The animal of the day is the alpaca. We went and saw
three different alpaca herds today, and they are adorable! There are two main
types of alpacas, Huacaya and Suri. They are a lot smaller than I expected.
Definitely much smaller than a llama, and not as prone to spit or kick. Alpacas are most commonly kept for their fiber and meat. However, I don't believe we serve alpaca in America, so all of the ones seen today were bred for fiber.
Huacaya Suri
At the first farm, we did an abdominal ultrasound followed by a rectal ultrasound on the first alpaca to check for pregnancy. Sadly, there was no fetus to be found. We did a rectal ultrasound and a vaginal exam on the second alpaca to evaluate for vaginal discharge, but all was well and good. Both of those alpacas will be shipped back down to Ohio to get bred.
At the second and third farm, we mainly did physical exams to be able to issue health certificates for these alpacas to travel across state lines for shows. We did draw some blood for testing. The coat of the alpaca is so thick that there is no way to see the jugular vein. You have to find certain landmarks and just go for it. I got to try on the last alpaca, and I'm happy to say that I was successful in hitting the jugular blind!
The third farm we visited actually had many of the top alpacas in the country. Some of the stud fees were $2000+. It was a wonderful experience to see these amazing animals. I also got a quick lesson on evaluating the quality of the fiber (their hair coat).
Some fun alpaca vocabulary:
- Cria: alpaca baby
- Cush: a position in which the alpaca is sitting on the ground with all four legs tucked under its body
- Orgle: the sound a male alpaca makes during breeding
- Pronking: a bounding/leaping/springing movement
I finished off the day by helping dig a stuck car out of the snow. That is one experience that I hope to never have to repeat again, but it was my good deed for the day. Spring can't come fast enough!
Hahahahahaha huacaya looks funny.
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