My best tips about Alpaca Husbandry
For the next few posts I will be sharing tools that I find most valuable in caring for my alpacas.
As you care for your herd, having a, "Camelid Medication Drug Dose List",
is really import. Alpacas, are just rare enough that many Veterinarians have had little to no experience treating them. Having this list handy will prove to be extremely valuable, for you and your Veterinarian. I always recommend that you double check all drug doses that your Veterinarian prescribes, just because alpacas are so rare and drug doses are different in many cases. I actually made a copy of the list and gave to my Vet. He has told me that he uses it and finds it a valuable resource. I believe it is very important to be an active partner with your Vet as you care for your herd.
Camelid Drug Doses Pamela Walker DVM
Dr. Walker is a 1992 graduate of Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After two years in private practice as a Dairy practitioner, she went to the University of Illinois to complete a Food Animal Medicine and Surgery residency, where she also received her Masters of Science degree. During this time, she finished her boards in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, specializing in Large Animals.
She has taught senior veterinary students at University of Illinois, Washington State University, Michigan State University, and The Ohio State University. She loves to teach and has been invited to speak to owner/breeders and veterinarians about camelids in the US and internationally and is on the board of directors for the International Camelid Institute. She worked for 10 years as a full time veterinarian for a large Ohio Alpaca farm -Alpaca Jack's Suri Farm- where she was responsible for the medical, surgical, reproductive and daily health care of the alpacas. She has expanded her practice to include medical and reproductive care of camelids from across the country. Currently she has her own private practice -Camelid Care Veterinary Services- and is based out of Grove City, Ohio. She can be contacted at 419-306-9522 or for non-emergencies at pamwalker@hotmail.com
I am feeling very reflective today. I am so grateful for my relationships and love and appreciate the people in my life.
Heaven got a new angel yesterday. I received word that a friend of ours passed away. He had been fighting a very long battle with cancer. He was really a friend of my sons, that we had the pleasure of knowing through him. He was this great big man, with one of the gentlest souls that I have ever known. He was soft spoken and had this ease about him that was comforting and smooth and gentle. He was creative and kind and genuine and truly cared about the people in his life. He was an artist and an animal lover, he had an amazing green thumb and his backyard was truly beautiful, a heaven on earth you might say. I guess he was an angel even before he left this mortal existence.
He is a person that I would have liked to spend more time with if it were not for the distance between us. Isn't it amazing how people can touch your life in small moments, small moments that change you forever. The power of a kind soul is remarkable to me. His name was Bob Butler and this High Desert Fram Girl will miss him.
Rest in peace my friend.
I have been away a long time! Since my last post, so much has happened and changed in our lives. The big news I guess is that we have moved. Uinta Alpacas and this High Desert Farm Girl, now have an amazing new home in Willard, UT. We purchased an old horse ranch and are in the process of turning it into our idea of a Heaven in the High Desert.
We now live at the base of Willard Peak and are in AWE of the breathtaking view of this majestic mountain. We are also a 1/2 mile from the shore of Willard bay that is on the east edge of the Great Salt Lake. The spirit and serenity of this new farm is amazing. We are located on a strip of land that is unique, because it is the place where the shore of the Great Salt Lake (Willard Bay) and the base of the mountains are less than a mile apart. This place is like a banana belt. The environment is slightly warmer in the winter and slightly cooler in the summer. We are surrounded by orchards and little farms that thrive here and grow amazing food. I have so many stories and fun things to share with you as I catch up in the next few weeks.
I am so happy to be back.
