| Rickets in Alpacas A Reminder! |
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by Country Animal Hospital
Now that the days are getting cloudy and dark, please remember that your animals may not be getting enough Vitamin D from the sun. If you aren’t supplementing Vitamin D they could come down with rickets, which is a very painful disease caused by abnormalities in the growth plates. Your crias from last year are most susceptible, but we recommend supplementing Vitamin D at least through 2 years of age. We have seen a few cases of rickets in the past month, so, please, if you haven’t already—go out and give your animals some Vitamin D! If you use the injectable form (Vitamin D always is mixed with vitamin A in the USA), it lasts for 90 days after subcutaneous or intramuscular injection. We think it is easiest to just go ahead and give it to everyone at birth, in November, in February, and in April If you use the paste form, give 30,000 IU every 2 weeks by mouth. Most of the pastes come in the 100,000 IU per 15 ml strength (but check your tube, there are different formulations), so you would give 5 ml to get the 30,000 IU dose we recommend. Do not give Vitamin D injections on the same day as you give vaccines, there seems to be a higher chance of anaphylaxis when these things are given together.
"A friendly reminder: You and your veterinarian are ultimately responsible for the care of your alpacas. All drug dosages should be confirmed prior to using medications unfamiliar to you." Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites       |
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