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This story is about a huacaya alpaca named
Annie. When she came to our ranch, she was
three years old with health issues and weighed
77.8 pounds. The veterinarians ominously
called her: “Walking Dead.”
Some History About Annie
Initially, Annie was a healthy, award-winning
alpaca with no known health issues. Then, at
about age one and a half, she started losing weight
and had bouts of diarrhea. The diarrhea would
get cleared up and then start all over again. She
drooled and had a foamy mouth. She was checked
by veterinarians but nothing appeared abnormal
in her blood work or physical exams. During
all of this, she was treated for parasites, given
additional food, and was also given antibiotics.
Nothing seemed to help.
The most Annie weighed was 112 pounds. After
she was 18 months old, she bred and was pregnant
but lost the cria early in her pregnancy. She contin-
ued to lose weight and then would gain some;
but a slow decline was how she continued with
constant bouts of runny diarrhea. She was a mess.
Poor Annie looked terrible. This condition
lasted for over two years, when the owner
contacted me to see what natural therapies
I could recommend to help with what the veteri-
narians were doing. I always recommend that
the rehab animal stay with its herd, if possible.
In this case, however, it worked out better for
Annie to come to our ranch. Sometimes a friend
from the herd will be brought with a rehab animal
and that can make a huge difference. Alpacas
are all different and usually the owners know
what is best for their animal. But the goal is to
not introduce another stress for an animal that
is already having issues by moving them away
from their herd. Unfortunately, Annie did not
have a close friend to come with her and we
hoped this would not work against her.
Annie was brought to our ranch for rehab after a
current vet check. His diagnosis was possible irritable
bowel syndrome. She arrived at our ranch in May
2008 weighing 77.8 pounds with runny diarrhea.
Month One:
Annie was put in a quarantine area so we could
observe her, do a fecal check, and work one-on-
one with her. Her quarantine area had shelter
with fans, green grass, hay, fresh clean water, and
was close to other alpacas. We hoped she would
be able to go in with the rest of our herd of 40
plus females soon. Especially because, where she
had been boarded previously, they isolated Annie
away from the other alpacas, since they were con-
cerned that her condition might be contagious.
Our first observations of Annie:
She was skin and bones and weighed
77.8 pounds.
Her fiber was dull and course.
She had runny diarrhea. Her back end and legs
were covered with caked, dried, and matted
fiber.
She had a foamy mouth and drooled constantly.
Her eyes were messy with mucus secretion col-
lected in the corners of her eyes.
She picked at her food but ate a good amount
very slowly.
Her teeth were long and needed to be trimmed.
Annie was friendly but tender to the touch and
would almost go limp when touched.
She liked attention, but her spirit was
almost gone.
She seemed depressed, sad, and disconnected.
Annie’s Rehab Begins
Annie needed to get balanced, relaxed, and
connected so the rehab could start. First I gave
her an oral remedy and also added a dropper
full to her water bucket. I started with Distress
Annie
’
s Story
Recovery Through
Herbal Remedies
By Candace Wingo L.M.T., C.A.T.
(Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Animal Therapist)
62
Alpacas
Magazine