out together I am out the door and counting heads. Thanks for everyone's kind thoughts. Jude was such a good boy, absolutely outstanding fellow and I was so looking forward to a baby out of him and my white female. I am treating the Pyrs today.