I have an older Alpaca, Lacy that hasn't been herself for a few days, and I panicked because I just lost two of my GOOD $$$ Alpacas over the past 8 weeks, and still not recovered from that. When I went out to check the barn, in the morning, and actually start scooping poop, I noticed that she was obviously in labor or something. . . .so DH and I trimmed nails and I gave her a shot of penicillin just to be on the safe side and watched her, because the other female I lost started out the same way. By early afternoon, I found the placenta expelled but no baby. Ironically I just had my book out the evening before reading on birthing and dangerous weeds (because of the death of my female, thought she might have gotten hold of something toxic in the pasture) and knew that this was going to be a dead birth. Within two hours she had delivered a gorgeous little pure white female, with my help, stillborn. I was absolutely devastated, been a hard two months losing the other two, and I am very very attached to all our animals, have been that way since I was a little kid. Lacy was fine, told her baby good-bye and I took it away . . .but she is grieving this morning I can tell. My male Pyr was wonderful, he cleaned up the afterbirth and was licking the little baby when I came back to take it. They are wonderful dogs.
The odd thing is, didn't even know Lacy was pregnant. My DH had a horrific accident last fall out working on the barn, actually separating lumber for the guys coming to put the roof on, and wind blew a 2x4 down, and then a huge aluminum ladder down on top of his head, splitting it open. In the panic that came afterward, because of the blood and knowing he was hurt (17 stitches, and a night in the hospital) he forgot to shut the gate between the two pastures and its amazing what can happen in just a matter of minutes. I guess one of the boys got to her, and that explains why she absolutely did not want the other male to breed in June. This little baby was a month or so early, but weighed in at almost 14#'s, so there was a chance it might have survived if the placenta hadn't been displaced. I comfort myself knowing that this little baby would more than likely not have suvived, because of lung issues, but still makes me so sad that I lost another one. I took pics and we are burying it today after the storm passes.
The odd thing is, didn't even know Lacy was pregnant. My DH had a horrific accident last fall out working on the barn, actually separating lumber for the guys coming to put the roof on, and wind blew a 2x4 down, and then a huge aluminum ladder down on top of his head, splitting it open. In the panic that came afterward, because of the blood and knowing he was hurt (17 stitches, and a night in the hospital) he forgot to shut the gate between the two pastures and its amazing what can happen in just a matter of minutes. I guess one of the boys got to her, and that explains why she absolutely did not want the other male to breed in June. This little baby was a month or so early, but weighed in at almost 14#'s, so there was a chance it might have survived if the placenta hadn't been displaced. I comfort myself knowing that this little baby would more than likely not have suvived, because of lung issues, but still makes me so sad that I lost another one. I took pics and we are burying it today after the storm passes.
