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Winter 2004 |
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Front Cover Photo: Artwork courtesy of Gabrielle Delyse of Chill Out Llamas, this is one of four paintings she donated to the New Zealand Llama Association. |
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‘LOUSY’ LLAMAS By Mana Stratton B.V.Sc, B. Phil, B.Sc, C.O.P Lice are wingless insects that are broadly divided into two groups, sucking lice and biting lice. Sucking lice feed on blood and lymph fluid while biting lice feed on cells, hair, feathers and skin secretions. The general life cycle for lice involves the female cementing fertile eggs to hairs/feathers. Inside the egg the juvenile stage known as a nymph develops. The nymph is basically a very small adult. Nymphs generally hatch 1-3 weeks after eggs are laid. The nymph then feeds, grows and moults through two more nymphial stages. This is known as gradual metamorphosis. The third nymphial instar moults into the adult louse. Depending on the species and temperature the process from hatching to adult takes 2-7 weeks. Lice only survive a short time off the host with the entire life cycle being spent on the host. Infestations are usually transmitted by direct contact. Lice are very host-specific and some are so specific they only occur in particular sites on the host. Louse numbers are known to vary on hosts due to season and other factors but these are not completely understood. Numbers of louse tend to be higher in young, sick or underfed animals and during winter. Lice cause the host irritation through their feeding and movement. This leads to rubbing by the host, which in ‘wool’ animals can lead to fleece damage. Anaemia can occur when very large numbers of sucking lice are present. Llamas and alpacas can get most skin diseases that are seen in cattle and sheep. Finding lice on long wool/haired animals is difficult. However, lice are light sensitive and with sheep it is suggested you part the fleece 10-20 times per side starting at the neck and moving to the flank. Exposure to light will cause the lice to move away. Another practice advised with sheep that may help with llamas is checking for lice early. Numbers tend to increase over autumn/winter so if lice are present in summer you are only going to get more if untreated. Shearing helps reduce lice numbers in several ways. It removes many of the lice and exposes the remaining lice to the adverse effects of the sun, reduced humidity and rain. When treating for lice be sure you treat all your llamas and ensure any new arrivals are lice free. It appears some have managed to control sucking lice with Ivomec (Merial). Lice in llamas/alpacas have been treated with horse lice powder or spray-on synthetic pyrethrin dips. Remember these are off label (unregistered) use of such products on llamas/alpacas. Make sure you are accurate with the llama’s weight when treating with these products. A suggested synthetic pyrethroid that is used on lice of sheep and goats that may help in llamas is Cypercare (Ancare). Treatment with Cypercare (Ancare) is usually done on shorter wool, commonly off shears (just after the sheep has been shorn). However, treatment of long wool animals may get rid of surface lice and stop/reduce scratching allowing the llama to make it through to shearing time. Sheep with 3-6 months wool growth use double the dose. This is a pour-on treatment and the lanolin of wool influences the product, hence the potential for difference in response between treating sheep and llamas. Residue is a possible problem with export wool. Sheep fleeces are regularly checked for such residues. This is just a warning in case anyone is or is considering exporting fleeces. Fleecemaster (Ancare) is another possible treatment. This is considered to be a safe product that inhibits juvenile stages from reaching adulthood. Hence the adults are not killed and may still be present for 8-12 weeks before they die so do not be alarmed if you still see lice after treatment. On discussion with a rep for this product we felt you would use the jetting dose rate of 250ml to 100 litres of water (5ml to 4 litres of water) and then spray it on to each individual llama with a hand spray bottle. This would be time consuming as you will need to part the coat as you move from head to tail to get it to contact with the lice. However, horse lice powders would also require parting of the coat in this way. After a discussion with a colleague we reasoned that when llamas are in full fleece they are more difficult to treat with many products but it is also when they are most likely to have lice problems. Please remember all these products are off label for llamas. Read directions carefully, be accurate with your llama’s weight, consult with your own vet (an ill llama may require other treatment before treating for lice) and consider doing one llama first to make sure no adverse effects occur. |
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From The Past... Alpacas and llamas to New Zealand from Chile. On Christmas Day 1988, 1177 alpacas and llamas were loaded onboard the livestock carrier Kerry Express in Arica, Northern Chile bound for New Zealand. Also loaded were 5000 bales of Lucerne hay which was to be the sole diet of the animals during the voyage. There were 90 males and 1087 females loaded, with approximately 60% of the females diagnosed as pregnant using a progesterone assay. Between Arica and Wellington 29 adult animals or 2.7% of the total were lost, and 104 live cria were born during the same time. 20 cria were either aborted or died at, or soon after birth. Arrived Wellington 20 Jan 1989. Extracts from article by Gavin Struthers |
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Poisonous Plants This is a list of some of the poisonous plants you and your llama may encounter either on the farm, in the garden or on the roadside or public places. It is by no means a complete list of poisonous plants in New Zealand. I have bolded the names of plants that people have reported losing llamas from. Arum (Arum) All parts Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) New fronds most toxic Boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum) Berries Buttercup (Ranunculus sceleratus) Leaves and flowers Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) Seeds Daphne (Daphne) All parts English yew (Taxus baccata) The brown seed inside each berry Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) Leaves and seeds Hemlock (Conium maculatum) All parts even when dead and dry Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) Seeds Inkweed (Phytolacca octandra) Berries, leaves and root Karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus) The kernels of the fruit Kowhai (Sophora microphylla) All parts, but mainly the seeds Lantana (Lantana carmara) The fruit Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis) All parts, especially the seeds Ngaio (Myoporum laetum) The fruit, leaves and any other green parts Nightshade, Black (Solanum nigrum) The leaves and green berries Oleander (Nerium oleander ) All parts, especially the leaves and flowers Poppy (Papaver) Iceland, Shirley and Oriental poppies The unripe seeds Poroporo (Solanum aviculare) The leaves and green berries Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Green potatoes and the berries Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) The leaves and fruit Ragwort (Senecio Jacobea) Stems and leaves Rangiora (Brachyglottis repanda) All parts, especially the flowers and sap Rhododendron (Rhododendron) All parts Regional Councils in New Zealand provide information on pest plant control and most have free leaflets on various weed varieties. In addition most will have a wide variety of services to help you identify and control any pest species on your land. More info on www.mountlehmanllamas.com/poisonplants.html
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