An Enchanting Criation: A Vacationer�s Experience
By Pat Berrie and Deirdre Murphy
In the Summer of 2007 I went to New Mexico to visit my sister, Deirdre Murphy, and to see her alpaca ranch, Dando Luz Alpaca Ranch, LLC in Lamy, NM. During that brief stay I witnessed firsthand the strange and bizarre breeding of alpacas, the dam �Azucena� and the herdsire �Regal.�� What in the world is that sound and when is it going to stop????� You alpaca breeders know just what I am talking about!
This year I mentioned to Deirdre that I thought I would be able to come out again. We chatted back and forth about when it would be best for me to come out and we both decided it would be neat if I could come out to visit when the offspring from that particular breeding was due to birth. I, being a Registered Nurse and having worked in ICU, CCU and the Cardiac Catherization Laboratory, thought this would be a great vacation. So we made the plans. Coincidently, the visit would also include the added benefit of attending Dr. Kimberly Gardner-Graff�s seminar on ��Criation:� Unpacking Your Alpaca�. I was so excited that I was going to see my first alpaca being born. Little did I know that I was in for a shock!
Sunday, June 8th
I flew from New Jersey to New Mexico. It was fabulous to see my sister�s ranch again and the new arrivals from last fall�s birthing. I was anxious and excited, hoping that Azu would give birth while I was there. I was learning about the gestation of alpacas. �Eleven and a half months! You have to be kidding!�
Tuesday, June 10th
Deirdre woke me up at 6:30 am to say that Azu appeared to be uncomfortable and stated that perhaps this would be the day. Azu had been confined to a maternity stall, per Dr. Andy Cameron DVM, due to a recent and very significant weight loss. Her blood test showed that she had unprocessed fats in her blood, possible hepatic lipidosis, so she was being watched carefully and had her own supply of alfalfa, pellets and hay. Deirdre and I took turns watching her and hoping that the labor would begin. This happened throughout the day until evening.
I learned something very heartwarming about alpaca ranchers. They work together. They are there for each other, especially in times of need. Becoming somewhat concerned, we called in reinforcements to help us assess the situation. Fellow alpaca ranchers Anne Stallcup (Que Sera Alpacas) and Susan Sassar (Alpaca Works) came running. We all hunkered down outside the stall with watchful eyes on Azu. We all agreed that she seemed uncomfortable, but were ambiguous about it being anything other than that. I thought she seemed depressed. I told Azu that I knew what she was going through (I have had four children myself). I thought out loud, �Anyone would be depressed if they had to be pregnant for 11+ months!� I asked Susan if she thought that the alpacas get depressed. Susan conjured the idea.
Everyone explained that alpacas typically will not birth in the evening (another new alpaca fact learned). After much deliberation, it was decided that nothing else would happen until morning and we dispersed. I noticed the uneasiness in Deirdre. She didn�t get much sleep that night as she made several trips from bed to barn.���
Wednesday, June 11th
Deirdre was dressed and at the barn by 6:00 am. Things began to look promising. We were watching for that �big bulge� that is suppose to occur. We watched and waited and waited some more. Then, around 2:00 pm, Deirdre saw the bulge but it didn�t look right to her. Azu was bulging, but it appeared as though she had a rubber band around her anus and vulva area. Deirdre immediately called Dr. Andy who ordered, �Bring her right now!�
In record time, Deirdre hooked up the trailer, loaded on a flake of hay and a bucket of water, then Jackie and her offspring Cocoa Pelli (who also had appointments that day), and then Azu. Off we raced on the whopping five-minute drive to Eldorado Animal Clinic (how fortunate for Deirdre to live so close to her vet, especially then). In the midst of the rushing around, all I could think about was how excited I was that I was indeed going to get to see this birth! Did I mention earlier that I was in for a shock?
We arrived at the clinic and unloaded Azu from the trailer. Before anyone could exchange pleasantries, Deirdre exclaimed to Dr. Andy that she believed Azu may have been experiencing a uterine torsion. Of course I, the nurse, was thinking, �What the heck is that???� Dr. Andy tried to check Azu in a small pen next to the clinic, but the sunlight was too bright for him to see the cervix. He turned to Deirdre and said in a serious tone, �You may be right. This could be torsion.� Immediately, they moved the entire operation into the clinic. In the clinic, Dr. Andy checked Azu and he still could not see the cervix. Not a good sign. He then performed a transrectal ultrasound.
�This is torsion!� Dr. Andy said with certainty. He discussed options with Deirdre. �I can try to untwist the uterus manually or perform a C- section.� Deirdre told Dr. Andy that she wanted this to be as expeditious as possible and she felt that a C-section would be the best choice.
�This mama has been through enough!� Deirdre resolved. She then called Charlee Galbreath (Manzano Alpacas), the owner of Azu, and left a voice message telling her of the decision to perform a C-Section on Charlee�s alpaca. Deirdre was absolutely determined that both the mother and the cria would be saved.
Meanwhile, our mighty duo of supporters, Susan and Anne arrived. �Wonderful! The gang is all here!� said Deirdre with relief and we all pitch in to get things going.
The team at the clinic kicked in to high gear.� Everyone knew what to do and worked together. I stared in amazement for a few seconds before I found myself hands on. Deirdre, Susan, Anne, and I held Azu steady, holding her head as the team prepped her for surgery. They shaved her neck and abdomen. They drew blood. They started an IV. They attempted intubation, unsuccessfully. More sedation was needed. Azu went to sleep and four clinic staff, Susan, and (my amazing sister) Deirdre carried Azu to the OR. Once in the OR, the IV was restarted in Azu�s ear and she was successfully intubated. Deirdre and Susan remained in the OR while Anne and I watched through the window. The volume on the radio playing country music was turned up and the C-section began.
Dr. Andy delivered the cria. Dr. Murt Byrne, DVM took the cria, who was unresponsive, and began to clear the nasal passages. Susan instinctively administered a couple of rescue breaths with the consent of Dr. Murt. The baby began to breath! Then, we all began to breath! �It�s a girl,� Deirdre called out. �Her name is Evita.� She weighed 19.1 pounds.
I ask Deirdre and Dr. Andy if Azu and the Evita would spend the night at the clinic. �No.� Dr. Andy replied, �She will be going home as soon as she wakes up.� (Imagine a human mom going home after waking up from a C-Section. These alpacas are tough!)
While Azu came around from the sedation, Dr. Andy began working on Cocoa Pelli. She had developed a very large abscess on her front left leg. This, we believed, was the result of a trauma, maybe a kick, from one of her herd mates. Cocoa had been on antibiotics for two weeks. It was time to lance since the abscess has failed to open and drain on its own. Dr. Andy had a culture drawn and it revealed that the abscess was a form of clostridium with a secondary staph infection. Yikes! This was going to necessitate another astonishing procedure. I don�t believe any of us have ever seen such a large abscess! The team once again sprang into action and worked together to clean out the abscess.
It had been a long day for all, two-leggers and four leggers alike. Everyone seemed to be doing well so we loaded up the trailer and returned to the ranch. Azu and Evita were housed in the maternity stall; Cocoa Pelli and her mom Jackie went in to the isolation stall. Yes, Deirdre had an isolation stall ready to go.
I found out that Susan had been a nurse prior to becoming an alpaca rancher. She and I developed a plan to contain any contamination from Cocoa�s abscess in the isolation pen and to keep the pen sanitized daily. What a task! We decided that the �dirty� isolation stall would be cleaned last. Everything that was used in that stall for the twice a day flushing of the abscess would need to be cleaned using Clorox and disposable gloves. The gloves would be disposed of in a dedicated garbage can. Poop from the isolation pen would be collected in garbage bags to be disposed of separately from the regular poop pile and the clothing that was worn would need to be taken off, turned inside out so the clean side was on the outside, then washed separately in hot water and a few drops of Clorox. With a plan in place everyone went home for rest and nourishment.
By evening, Azu had not come around enough to allow Evita to nurse. Susan came by again and assisted in milking out 30 ccs of milk from Azu, but that wasn�t enough. Deirdre defrosted colostrum that she had in the freezer and began bottle feeding Evita every two hours throughout the night and into the morning.
Thursday, June 12th
The morning started out with all things routine then transitioned into the isolation stall. Cocoa�s abscess was flushed out and Baytril and Banamine were given. Deirdre had to change out of the �dirty� clothes to avoid any contamination to the rest of the herd.
Azu had been given Oxytocin after the C-section, so she passed the placenta. The placenta seemed huge to me. I was trying to help Deirdre gather it up, but it just kept moving around. Of course we then had a hole in the first plastic bag so the �blob� immediately tried to make a break for it. We rounded it up in another plastic bag which also had a hole in it so the process was repeated. Our mission turned in to finding a plastic bag with no hole so we could get the �blob� contained.
Deirdre had received a call from Mary McGyver of Sagebrush Alpacas. Mary was event coordinator for the neo-natal seminar. She wanted to ensure that she could �count on the placenta� for seminar. Deirdre agreed and put this �blob� in the freezer. I found myself feeling surprised at how none of this was surprising me anymore.
Meanwhile, Azu seemed completely out of it and didn�t seem to know that Evita was her cria. Dr. Andy called to see how things were doing. When Deirdre informed him of this dilemma, he suggested that we take a piece of placenta and rub it on the baby and mom. Sure enough, this worked and Azu accepted Evita. Wow.
Azu continued to slide down the slippery slope. Her head was hanging low and she began shaking. Her temperature was well within normal. Deirdre then discovered that Azu�s tongue had turned grey and she called the clinic. Off we went to the clinic again and they inserted a catheter into Azu�s neck and started an IV with Calcium Gluconate. Azu appeared to be hypo-calcemic. In addition, we found out that it was quite possible that Evita would need a plasma transfer. Plasma was immediately ordered to be sent overnight.
Sitting in the trailer as the IV flowed, Susan came to be with us and she brought along her knitting. I think at this point you�ll agree when I say that Susan is an amazing woman and friend to my sister. I was thanking God for her at this moment. We passed the day away in the trailer in the clinic parking lot, knitting and telling stories. Clinic staff came out periodically to check on all of us. The staff was just wonderful!
The IV�s finally finished and Dr. Andy came out to see how things were going. Azu had begun to make a very strange sound, a deep gut noise that seemed to travel up her throat. Dr. Andy suggested that she might be developing �stress ulcers� so we began a treatment with injectable �Tagamet� to calm things down. Azu received shots of Banamine, Nextel and Cimetidine (Tagamet) and Deirdre was ordered to continue these injections twice a day.
That evening, Deirdre gave Azu several calcium paste treatments and Azu began to perk up. We continued to work from �clean� to �dirty.� Cocoa got her flush and meds on the twice a day schedule; Deirdre was required to change out of the �dirty� clothes but this was all now part of the daily routine. Deirdre was up and down all night; into the following morning checking on everyone in the barn. She was determined that everyone would survive the crisis.�
Friday, June 13th
After completing the morning chores, with the exception of �the flush,� we were off again to the clinic to check Evita�s IgG. Dr. Andy drew the blood and he came back to say that we �Did a good job but not good enough.� Evita�s IgG was 400. It should have been 800 or better so it was determined that the plasma transfer was inevitable.
As we waited for the plasma to arrive, Dr. Andy unhooked the trailer so Deirdre could round up Cocoa and bring her in for a checkup. I was left with Azu and Evita standing outside the trailer. Azu watched as Deirdre left in the truck and began to �lose it!�� She made all kinds of noises and started stammering around. I called Deirdre, �What should I do?????!!!!� Deirdre suggested putting them into the trailer if I wanted, but assured me that I shouldn�t worry because she would be back in 10 minutes with Cocoa. If I could just hang in there for 10 minutes, Azu would calm right down when she had a friend there.
Deirdre returned with Cocoa and as soon as Azu saw the truck again she calmed down. Dr. Andy administered the flush to Cocoa and commented that she looked good but that we would have to continue with the flushes and antibiotics. With that, Deirdre took Cocoa back to the ranch, changed her clothes, and was off to her own doctor for an appointment.
Deirdre made a quick sandwich for me and dropped it off while I waited for the plasma to arrive. There went the truck with Deirdre in it and any possibility of Azu had of remaining calm. Clearly, I decided, that truck was her fuzzy blanket. I have to admit that seeing Deirdre drive off, leaving me there alone, I felt a little unsettled myself.
A woman arrived with her dog for a vet appointment and saw Azu and Evita. Azu was tied to the trailer and Evita was nursing, but not for long. Evita decided to take off for a walk on her own and I was able to grab her. Not an easy task. This little girl is FAST. I finally got her back to Azu and everything seemed to have calmed down. That is until Evita saw the woman with the dog and takes off again. �Oh, aren�t they cute!� the woman says as Evita makes another break for it.
�PLEASE GRAB HER!!!� I called out. We got a good hold on her and this time put her in the catch pen. Well that �freaked out� Azu of course. The truck is long gone, Evita is in a pen, and Azu can�t get to her. �Don�t worry� I tell Azu �you are NEXT to go in the pen!� She doesn�t seem to understand.
So now it�s hot and getting hotter. I didn�t have sunscreen on so I tried to find a shady spot by the trailer. I wanted to keep an eye on the catch pen where now both Azu and Evita are somewhat secured. Deirdre called with the news that her doctor was running behind schedule and that it would be a few hours.� Great. There is nothing to do now except wait.
The plasma was supposed to be at the clinic by noon. At 12:15 the plasma arrives and they begin to thaw it out and then to warm it up. By 2:00 pm the plasma was ready. Dr. Andy took Evita into the clinic to administer the plasma intraperitoneally. This didn�t take long at all. Dr. Andy returned Evita and we all stood together in the catch pen, baking in the sun.
Did I mention that it was really hot? I gave Deirdre a call and she suggested that I move everyone out of the sun and into the trailer. Great idea but how was I going to do that? I was new at this. I went over to the clinic and told them that I needed to move the family into the trailer for some shade. A volunteer came out and we quickly had everyone settled down in the trailer.
The afternoon wore on. Staff members came out with water and someone brought me an ice pop. Azu and Evita were just fine in the trailer so I was encouraged by the staff to come in to get out of the sun. How could I refuse? I settled myself in the waiting room of the clinic and the cool air hit my sunburn. Suddenly I was freezing!� Well, I did want to have a little bit of a tan but at that point I was over done.
Around 5:00 pm Deirdre finally arrived. Dr. Andy hooked up the trailer for us (what a gentleman) and off we went, back to the ranch. We got home; unloaded the alpacas and the de-worming crew consisting of Susan, her husband Kent, Anne, and some young ranch helpers, Jake and Jordan. �What is going on here I wondered?�� It turns out that after shearing in May, my sister�s ranch as well as Susan�s ranch had an outbreak of round worms and whip worms in the herd. (Does it ever end?)
The treatment for this was to administer doses of Fenbendazole to all the alpacas and the llamas. Not an easy task in itself. Another plan was devised to work from the �clean� to the �dirty� and all the animals are quickly dosed. Susan helped Deirdre with Coca�s flush; all the injections were given. Whew!
The �de-worming crew� started to leave and Anne said to me �See you tomorrow!��
�Tomorrow?�� I ask.
�Yes, tomorrow.� Anne responds. �We have to de-worm 2 days in a row.��
�You�ve got to be kidding!� is the only response I can muster up.
So far my vacation had been at the ranch or at the clinic and we always traveled with the horse trailer hooked up since it really didn�t make any sense to unhook it. We�d just have to hook it up again to go back to the clinic.
That night Deirdre was up and down throughout the night checking the animals. Things seemed to be settling down to a dull roar. Although I wondered how Deirdre was functioning on such little sleep with such vigorous days.
Saturday, June 14th
The morning chores were done and we loaded up Azu and Evita in the trailer to go back to the clinic. If all went well, Azu would get her catheter taken out. Dr. Andy checked her out. She seemed to be doing well with the Tagamet treatments but we would have to continue that for a few more days. She no longer needed the Banamine and we were to finish up her Naxcel treatment the next day. Just to be sure to fight off any infection. She also got to have the catheter removed.
We finished up before noon. Dr. Andy said �I bet you thought you were going to be here all day. It�s your lucky day because the clinic closes at noon!� Now that�s sweet music to my ears.� Ah, finally, an easy day.
We got home and unloaded everyone. Oooops! The de-worming team shows up. Oh, how could I have forgotten de-worming? I was beginning to think that we might have a bit of a break and could go into town for some fun. Well, maybe after de-worming.
The team had the process down and quickly moved from �clean� to �dirty.�� At the end, Deirdre did the Betadine and water solution flush on Cocoa as the crew looked on. She explained about the abscess and its treatment to Melita and Mark (Milagro Meadows Alpacas), new �de-worming team members� and alpaca owners themselves.
With a job well done, the crew finally left giving me the idea that the afternoon held hope of relaxation. Deirdre had the big barn door open to air out the barn. I was watching the alpacas, starting to relax and then suddenly I noticed something that didn�t look quite right. Who is that on the outside of the pen?� This can�t be happening! I yelled for Deirdre to come quickly. Azu and Evita had escaped out of the barn.
Deirdre came running. I tried to catch up to the animals but my sea-level lungs were unaccustomed to the 7000� altitude. Deirdre fired up the little tractor and began the round up. I stood by the big barn door, held my arms out, and pretended that I was a fence. This was another something new that I learned about alpacas. Susan taught me when we were rounding up animals for de-worming. �Hold your arms out from your side and pretend you are a fence. Become the fence.� (I can�t wait to share that one with my grandchildren!) Soon Deirdre had Azu and Evita coming in my direction and I was able to get them into the barn and back in their pens. It worked! They actually believed I was a fence!
Wow!� What an adventure. And I hadn�t even been there a week. We finally unhooked the trailer, certain that we were done with trips to the clinic for a while, and were free to drive around in just the truck. Things seemed to be calming down. The crisis was passed. Azu and Evita were doing well. The flushing of Cocoa�s abscess would be complete by tomorrow, Sunday, June 15th.� Things seemed to be stable. I knew that my sister was making note of anything that could be out of the ordinary.�
Sunday through Friday, June 15th to June 20th
The ranch slowed down to its normal pace. Feeding, medications, cleaning the stalls and pens, more feeding, more medications. I started to think that I could get on with the �vacation� part of my visit and was looking forward to the neo-natal seminar. Deirdre and I had been poring over �Medicine and Surgery of South American Camelids� by Murray Fowler and �The Complete Alpaca Book� by Eric Hoffman in preparation for the seminar as well as debriefing each other on all we had done the past week.
During the week we were able to enjoy a nice dinner in Santa Fe and mingle with some old friends.� At the ranch we cooked on the grill, had friends come out to see the latest addition to the herd and we relaxed.� It was very peaceful!
Saturday and Sunday, June 21st and 22nd
Although we were exhausted, we show up Saturday morning at Anne�s house for ��Criation:� Unpacking Your Alpaca,� a seminar conducted by Dr. Kimberly Gardner-Graff. I am glad we had spent time reading up on everything. The reading, coupled by the fact we had just experienced a C-Section, made us eager to learn more. Our morning was spent with the lecture and then off we went to the �wet lab� to birth a cria. Not a live cria, mind you, but deceased crias in artificial uterus�. It was another incredible experience. I was seeing firsthand how closely these alpaca ranchers work together. They are there for one another; supporting and lending a hand whenever it is needed. I reveled in the camaraderie.
Tuesday, June 24th
Deirdre hooked up the trailer one last time before I had to leave and off we went to the clinic with Azu and Evita. Azu was to get her stitches out so that she could rejoin the herd. Dr. Andy checked her over. She looked fine so we returned to the ranch and let her go join the rest of the herd. This was a lovely ending to my vacation; Azu and Evita with the herd.
In evening�s twilight, Deirdre went to the barn to feed and administer medications and I joined her. I came to really love the animals and this was my last evening with them. When Deirdre got to Azu she called me to come take a look. Unbelievable!� Azu�s incision had opened almost completely! Deirdre immediately called Dr. Andy. Fortunately, he was at a nearby ranch and promised to come over as soon as he was finished.
Dr. Andy arrived and inspected the damage. Azu had lost some of the peritoneal stitches as well as almost all of the stitches on the outside. He repaired the damage and said that her stitches needed to remain in for quite awhile.
Post Vacation
Deirdre had taken Azu back in to the clinic. There was an area of her incision, about an inch and a half long that seemed to be open and draining. Dr. Andy looked at it and advised Deirdre to put triple antibiotic salve in the area daily. Additionally, Evita had shown signs of diarrhea. The fecal came back positive for whipworm. She already had two days of worming treatment so she needed to receive the balance of the treatment while still in the maternity stall. It was advised that Azu and Evita remain in the maternity stall until Azu�s fiber grows over the sutures!
Cocoa Pelli recovered nicely. Both she and Jackie, her mother, are out of the isolation stall. Cocoa still needed to have some blood work drawn, but it seemed as though the storm has passed.
In Reflection
Seeing my sister in action on the ranch has been an eye opener. There is a connection between Deirdre and the alpacas; she somehow knows when things are not right with her herd. This connection is not only with her herd, but is also with alpacas that are agisting (like Azu) at her ranch. I noticed that the other ranchers I met on this journey also seem to have this connection with their animals.� I have come to understand that the alpacas are members of the family.� They are referred to as the �little girls,� �little boys,� �girls,� �boys,� and �big boys!�
I left New Mexico with complete confidence and awe in this little alpaca community. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Susan and Kent Sassar, Anne Stallcup, Melita Clark and Mark Hogan as well as Jake and Jordan Brenner, the ranch hands that free up the hands of the owners.
A very special thanks and gratitude go to Dr. Andy Cameron DVM, Dr. Murt Bryne DVM and the entire staff at Eldorado Animal Clinic who are fantastic!�
In closing, it is just amazing to see the ranches come together; supporting one another, forming a close-knit community all centered on these incredible creatures, the alpacas.
Yes, New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment and it is evermore enchanting by the grace of these lovely creatures and the incredible people who care for them.� Thank you all for an unforgettable vacation!