Tuesday 23 February 2010

Vet visit

We woke to snow again this morning, and it looks like we still have more to come. We really have had enough of winter now.

I suppose the snow made a change from rain, usually when the vet visits it rains. Sam Prescott, our vet, was booked in for a visit this morning. We needed a couple of insurance certificates doing and I wanted him to have a look at Gabby who you may recall I'd noticed had a jaw abscess before Christmas.

Sadly despite the antibiotics I hasn't gone, so I wanted his advice. He agreed that it is looking like surgery is the only option really left. However as Gabby is currently pregnant to Golden Guinea we will have to wait until she has given birth.

Thankfully the abscess seems to be causing her no problems, she is still eating properly and chewing the cud so I will continue to keep a close eye on her and monitor the situation.

Whilst Sam was here I got him to microchip all my weanlings, I really don't like that big needle! I am pleased to say that they all behaved impeccably.

4 comments:

Zanzibah Alpacas said...

Hi Debbie,

One of my boys...had a really severe abscess...which returned...I treated it with Homeopathy !!!! and anti-biotics...and it has not returned..it was a really bad one,I think it was deep in the jaw bone..... but we cleared it with perseverence !!!it was very nasty indeed........I had to treat it for about 3 months,...Up to now its still clear !!!!.....Jayne

Suzanne@ Panteg Alpacas said...

We had a bad abscess last year and treated aggressively with a strong antibiotic used for human TB ,it was a 28 day treatment , and the abscess has gone and not returned , we were looking at surgery but this fixed it instead , and we didn't loose the pregnancy, in fact had a beautiful mid fawn girl .

Debbie, Barnacre Alpacas said...

Thanks ladies. I had another girl with one a couple of years ago which I managed to get rid of but this one is not budging.

I will keep trying though, what anitibiotic were you using Suzanne and Jayne I will give you a call!

Unknown said...

Can't you open the abcess? If you can then try to flush it with nuflor or baytril (enrofloxacine). We used gentamycin in a very hard abces of a bone... The breeder (UK) couldn't get the abcess away. We flushed it daily with gentamycin over a period of 4 a 5 week. Gentamycin is nefrotoxic in alpacas. But you have to make a choice in treatment. You can't treat them by injection because of the cria...

Good luck,

Leo