• Alpaca Shows, American Style
• Liver Fluke
• Orthopaedics
• Breed standards
• What About Suri
• Stud Male Selection

Alpaca Shows—American Style!
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written by Nick Harrington-Smith

Many will know that my desire to become an Alpaca judge was driven by the wish to avoid doing the hard work at shows that is stewarding. When it was suggested that I should broaden my experience of judging and get my American Owners & Breeders Association (AOBA) judges ticket I thought why not, it can’t be too much work. Boy was I wrong but that’s another story in itself. Still not all was bad, as I entered the fray I realised not only was I going to get an insight into an alpaca show circuit that is unrivalled anywhere in the world but also an opportunity to understand how American breeders have become so successful. The most obvious question was how important to the American market is the show circuit, and are there lessons to be learnt for us here in the UK?

My first experience started a little earlier than planned. Somehow a show organiser got wind of the fact that I was going to be in Indianapolis at the time of the Futurity. I was only going for the fun, but of course in time honoured tradition, said organiser asked if I would “like” to be a ring steward. I of course explained that I would be arriving late in town so would understand her need to appoint someone who was more readily available. Good try, but in a spirit of generosity, I was assured that they could accommodate my timings! Net result, my first ever ring stewarding job, but surprise surprise, even the ring steward gets paid.

Now that was the first indication that they do things rather differently in America when it comes to alpaca showing. Here I was at the American Futurity, being offered money for my time, and realising that the whole event was based on commercialism. Firstly, for those that do not understand how this futurity shows work it is quite simple. A breeder pays to nominate a sire thus making any of his progeny eligible for entry into the show, the owner of the progeny also paying an entry fee. The sire owner is entitled to 20% of any winnings of its progeny. Yes, there is money being paid out as prizes with the first four in each preliminary class getting cash and then colour champions winning bigger cash prizes. In this instance the main sponsor was Celebrity Sales, the company who would be conducting the auction of some animals entered into the show, and whose owners were willing to sell them.

Now as you might expect with money involved there is some tension but in this instance I was to witness, what I am advised was a defining moment in the American show ring. Just prior to judging the judges address the exhibitors, just as in the UK. Perhaps I forgot to mention that there were nearly 800 entries, three rings and three judges. So, three judges told the assembled exhibitors that AOBA show rules would be applied to the letter, and that those entrants who had “prepared” their alpacas contrary to the rules would be penalised. Terms such as “cheating other breeders” and “trying to deceive the judges” were used when roundly condemning such illegal practises. As a ring steward I watched with interest the reaction to what can best be described as a hard hitting address in a very commercial situation.

Another surprise, only those trying to gain unfair advantage reacted badly. Even some who prepared their animals, held their hands up and lived with the directive, all in all the “levelling” of the playing field was well received with only a few packing their bags and going home. So onto showing, three rings swung into action and Huacaya were judged by Jude Anderson and Kristin Burhmann, Suris by a heavily pregnant Amanda VandenBosch (I had strict instructions to catch Amanda in the event of trouble, only one catch was needed), Now you might think having three rings running a little difficult but no such thing. This show was organised by a dedicated team, some of who are paid, and was very professional. Each ring had its team of gate steward and runner outside of the ring. Their job was to make sure that the next class was ready and waiting long before the class in the ring was finished. In addition to each “ring” team there was another team recording results and making sure that classes were being called in plenty of time. Each judge had to wait their turn for the microphone but very few delays were experienced.

One thing was evident even in this commercial environment, alpacas still misbehaved, but camaraderie was high. Now I think one of the reasons for the high spirits can be put down to the inclusiveness of this kind of show. A number of awards are given and these include “Small Breeder of the Year and Reserve Small breeder of the Year. Herd sire of the year is awarded to the male whose progeny win the most money. All of these awards keep tension building throughout the 2 days of the show. On day one Judging went on until early afternoon when preparations for the auction began and the judges retired from the venue.

The auction results were the stuff of which we in the UK can but dream at present, but did demonstrate how a good show can invigorate alpaca enthusiasts. Day 2 dawned with people still talking about the address of the day before, as well as the success of the auction, but more importantly talking about another successful show, and this before it had concluded. The classes started being judged at 8.30.am and the steady flow of animals, equally as well organised as the day before, ensured that at the end of the day approaching 800 animals had been judged and the vast majority of breeders left the venue contented to have taken part in such a spectacle. And all of this with money being paid to judges, stewards and exhibitors alike!

From this show I went on to Harrisburg to apprentice at what I suspect is the worlds largest alpaca show. MAPACA was run on more conventional lines but with something in the order of 1700 entries originally made (some withdrew prior to the show, it was thought they may have prepared their alpacas early!). this show was to be run over 3 days with 4 judges. Mike Safley judging Huacaya Females, Dr Julio Sumar Huacaya Males, Jude Anderson Suri and Tim Lavan judging performance and then Huacaya. I hear you ask what on earth is performance, quite simply an obstacle course for alpacas testing harmony of owner and alpaca, sounds good anyway.

Whilst the purist might question this it must be said that the spectators find watching the kids entertaining, its just a bit strange watching some forty something year old kids running round an obstacle course, including climbing through a tyre. Perhaps not part of the American show scene we would want to import but who knows? Anyway a show of this size is bound to be a test of endurance, taking three day to judge with a total number of 1600 plus entries to be judged, it requires slick organisation.

Again the team of volunteers and paid staff were equal to the task with the rings running smoothly and the judges working in harmony to make sure rules were fairly applied during the whole process. As an apprentice at this show I was once more struck by how enthusiastic and committed the exhibitors were, many had made the long journey from Indianapolis to Harrisburg during the week to promote their farms, some 550 miles.

After spending the summer on the UK show circuit I then went back to the States to finish my apprenticeships in October at 2 smaller shows, one in New England and the other New York State. Now of course most things are relative and the 2 smaller shows attracted entries of circa 400 and 800 respectively.

All summer I had wondered how the shows could start again so early in the year. Surely with much the same rules as ours re fleece length etc it would be difficult to get entries in the ring. This was clearly not the case The first show, The North East Coastal classic was held just North of Portland, Maine in what can only be described as one hell of a facility. A facility needless to say equestrian based, but open for other serious use.

Seemingly Alpaca breeders from all the Northern half of the US turned up to show, although I think this might just be my perception. Two things were most noticeable, one being the rain, it was responsible for making a 9 hour journey time from the UK turn into a 22 hour marathon, the second was the positive and helpful attitude of organisers and judges alike who were committed to allowing as many entrants as possible their day in the ring. Mike Safley and Kristin Burhmann were to be the judges over the two days and were immediately faced with problems. The alpacas being housed in the marquee hired to cope with the extra numbers were wet, the marquee having failed to cope with the amount of rain.

Typical of the attitude I found prevalent amongst competitors and judges alike in the US, everyone accepted the conditions and just got on with the show. The judges just taking a little extra time to evaluate damp animals when they entered the ring. At the end of the very wet 2 days all present held the view that it had been another very successful show, with numbers significantly up on the inaugural show held the previous year.

Talk was how to make it better next year? After this show Terry and I spent 5 days driving/sightseeing through New England and including 2 days at Niagara Falls. Only on 2 days did it not rain, so I am not taking any flak about British weather from Americans again. When we rocked up in Syracuse, Northern New York State, for the last show it was still raining but again the “can do” attitude was prevalent. This show boasted nearly 800 entries, with all stall space having been sold out within 4 days of show entries being invited. In fact exhibitors had agreed to share stall space to allow their competitors to attend! With only one judge having made it in on time you would have expected some degree of panic, but no, all was well with the world.

Amanda Vandenbosch had arrived on time, albeit late in the day, and with baby Hunter in tow, Julio Sumar, late replacement for Jude Anderson herself stuck in Australia, was not due in until late Friday night, Harold Herbolt, performance judge, had missed his flight and would not be arriving until late Friday night also. Never mind, the show organisers wanted the exhibitors meeting the night before showing commenced so that judging could begin early Saturday.

Amanda duly obliged at 8.00 o’clock at night, having arrived about 7.30 and the exhibitors were keen to hear what she had to say, especially the “show virgins”. Yes, even in this well developed show circuit there were a considerable number of people showing for the first time, and all exhibitors were willing to be around late in the day . Yours truly was used as the demonstrator to show how the judges would like the ring to proceed, this was so authentic I even got told off for not leading the alpaca properly! None the less what it did mean was that everybody could rest easy that showing would begin at 8.30am which should mean it finished on time on day 2, well that was the theory.

In truth the show ran really smoothly with 3 rings in operation, although in fairness it did take some time for the exhibitors to understand that they were needed at ringside before their classes actually started. Given the weather outside, raining perpetually, the lighting in the ring made judging hard work, perhaps the only real criticism that could be levelled. That said the organisers took all such comment positively and promised to deal with it for next year.

The centre ring was to be the home of “performance” classes which were to be highly entertaining and at times providing some wonderful music and other distractions in the background for the halter judges. The most memorable sight was without doubt the timekeeper in the performance ring, whose enthusiasm and drive, will I doubt ever be matched, no matter how many shows I attend! Not withstanding the distractions the judging did finish at about 6pm on day 2 and credit for this must go to the show organisers.

Again this team were in part volunteers and in part paid professionals but this structure does help ensure a successful show. The most memorable trip at this show, dinner with Amanda, Terry, Vicki and Hunter after day two and then the ensuing “diaper hunt” at 11.00pm!

Two days after I arrived home I was due to be at a judges meeting here in the UK and it was only following that meeting that I had chance to ponder any differences between here and the US. I, along with I think most British Alpaca breeders, assumed that all the animals entering the ring in America would be of the very highest quality. Whilst this is in the main true in respect of white animals it is by no means true of the coloureds.

Whatever the event, hundreds of animals are entered that the owners know cannot win, but they still play the game. Why? It strikes me that the attitude of the Americans is that the Show circuit is their shop window, and if they want to succeed they all need to participate. This means not only showing animals but helping organise and promote shows regionally. With on average over 2 shows a week scheduled for this next year their commitment is obvious. If you add to this a very clear show structure, with comprehensive and well enforced rules applied by well trained judges, enjoyment and fair play can be reasonably expected.

We probably have the judges, but perhaps not the well developed and understood rule book and show structure although this is being worked on. We certainly do not work so well on a regional basis. So, what other major differences? Perhaps the fact that AOBA love to reward people for showing by awarding ribbons to 6 places and splitting classes above 15 to give more awards is a major difference in philosophy, whatever else it does make more people happy and enthused. I think undoubtedly the issue of auctions attached to shows, prize money, the commercial value placed on winning stock in a competitive show circuit and perhaps most of all exhibitors willingness to travel long distances, make shows the success they are.

In short a commercial edge to the show circuit. Part of that commercial edge is the fact that regional shows make profit in the region, and that profit stays for the regional group to utilise with only a set levy being paid to AOBA. I can already hear the comment, “but the States are much bigger”, “they have more alpacas”, “prices are higher” etc. That only leads me to think of their “can do” attitude rather than “can’t do”.

That said there are major advantages they have starting with Tax breaks and the US state legislature beginning to recognize alpacas as proper livestock, which give owners an advantage over the UK. But of course this hasn’t come about by accident. It has taken much lobbying by AOBA to make alpacas the success story they are in the US and this lobbying has only been possible because of the support given by the members to AOBA’s comprehensive infrastructure. We are by no means as advanced as America but we do have some great animals.

We do not have the sophisticated infrastructure yet but we can make it happen. AOBA has politics just as we do, but it doesn’t allow it to get in the way, a lesson we must learn. We do have breeders who are just as committed as the Americans. What we desperately need is for those breeders to have the confidence in their industry that the Americans have.

In short we need to create an infrastructure that allows more people to participate in the running of the industry from the shop window up, and not to be frightened of being seen to benefit from a commercial industry. In America the pet owner still plays alongside the commercial breeder, they have learnt to co-exist. Best of all, create an impression of confidence and others will follow. Support a strong show circuit and you can enjoy a social side of the industry that has yet to arrive.

One other thing I did learn about the States, the hotels around the shows are equally as appalling as here in the UK, just a little cheaper.

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Liver Fluke: (<< BACK TO TOP)

written by Alex Harrington-Smith with the help and advice of John Cattell , B.V.Sc., D.B.R., M.R.C.V.S

The following article is really not aimed at telling breeders “how it is”. It is meant as sharing our research and experience of Liver Fluke in Alpacas. Much of it has been obtained through discussion with breeders from South America, Australia and the Vets here in the UK. Liver Fluke has the potential to affect Alpacas and we should all be looking to pool our thoughts in order to prevent it becoming a problem!

Areas of Sussex, which have not seen Fluke in 25–40 years, are now seeing incidences of fluke infestation. We recently met with our vets and a ministry vet from Winchester VIC and did discuss Fluke with specific emphasis on the Alpaca. Liver Fluke obviously causes destruction of the liver, however if you read a veterinary dictionary[1] or books on general farm livestock, Black Disease, which will often follow the presence of immature liver fluke, can also be the final cause of death. For those using 7 or 8 in 1 vaccines this is most likely covered and therefore probably prevented.

The same literature will warn that Liver Fluke may cause the animal to become more susceptible to Salmonella. According to a sheep ailments book[2] we frequently refer to, Liver fluke falls into three types: hyper acute, acute and chronic.

• Hyper acute will result in sudden death and will probably only be detected Post-mortem.
  
  
  
• Acute may begin in July, but reaches its worst in November and December. In sheep they tend to go down, unable or unwilling to rise. On examination of their stomach and the area around the liver, you will most likely feel swelling; the alpaca will show pain and discomfort. Death from this stage may only be a few days away. This results from migrating immature fluke travelling through liver tissue.
  
  
• Chronic occurs in the last part of the winter and the earliest part of the spring. This is the area where weight loss will be most marked and the Sheep (Alpaca) may waste before your eyes. This is the result of mature fluke living in the bile ducts of the liver.
  
  
  
• Another key symptom of all fluke types can be a jaw oedema. Though in the case of our only confirmed case this did not present. The alpaca simply did not seem to thrive

It is often the case that much of the work done on Alpacas and their susceptibility to various diseases is carried out on Alpacas resident either in the USA or South America. In conversation with breeders from Peru we were told that Alpacas do not cope with liver Fluke and the resultant liver damage, in spite of the livers reputation for a high ability to regenerate. The vets with whom we discussed this felt that this was largely attributable to the altitude at which the Alpacas live, making them unable to cope with the depletion of red blood cells. In the UK they do seem to cope better with liver damage and, if caught soon enough, recover reasonably well.

With Alpacas who have suffered liver damage of some description, Vitamin B complex can prove invaluable in their road to recovery (ask your vets advice). Our experience is ever so limited with only one case recently suspected on farm, although not confirmed we have seen confirmed cases elsewhere. Last winter we implemented the use of a flukicide treatment, purely as a precaution; the particular product we used was Fasinex 10% for cattle. Ivomec super is primarily an anthelmintic but also contains an adult flukicide; “Clorsulon”. Ivomec Super will kill the mature Fluke but not the immature fluke. If you decide that you will use a flukicide then it may be best to use it as well as a wormer only product, such as Dectomax, with a higher residual action. Dectomax has a long residual action, i.e. it has a continuing effect, possibly for up to 60 days.

Ivomec, which is an anthelmintic only. is more of a “job done” product; in as much as it will knock out the problem but has little effect thereafter. By way of example the following regime could be followed, particularly if you are using a flukicide.

• The use of a wormer with a high residual action, such as Dectomax for your worming programme late in the year, its residual action can then protect your animals as they go into periods when there is most pressure on grazing.
  
  
• As you go into spring it may be preferable to use Ivomec or a similar wormer A different family of wormer will prevent any likelihood of wormer resistance. Using this type of wormer will knock out the problem when worm burden is likely to be at its highest. Ideally you would then turn the Alpacas onto clean pasture

(It should be noted that wormer resistance has not proved to be a problem with Ivomec or Dectomax to date—but neither product kills Fluke.)

Any regime can be helped by the rotation of pastures. In cases where this is not possible, an increase in the frequency of worming may be necessary if problems occur. It is easy to take faecal samples from your Alpacas and do random checks, maybe twice a year, for worms. To be thorough you will need to do 2 to 3 tests 10 days apart to be sure that you are properly monitoring worm life cycles. But always seek advice from your vet, even if fluke is present it will not show in faecal samples at certain times of the year. It is important to bear in mind that Liver Flukes have an indirect life cycle.

That is to say if animal has Liver Fluke and is shedding eggs in the droppings, those eggs will not infect another animal directly (unlike worms), unless the eggs are ingested by certain types of small water snail, who in turn re-infest the pasture. So no snails – no liver fluke problem. Fortunately we have never found evidence of any such snails at Gay Street. Simply talking to local farmers may alert you to any particular problems in your area. Your vets will be able to best advise you on all of these matters and we offer this advice above only as an indication of our own experiences and thoughts. Before taking any action in regard of animal welfare and changes to husbandry routine seek veterinary advice—their local and veterinary knowledge will be greater than yours or ours!

[1] Blacks Veterinary Dictionary 20th Edition, edited by Edward Boden HonAssocRCVS, MRPharmS. ISBN 0-7136-5062-1

[2] Sheep Ailments 6th Edition, by Eddie Straiton. ISBN 0–85236–212-9

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The UK Leads the World in Alpaca Orthopaedics: (<< BACK TO TOP)

written by John Potts

In February of this year The Alpaca Stud imported a number of high quality stud males from Canada. All went well for the first few weeks and everyone was excited about the new arrivals, which had been selected last year whilst covering thousands of kilometres across Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

And then tragedy struck. One of the most highly rated males in the shipment was found dead one morning having been well and in good condition the day before. The cause: a urinary blockage, possibly a kidney stone. Just after the depression was lifting about a week later another of the males was found to be lame in its right hind leg. Examination suggested a cruciate ligament problem, which was subsequently confirmed by the vet to be correct.

The alpaca was in a lot of pain, could not use the leg and it was getting worse. The usual course of action is to euthanase the animal quickly; a cruciate ligament has never been repaired on a horse, only once in the US with limited success and only recently is starting to be carried out by specialist orthopaedic consultants on dogs.

We could not face up to another loss so we took the Alpaca (Quento) to see a veterinary orthopaedic consultant called Noel Fitzpatrick. If you have never met anyone with a genuine triple A character who runs everywhere and frequently operates for 22 hours a day (no exaggeration!) go and see Noel. He has a large team who are all excellent vets but who hang on in his wake. Noel had never attempted such an operation before although he is proficient at carrying out similar procedures on dogs.

He quickly researched the world veterinary reports and announced he was prepared to carry out the operation with a reasonable prognosis but, of course, no guarantees. We approached insurers to see if they would help with the £3000+ bill offering to agree a reduced death benefit in return. They declined bur nevertheless we decided to continue.We could not face another loss. (In fact Insurers kindly volunteered 50% of the bill at a later date without any effect on the sum insured.)

A couple of days later we arrived for the operation. A full examination had been carried out previously. Two vets from Newmarket arrived who were specialist anaesthetists. Nick and I held Quento whilst he was anaesthetised, which took a larger dose than had been calculated from his weight. Eventually he agreed to lie down, was lifted onto a very large stretcher and carried into the operating theatre. Swallowing hard, for this had been one very brave boy, Nick and I left, both believing that we would probably not see him again as we had agreed that if on examination it appeared to Noel to be hopeless, we would not wake him up.

The time was 6.30pm and I returned to a previously arranged dinner party where the non-alpaca guests found they were treated to 3 or 4 hours on a subject they probably had no interest in. How could I think of anything else?

The hours crawled by until finally the ’phone rang at 11.30. The operation had been a success so far but now came the difficult period of gentle restraint and full recuperation. Quento returned resting on me in the back of the trailer. Illegal? Who cares! He moved into a small pen in the garden under a sunshade where he was plied with drugs orally and by i/v for a couple of weeks. A small hiccough arrived after a few days when the theatre swab results were returned showing the presence of a serious bacterial infection, which could prove fatal if it took a hold.

Massive doses of a new American antibiotic were added to the daily drugs. Regular visits to the surgery confirmed our hopes that he was doing well and after 4 weeks he started to use the leg again putting more and more weight on it. The day of judgement came after 6 weeks when Quento returned for a full examination including being filmed and photographed parading up and down outside the surgery. He played the part to the full before leading Nick up the steps to the waiting room, past bemused clients of the practice, along corridors, before barging through double doors and presenting himself in the X-Ray room. With no anaesthetic or any other medication being applied he allowed himself to be lifted onto the table and for photographs to be taken with Noel, Nick and I holding him. He then got up and marched back into the trailer.

The X-Rays? A stunning success with perfect alignment was shown to have been achieved. The prognosis? Two more weeks of pen dwelling and then back to his mates to relay his experiences. We expect him to be working later this year.

A first for the UK and in terms of success we now lead the world. Well done to Noel and his team. The anaesthesia process will shortly be appearing in a veterinary journal and the operation itself will follow later this year. However, for those of you who are technically minded, here is a layman’s view of what went on.

The Cranial Cruciate Ligament (known as the Anterior Cruciate Ligament or ACL in humans) is a band of tough tissue in the centre of the stifle (knee joint) that stops the tibia (shin bone) from moving forwards relative to the femur (shinbone). If it becomes torn or ruptures, the stifle becomes unstable resulting in pain, swelling, cartilage damage and arthritis.

The anatomical structure in this area is not totally dissimilar to humans where the ligament usually ruptures due to excessive forces such as twisting or jumping, and is often seen in footballers and golfers. I believe Noel may put it, in his inimitable way: it is a common design fault where he has been able to improve on God’s little error! Current thinking is that apart from trauma a number of other factors may be involved, including:

• Hormonal factors
• Shape of the knee joint
• Angle of the tibial plateau (the top of the shin bone)
• Body weight

In dogs the ligament may stretch gradually and/or tear a little at a time before rupturing completely. We have no evidence of this being the case in alpacas but it would appear logical.

The procedure carried out by Fitzpatrick Referrals is known as a Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy (TPLO). It is thought that the top of the tibia in camelids, known as the Tibial Plateau is angled backwards, as in dogs. This means that the femur tries to slide backwards when the alpaca stands on the leg, and is restrained by the Cranial Cruciate Ligament. This puts repeated stress on the ligament and is a major factor in causing the ligament to rupture.

Most veterinarians treating dogs have aimed to rebuild or replace the ruptured ligament. However, it is now known that because the mechanical problem described above is still present, replacement ligaments will almost always break or stretch as time goes on, and that arthritis will continue to develop. TPLO does not aim to rebuild or replace the ligament.

Instead it aims to change the angle of the tibial plateau, so that when the alpaca puts weight on the leg, the Cranial Cruciate ligament is no longer needed to stabilise the joint. This is done by cutting the bone (“Osteotomy”) of the tibia and rotating the top section into a more appropriate position.

Observable symptoms

When Quento went lame it was possible to observe stifle laxity and significant stifle effusion, particularly medial pouching of the synovium caudel to the straight patellar tendon (i.e. swollen hock!). Radiography confirmed this evidenced as opacification encroachment of the infrapatellar fat pad and caudal bulging of the subgastrocnemius fat plane.

Where an alpaca is different to a dog is that there is no fabellae or fibula and so when the Cranial Cruciate Ligament injury is diagnosed tibial plateau levelling osteotomy is the preferable route to follow. Bearing in mind the expectation of high “athletic” and functional activity of an alpaca stud male the objective of tibia plateau levelling osteotomy is to neutralise tibial thrust by rendering the tibial plateau perpendicular to the straight patellar tendon. In Quento’s case the preoperative tibial plateau angle was 17 degrees and the postoperative angle 3 degrees.

Procedure

A tibial plateau levelling osteotomy was performed by means of the well known Slocum technique using a 30mm biradial saw blade to perform osteotomy of the proximal tibia, whereupon the proximal segment was rotated 6.25mm and anchored using a precontoured 3.5mm broad stainless steel Orthomed plate and screws. The bone was fixed rigidly in place. The remnants of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament were debrided. Postoperatively meloxicam and clavulanate-potentiated amoxicillin were administered in the short term together with an intravenous antibacterial with Augmentin TM for the first 48 hours. The bone will heal over about 12 weeks but the plate remains in place unless it causes a problem.

Improvements in the new procedure

Improvements have been made to the US procedure:

• The incision used was further forward and the proximal segment slightly larger following the teaching Kowaleski at Ohio University. This enables greater certainty in ensuring that the bone join is at the epicentre.
  
  
• The new Orthomed plate used is larger than the old Slocum plates (and there is some concern that the older plates may have leached chemicals into the blood stream).
  
  
• This technique ensures better collateral ligament stability and better rotation.
  
  
• Ensuring that the stifle join is exact without any opposition of the edges nearly halves recuperation time to full mobility.
  
  
• The screw placement has been changed and improved to ensure they are well away from the joint.
  
  
• The alignment of the axial plane has been improved, achieved by ensuring that on alignment the calculus bisects the patella.

My thanks for this information go to Fitzpatrick Referrals, and even greater thanks to them for restoring Quento to good health.

Breed Standards for the UK? (<< BACK TO TOP)

written by Nick Harrington-Smith

Mike Safley as ever writes eloquently and logically about the benefits of introducing breed standards. Although the European industry is not as developed as our American counterpart, this is no reason for not learning from others. I tried during my time as a director of the BAS to initiate a male certification scheme, similar to a breed standard, for males only. The reaction then was one of fear. Without careful presentation any attempt to implement breed standards now could be met with that same fear. The question is one of timing.

I believe that we should start formulating breed standards as soon as possible, but not from scratch. America and Australia either have, or are, designing a standard and we should utilise their research. Even in our much smaller industry we still see what some would view as a disproportionate influence of the show ring on peoples breeding decisions. Breed standards would simplify the judges’ job, and make the rationale behind awarding ribbons much clearer. Most importantly the show ring would more closely reflect the considered, and accepted ideal of an alpaca.

Overcoming the fear and resistance will be the biggest challenge. Only education and consultation at an early stage will achieve this and the breed society must drive such a scheme. The key is to make every one understand that all will benefit. The first stage should be for the industry to agree the standard, the second being to invite voluntary participation by the breeders.

Mike’s article should be taken to heart. He fairly sets out why as an industry we should implement breed standards. To do so will give the UK a system that ensures we, the British Alpaca breeders, become the primary source of elite genetics throughout Europe.

What About Suri: (<< BACK TO TOP)

written by Nick Harrington-Smith

When you first meet someone and mention alpacas it is still something of a surprise if they know what an alpaca is; even if they do, the response is usually oh!, like a “long necked” sheep, which is of course the Huacaya they recognise. Mention a Suri and often you just get a blank look. Now this really shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that in the main the promotion of alpacas centres around Huacaya. However to keep the amount of promotional effort in perspective it is thought that the Suri represents less than 10% of the world’s total population of alpacas. So, given all that, why would anyone consider the Suri as an option when setting up an alpaca enterprise, especially when you hear all sorts of tales about how difficult they are to keep? It is, amongst other things, a few of these more basic prejudices that I am going to try and clarify, having had considerable experience both breeding and handling Suri alpacas.

One of the most oft said things is that the Suri needs more mollycoddling because it doesn’t have as much fleece, and the backline is often more exposed. Whilst this is a natural assumption, it is fortunately not true. In my experience, whilst the Suri can look slightly frailer because of this lack of a voluminous fleece, it does in fact have a greater tendency to carry more muscle than a Huacaya. In farming parlance they tend to be good “doers” so in practice if you do need to be more careful, it is not to overfeed!

It is also said that the Suri appears to suffer easily from rain scald along the top line. Whilst I have seen rain scald in a few animals this condition is, in our experience, confused with the same problems that cause hair loss in the Huacaya, which are more often than not mite related. We have found that if you treat for hair loss you often cure the so called “rain scald”. We do tend to help the healing process by applying a dairy cow product in the form of udder cream to the scabby area, the one we find most effective has Japanese Spearmint Oil as a constituent. I think the main difference between the Suri and the Huacaya is that it is easier to spot the problem on a Suri because of the more visible top-line.

Now for the fun comment, “Suris are bad tempered, bad mannered and difficult to handle”. It is my experience that relative to the numbers on farm, we have no more bad tempered Suris than Huacaya. It is fair to say that the Suri is more “free spirited” and that it can take a little more time to train. Because, as I mentioned earlier they tend to carry more muscle and as a result are stronger. That said they tend to have more self confidence, so once they have got over initial reluctance on the halter, they progress quickly and really do show themselves well. They are not bad tempered or bad mannered, some of the most amusing and affectionate alpacas we have on the farm are Suris.

I have heard people say Suris are ugly. It is true that the poorer quality animals do to a certain extent lose their looks, but then so do we humans as we get older. The offset with the Suri is the cria, when you look at Suri cria in the field there is nothing more beautiful, and I will not brook any argument here.

Having hopefully dispelled some of the more damaging misconceptions about Suris I would like to focus strongly on the numerous positive attributes they have. The most striking thing about Suris is the way they look, even at first glance they have a regal majesty about them. Their “free spirited” nature gives a certain arrogance to the manner in which they hold themselves in the paddock and in the way they observe life in general. When you look at a Suri you can immediately see more of the phenotype because it’s not hidden by masses of fleece.

Of course a big part of the look is their fleece and this is at its most impressive when the alpaca walks. A really good Suri will have a free flowing fleece with each lock independently draping the animal. When the animal moves the fleece will be like rippling water. This independence of lock should be seen up the neck and into the bonnet, with the really good animals even having locks “dripping” from the chin. Now, it used to be that the type of lock was considered paramount in the show ring. This led to a drive to breed a really fine pencil lock. Unfortunately this also led to a lack of density so there are now equal values placed on differing lock types, so do not think that only fine pencil locks are good. Density is vital as this ensures a good cutting weight of fleece.

Another major attribute sought, but not always found, in the Suri is lustre, again with really good Suris this will strike you immediately upon seeing the animal. I was fortunate enough to be in the paddock with a group of Suri weanlings the other day with the sun shining on them. The sight was magnificent with the fleece glistening even from a distance. Of course this lustre in not just seen externally, it should be seen right down to the skin once you open the fleece itself.

It is for the fleece that Suris are primarily bred. However, because of the relatively small number of animals, there is a scarcity of fleece. For those that have not seen processed Suri fibre it has to be seen to be believed. If you venture into a shop in Arequipa and see the finished Suri product, all of those attributes mentioned above will have come through into that product. A few years ago Alan Glover of Alborada Alpacas processed a small amount of Suri fibre for me. When the resultant yarn was knitted up the small swatch displayed all the qualities we could have wished for. Indeed after one day at a show, where visitors handled the swatch, Alex put a label on naming it WOW! Such was the response of the public.

So, we have a beautiful animal, with relatively rare fibre to die for who has beautiful cria. What more could you want? Okay, an economic argument. If one looks at the Suri market elsewhere in the world you will see that they fetch prices far in advance of the same quality Huacaya. Whilst that is not the case in the UK yet, we are seeing more interest in the Suri with a number of breeders only having Suri. In addition, we have just sold some females and males to breeders on the Continent so I believe the future is bright.

Of course you may have worked out that I am a “bit” of a Suri fan, so could be just a little biased. There is no doubt that I am never happier than when I am judging Suri. After all, with the Suri more often than not what you see at first glance is what you get. Oh that all alpacas were so genuine.

Stud Male Selection: (<< BACK TO TOP)

written by Nick Harrington-Smith

Quite simply, selecting your stud male, whether to buy or use at stud, is going to be the most important decision you ever make if you are to improve your herd. Even if you only consider yourself a hobby breeder there is no earthly reason to keep on reproducing mediocrity. After all, it is highly likely that at some stage you will want to sell some or all of your herd, and quality stock is always easier to sell.

Alpaca breeding for herd improvement is all about selection. This means choosing those alpacas that will become parents and deciding which male will best compliment any given female. Remember any single stud male will have more impact on both individual or national breeding programs than any female because only the male has the ability to reproduce its genetics many times in any one breeding season.

It is important to select stud males with those positive traits that you are seeking to establish in your herd. That is not to say you forgive negative traits but remember some traits are more highly heritable than others. For instance, in cattle leg set is considered lowly heritable, but in sheep, fleece characteristics are considered moderate too highly heritable. It is thought that with alpacas it would be reasonable to assume somewhat similar heritably values. Given this sort of information you can begin to evaluate those traits that you can select for and against, once you have assessed your breeding female.

So, what should you be looking for in an ideal male? One should always keep in mind that we want to produce progeny that are “fit for the purpose&rdquo'. Alpacas are primarily fleece producing animals and it is from that fleece that we should ultimately derive value. With this in mind we need to decide what those value traits are.

Below is a table that clearly defines such traits and once you have decided your list of priorities you can then look for a male that has those traits you are seeking to fix on your own herd. As a general rule it is easier to achieve the fixing of one trait at a time. It may well be that you want to achieve heavy cutting fleeces and accept that the micron might be one or two greater.

The above table is extracted from “Synthesis of a Miracle” by Mike Safley, a highly recommended read.

OK, all you now have to do is find the right male and you’re away, really simple! Unfortunately in your quest for a male you will be faced with many different challenges. Not least of all the emotional pressure to believe that the male Flossy had two years ago is up to the job. Of course this is nothing to do with the issue of saving money, just that little Romeo is the best alpaca ever born, and after all you bred him. Now you have to be really honest with yourself, remember even the big stud farms would only get 1% of the males born to qualify as stud males, the rest would be geldings.

So in reality you have to ask yourself what is the likelihood of Romeo being up to the mark. Mind, he could be, so just be careful and call in professional advice if you genuinely think he is in with a shout. The next step is to view other breeders and assess those studs they are offering up. Don&rsqquo't be persuaded that their “Romeo” is the best thing because they talk passionately about him. Remember, your Romeo was castrated because clear thinking told you he wasn’t good enough. You are about to spend money, and any breeder worth their salt will want to take it from you, after all you are only talking to them because they have said he has a good stud! Try to reduce the risk of a bad result by asking the right questions. Here are but a few things to consider whether purchasing a stud male or just buying services. Ask for and consider:

• The pedigree, this will give you a heads up on how deeply grounded his genetic quality is.
  
  
• His fibre stats, see if he was very fine in the first fleece but has become significantly coarser since. Be wary when there is a big difference between 1st and 2nd fleece results. Be reasonable about expectations on older males.
  
  
• When was the last fibre sample taken, why are they only quoting a sample taken 4 years ago.
  
  
• Check him over for any defects, does he have llama traits which can be reproduced in his progeny?
  
  
• Is he proven, not does he work, but does he have cria on the ground?
  
  
• Can you view his progeny, if not why not?
  
  
• What quality of female produced those great cria you have been shown. After all a really prepotent male will be successful over a wide range of females.
  
  
• Have his progeny had success in the show ring?

Remember if you ignore the basics you have to live with result for many years to come. Poor female cria impact on your breeding program for 10 years plus. A poor male is never going to amount to more than a gelding but he has just wasted at least one year in your program.

Now having dealt with the theory there will be one factor that controls all, the budget. We all have financial constraints but you need to be careful. In trying to save money by using low quality, cheap males, your are constantly and consistently devaluing your breeding herd. Just because you buy a supposed stud male for the sum total of your annual service fees, doesn't mean the male in question a worthwhile stud, he is just your stud.

You also need to remember that when you allow a breeder to sell you either services from an inferior male, or indeed an inferior male as a stud, they will quickly promote your business as an endorsement of their stud. In short you have given them credibility in the market place.

Here is quote from Mike Safley’s book which I believe should be committed to memory ready to ponder on when formulating your breeding program. “Although there are some outstanding producers in the herd, the animals, if randomly mated, will produce offspring that resemble the average of their ancestors.” This clearly demonstrates the importance of male selection.

To sum up, do your homework, breed to the best male you can afford, and don’t breed to something because it’s conveniently just down the road. Remember, you spent lots of money buying the breeding female, look to enhance not devalue both the financial and aesthetic value of your herd.

Finally, remember you don’t have to breed every female every year, so consider spending more on individual breedings, and not breed the whole herd.

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