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Learning about the natural approach to your alpacas health is the first line of defense for a happy and healthy alpaca.
Natural Alpaca! - Natural Health!
The Alpaca industry is growing in more than one way. As a new alpaca breeder and as a Natural Health Practitioner, when visiting farms, I realized one of the most important problems in raising these beautiful, docile animals was the amount of medications that were necessary to domesticate these animals to suit our conditions.
Common sense tells us that in the wild of the Andes these animals ate what they found as forage, bred to whomever, and died of many things.
In Peru, they cull the animals, which means they pick out the ones not good for anything except for eating. Here in the United States we don’t eat them – Thank God! – or I, more than likely, would not be involved. Saying that, I am not a vegetarian but I am of Native descent and aware of the gift of the animal for food. I personally just love these animals as pets as well as a breeder.
With that in mind, as I began to make alpaca purchases, I realized the amount of medications given to these animals not only could affect their immune systems eventually, but could also cause breeding problems as well as birthing problems.
And with that, I also realized, if we ever had a cataclysmic event on the earth and we needed the alpacas for food, how healthy would these animals be for eating? (Personally, I would probably die first before eating them. But that’s me!)
Keeping an open mind about all of this and realizing that I had my own belief system as a Natural Health Practitioner, I also realized I would be viewing this a lot differently than the Veterinarian world.
Or so I thought! And then I attended an Alpaca meeting here in my home state; and, lo and behold, a Vet began to speak about how we are over medicating these animals due to our fears. Of course, I was smiling because I already believed that.
Now, what I do know about health is this: we all have parasites. We get them from food, water, and the very air we breathe. In our world today, our immune systems are taxed on a daily basis.
Our stress levels alone create more than enough for our immune systems to handle without all the contaminated food, water, and air.
As a 30-year Natural Health Practitioner, I teach my clients to detox at least twice a year as a preventative measure and to take daily supplements to keep everything in a homeostasis, or balance, in the body.
So why are we not using this same philosophy with our Alpacas? During the time I was purchasing Alpacas, I contacted Dr. Easterling, of the Amazon Herb Company, and asked him to create a daily food or nutritional formula for the Alpacas.
Because Dr. Easterling is well versed with these wonderful animals (due to his many trips to the Amazon Rain Forest), he was happy to be of help. Upon purchasing our first Alpacas, we were ready to put the natural health theory to the test.
Our alpaca formula arrived and we started using it in September, 2006. It was given daily to our 12 Alpacas: 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons per day sprinkled on their grain.
We continued to take fecals and test for parasites. Things stayed clean until spring. The Vet found a few parasites in the boys and none in the girls. We noticed we had moved the boys to a new pasture; and, we knew that it would be normal to have parasites until they became immune to them.
But, because it was spring and we knew the parasite season had begun, we decided to increase the formula to twice a day. That worked.
So spring and fall, we increase the formula.
In the summer we had new Alpacas come in and, with that, parasites again. We did not quarantine these alpacas. We decided we could not prove anything by doing that, so we risked them all being sick or having parasites. I added Una de Gato (cat’s claw) to this group. Clean fecals again. All healthy!
Now, with all this said, you need to know parasites are necessary and everyone should have them, but not an overload. This is the normal way of life. Whether you know it or not, parasites live on your skin daily.
That is why, when you die, you disintegrate. So to speak, you are their food. When a human has an overload of parasites, they usually become very ill and lose weight or may even have a very debilitating dis-ease.(The word dis-ease means just that – disharmony).
Back to the Alpacas! We are more than pleased with our program and will continue to use it. You ask - do we de-worm? No! We just use the formula daily.
And if that formula keeps a healthy immune system and helps with their stress, then the only other concern is a contagious dis-ease. Even with that risk, our alpacas are one step ahead because they have a great immune system.
Don’t fire your Vet. There are plenty of things for which we need medications. There are emergencies.
For instance, we had an Alpaca delivered to us with a very bad urinary and vaginitis infection. She was having a great deal of blood in her urine. Antibiotic shots were administered for 4 days while I also gave the alpaca formula along with our Alpaca Essence ( a subtle liquid extract) for calming.
The alpaca formula was made liquid by adding water and was given to the Alpaca twice a day for two solid weeks. No other medication (beyond the one mentioned) or herbs were used. The infection healed; and, five months later, she birthed a beautiful little alpaca.
In the end, I am really only asking for you to stay open minded about the laws of nature. Look at where these animals came from and their normal habitat, and then look at where you are located and what is surrounding them. All this is important to their health.
We use this Amazon herbal formula only and no medications. This formula helps with overload of parasites, builds the immune system, helps the digestive system, and has many other uses.
As a Natural Health Practitioner, I need you to be aware there are herbs you do not mix with medications. Even though the basis of all medications started with herbs, today we have so many medications for so many things you need to use common sense as well.
This may not be the way you want to go for various other reasons. Some may feel this is too expensive. (I do have to smile at that, though. We may pay a very good price for an alpaca and then say we can’t afford to use the herbs.)
That’s the way we think about our own health benefits. If we don’t pay for herbs for ourselves we won’t buy them for our Alpacas either. But, with Alpacas, you get to pay the whole bill anyway, herbs or medications. So, if I have invested a sum of money in a certain alpaca, you can be sure I would want the very best for that alpaca so it can have a healthy and long life.
Of course, you do need to know that this formula can be used by an Alpaca owner as well. We had to laugh when our farm help said they tasted it and wanted to use it like a vitamin and mineral supplement. They all were so pleased with their results that many of them still continue to use it today.
So you see what’s good for the Alpaca is good for us!
I plan to continue to look into my herbal bag and see what else I can use for continued alpaca health, better fleece, and beautiful cria!
If you have questions or comments feel free to contact me!
Alicia Rocco, NHP alpaca4u@verizon.net
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Our Alpacas are for you to see and learn about!
Teachers, scout leaders, families, and tour groups, do you want to arrange for your visit with our alpacas?
Contact us at 330-868-4988 to make your appointment.
Contact your Motorcoach line or Travel Agency to see our package tour that stops at our farm along with other places to visit in our town, or go to DiscoverOhio.com
To enquire about educational opportunities at Alpaca Spring Valley Farm, please Contact Alicia Rocco, Farm Business Manager