The Rabies Vaccine and Other Vaccinations

Compiled by Stephen Hull MS, PhD

Here are some comments from our seminars where we talk about the rabies vaccine and other vaccinations:

1. The rabies vaccine MUST be given by a veterinarian in order for you to have legal protection. In many states (not all), you can buy the rabies vaccine “over the counter" at many farm stores with no prior veterinary prescription. But in the event of rabies exposure, your county health people will NOT recognize your non-vet, self-administered rabies vaccine administration (yes, even with receipts, etc).
2. The older rabies vaccines were known to cause reactions. Even with recent improvements, the rabies vaccine still remains a "hot" vaccine. This means that it has more potential to cause post shot reactions compared to "cold" vaccines (the CD&T combination, for example, is considered a cold vaccine for alpacas/llamas). However, giving a hot vaccine and a cold one within hours can cause more reactions than either given alone. For this reason, never allow your vet to administer the rabies vaccine and a CD&T (or Leptospirosis or West Nile or whatever vaccine) at the same time (unless they want to hang around for an hour afterwards). The vast majority of acute vaccinosis reactions are often apparent, within minutes, of giving the rabies vaccine with another different vaccine. You can always give the other non-rabies vaccine several days later. Always, always watch your animal after giving any vaccine, but always observe after a "hot" vaccine, as sometimes it takes thirty minutes or so for the acute symptoms to flare up.
3. There is no "one recommendation" for the rabies vaccine. Across the country, the rabies exposure risk from wild animals simply varies too much. You must look at your county/state data and make up your mind together with your vet's input. For example, rabies is highly endemic in some areas of the southeast USA, and ills virtually absent in others. One recommendation for all geographical areas is foolish as the rabies vaccine does cause reactions. But in rabies endemic areas, you MUST vaccinate! Your vet will know your area's risk.
4. If your alpaca/llama sees a rabid skunk/raccoon/bat/whatever, its natural curiosity leads it right up to that animal. They often "nose" the animal and resultantly get bit on the nose, lip or legs. Rabid alpacas/llamas can act "furious" (like dogs) or "dumb" (like cows). Not all drool. One symptom of rabies is observing a clearly nocturnal wild animal wandering about in the bright daylight, oblivious to other animals/people. Some infected animals do not show symptoms. For example, skunks carry rabies and do not show symptoms until very late in the disease. In the meantime, they can pass this disease to offspring during pregnancy.
5. When people call me about a wandering and "dazed looking" raccoon/skunk in the daylight, I immediately advise calling animal control, as this is likely rabies. They will likely shoot the rabid looking animal. They will not trap it. In most areas, animal control simply does not have the resources to confirm rabies on every suspected wild animal. If a suspected animal bites a person, then the expensive confirmation test is always done. If animal control cannot get there immediately, then you need to deal with this. Do NOT let this very likely rabid animal wander away to later return and potentially bite one of your livestock, dogs or cats, your neighbor's animals (or you!). I dislike guns, but I have one for this very purpose.
6. Alpacas/llamas get rabies. This is clearly documented. Rabies is spread by saliva and our camelid friends have a way of projecting this. Consider your liability for farm visitors.
7. The only way to confirm rabies is to cut off the suspected animal's head, get a small slice of brain tissue, use specific stains and look for cellular Negri inclusions under the microscope. There is NO other test. If your county suspects rabies in your animal, they have the right to quarantine your animal at your farm, off your farm (at your cost) and sadly (if symptoms persist), to kill your animal. This latter issue is rare but it does happen. Most often, you are told to quarantine your animal on your property (14 to 30 days depending).
8. There are one-year rabies vaccines and three-year rabies vaccines (both under the IMRAB and RABVAC labels) from two different vaccine manufacturers. Each drug company makes their one and three year vaccines from the same specific company batch. The three-year lots are just tested for efficacy at three years and thus cost more due to the longer testing, time, etc. Thus, the three-year tests show that the vaccine works at three years so it can he labeled as such (RABVAC-3 or IMRAB-3).
9. Some states/counties with endemic wildlife rabies insist on rabies vaccination every single year. Many animal health experts feel that this is too frequent for alpacas/llamas. We prefer every three years. The principal reason for the yearly vaccination protocol is to insure that a large percentage of the animal population gets rabies immunizations.
10. There are blood antibodies that can be tested to show that the rabies vaccine protection remains. Several dog/cat studies show that rabies vaccine protection exists for at least five years after injection. Some states/counties will accept blood antibody results and others will not.
11. The use of the rabies vaccine (and every other veterinary drug) for alpacas/llamas is considered a legal "off label" use. Off label means that there is no legal documentation of efficacy. This does NOT mean that the vaccine/drug/treatment does not work; rather, it simply means that in the case of an adverse reaction or lack of protection, there is no legal recourse against the vaccine manufacturer and/or vet. This off-label descriptor is typically a legal issue, not necessarily a pharmacological concern.
12. Rabies vaccination is not just for protection of your pet. Rather, it is a public health issue, as people get rabies from rabid animals (zoonotic disease). This sounds strange, but your vet is actually licensed to protect the public by immunizing/treating animals. This is a legal issue and gets back to the reason why only licensed vets can verify that a rabies vaccine has been properly administered.

I suggest that you print this off, and discuss this with your local vet. He/she has the best perspective for protection of your animals (as well as you!) and, together you must make the decision that is best for your animals in YOUR area.

Drug Expiration Dates: For Real or Just a Suggestion?

By L'illete Vasquez, Reprinted from LANA, Vol. 106, Spring 2010

This question comes up repeatedly, so I asked LANA's representing veterinarian for the Morris Animal Fund. Dr. Tim Thompson of Town & Country Veterinary Clinic (TCVC) in Platteville, CO (tcvc.net) for his thoughts on the validity of drug expiration dates.

"It is difficult to make blanket statements regarding expirations and potency of the products we use, but I will try:

• Hormones and metabolic preps: i.e., HcG, lutalyse, insulin: Should be considered extremely questionable past the expiration date. Do not use.
• Antibiotics: As long as they have not been subjected to abuses in storage—i.e., freezing or extreme heat—are probably close to expected efficacy as long as there is no color change or precipitate. I have found many producers in the past using these products with adequate results. Always check, though, if unexpected results occur: check expiration dates again.
• Other injectables: i.e., Banamine, lasix, etc.: Should follow the same guidelines; however, it is difficult to know how much the product has degraded once expired.
• Vaccines: Should not be used past expiration. Antigen degradation in the case of killed or toxin-derived vaccines and bacterins starts soon after manufacturing; and sometime after expiration, they will stop adequate stimulation of the immune system. Live vaccines and bacterins are even more liable.
• Powders and pills: Can be variable due to oxidation, heat, and humidity. If storage is good, they could potentially last well past expiration. Take it case by case, and watch results closely.

"Even if a product is well within its expiration, it is important to remember that it can still be bad. This is especially true of vaccines. If in doubt, or if you get unexpected results, change products."

LANA Editor's Note: Dr. Thompson makes no recommendations. If in doubt, or if you have any questions, always check with your vet!

Herbal Therapy in Llamas and Alpacas

By Donald Thompson DVM

This past September, Donald P. Thompson, DVM, CVA, was invited to speak at a veterinary conference in Chongoing, China on acupuncture point location and herbal remedies for cattle and camelids. His presentation covered protocols and techniques to treat a few common maladies in these food and fiber species. Along with cattle, horses, goats, dogs, and cats, Don has been working with camelids and their owners for twenty years in northern and central Vermont. His veterinary degree is from Cornell, then recently enhanced with his degree in acupuncture and his study of Chinese herbal formulas. The following paper is the portion of his presentation on camelids.

My final comments today will be concerning the emerging use of TCVM techniques in South American camelids, primarily llamas and alpacas in my practice. These are valuable animals in the United States worthy of having many treatment options at your disposal.
In dosing these animals with herbal formulas, one rapidly finds that oral administration is challenging, especially in adults. They rarely voluntarily consume the powder, but this route is worth trying first if the patient is not anorectic, offering the powder with grain. The very long, sinuous neck of camelids is used effectively to avoid oral administration of all but the smallest volume of liquids or suspensions. Llamas and alpacas may try to hit you with the head and/or neck in defense or may "cush," dropping to ventral recumbency to avoid you. Lastly, these animals will ward off your persistent advances with rapid, well-aimed expulsion of stomach contents, or "spitting" at you.

If attempting to treat these animals orally, I recommend dosage volumes comparable to that cited for cattle, due to the presence of the complex, three-compartment stomach. Administer small amounts of the total dose, tip the nose up slightly, and allow them time to swallow to avoid aspiration, then give more.

As an alternative to oral dosing, I have begun teaching my camelid owners to administer a much smaller dose--that of the horse--via rectal suppository. With the head either held or tied and the tail firmly raised, owners have found this route of administration to be technically simple and I have found it effective. The typical 30-gram dose of powder is mixed with a minimal amount of warm water, often 30-60 cc, to create a thick slurry. I use a 60 cc catheter tip syringe to deposit the slurry past the anus into the rectum in a minimal volume, trying to avoid creating the sensation of an enema followed by rapid expulsion and loss of the herbal.

While I have now treated many conditions in camelids both with acupuncture and with herbals, I would like to finish this presentation with what is an interesting case for me, lending hope for more such cases in the future. In the United States, we deal with many cases of paraparetic to paraplegic llamas and alpacas, which almost universally are presumed to be and subsequently treated as cases of meningeal deer worm, or Parclaphostrongylus tenuis, spinal disease.

Meningeal Worm (P. Tenuis) Myelopathy Life Cycle and Treatment

The life cycle of the meningeal deer worm is an interesting one. The definitive host is the white-tailed deer, common to the United States, especially in the Eastern part. Adult worms lay eggs in the meninges of the deer. The eggs then pass into the venous circulation and travel to the lungs, where they hatch into the L1 larvae. The L1 are coughed up, swallowed and passed in the deer's feces. These larvae invade or are ingested by terrestrial slugs or snails, which serve as an intermediate host. The L1 larvae develop into the infective stage L3 larvae in these gastropods over 3-4 weeks. When consumed by a susceptible aberrant species, including llamas and alpacas, the L3 migrate to the spinal cord and wander aimlessly, creating neurological disease (1).

I now treat these paralyzed llamas with two therapeutic goals in mind, the first being destruction of the invading parasite, the second being relief of Blood and Qi stasis in the spinal cord. Two Jing Tang Herbal formulas help accomplish these goals. Qing Hao Powder is responsible for destruction of the parasite, tonification of Qi and enhancement of Zheng-Qi and its immune function and Double P#2 is my choice for breaking down stasis in the spine, moving Qi, and relieving pain. The composition of each formula, as cited by Jing Tang, is as follows:

Qing Hao Powder (2,3)

• Atractylodes Bai Zhu: To tonify Qi and strengthen the spleen
• Codonopsis Dang Shen: To tonify Qi and strengthen Zheng Qi
• Licorice Gan Cao: To harmonize
• Dryopteris Guan Zhong: To kill parasites
• Astragalus Huang Qi: To tonify Qi and enhance immune function
• Omphalia Lei Wan: Kills internal and external parasites
• Artemisia Qing Hao: Kills and expels blood-mediated parasites
• Quisqualis Shi Jun Zi: Kills gastrointestinal worms

Double P #2 (2,3)

• Morinda Ba Ji Tian: Warms Yang, tonifies the kidney
• Psoralea Bu Gu Zhi: Tonifies Kidney Yang and strengthens bone
• Peony Chi Shao Yao: Cools blood, resolves stagnation
• Ligusticum Chuan Xiong: Activates blood, resolves stagnation
• Angelica Dang Gui: Nourishes and activates blood, resolves pain
• Lumbricus Di Long: Clears internal wind and detoxifies
• Cucommia Du Zhong: Strengthens the back, tonifies Kidney Yang
• Aconite Fu Zi: Warms Yang and the channels
• Licorice Gan Cao: Harmonizes
• Cibotium Gou Ji: Tonifies Kidney Yang and the channels
• Drynaria Gu Sui Bu: Strengthens bone and tonifies Kidney Yang
• Carthamus Hong Hua: Moves blood, resolves stagnation and stasis
• Astragalus Huang Qi: Tonifies Qi
• Strychnos Ma Oian Zi: Activates channels, relieves pain, clears Wind-Damp
• Myrrh Mo Yao: Resolves stagnation and relieves pain
• Cyathula Niu Xi: Tonifies kidney Yang and strengthens rear limbs
• Scorpion Quan Xie: Resolves stagnation
• Olibanum Ru Xiang: Resolves stagnation and relieves pain
• Notoginseng Tian San Qi: Moves blood and stops hemorrhage
• Lindera Wu Yao: Moves Qi and relieves pain
• Dipsacus Xu Duan: Strengthens bones and ligaments, tonifies Kidney Yang
• Draconis Xue Jie: Resolves stagnation

To reiterate, I instruct the patient's owner to administer each of these formulas as an aqueous intrarectal suppository at 15 grams (2 tablespoons) of each twice a day for up to one month. These recumbent animals are very easy to treat in this manner and, based on the first few patients that I have treated as such; results appear positive in comparison to my previous efforts using a Western pharmaceutical protocol. Such a protocol commonly includes any or all of the following: Fenbendazole, Ivermectin, flunixin meglumine, thiamine, vitamin E, selenium and cyanocobalamin. Using the Western and Eastern treatment modalities may prove to compliment each other in future eases.

References

1. Anderson, D. (2002). Parelaphostrongylus Tenius (Meningeal Worm). Retrieved on July 20, 2008 from http://www.vet.ohiostate.edu/docs/ClinSc i/camelid/mening.html
2. Xie, H. (2004). Chinese Veterinary Herbal Handbook. Reddick, FL: Chi Institute
3. Xie, H. (2008). Dr. Xie's Jing-tang Herbal, Inc. Retrieved on July 21, 2008 from http://www.tevmherbal.com

Parasites 101

Reprinted from Cool Camelids

Parasites have co-evolved with their mammalian hosts for hundreds of thousands of years. In comparison, it is a relatively brief period that humans have attempted to control their presence with the use of anthelmintics (dewormers). Parasites, meanwhile, have shown an incredible knack for adapting and surviving our best efforts to eradicate them. Most recently, the frequent use of Doramectin and Ivermectin in camelids to prevent Meningeal Worm has altered the population dynamics and genetics of some parasites, leading to resistance to these products. In addition, the indiscriminate use of other anthelmintics such as Fenbendazole and Amprolium is also suspected of leading to resistance.

Gastrointestinal parasites are increasingly implicated as a cause of serious health problems affecting camelids. Economic losses include poor weight gain and growth, costs for treatment and prevention, and loss of animals from death. In addition to the problems arising from resistance, overstocking can make elimination of harmful parasites from the herd much more difficult.

No Easy Answer

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. Prevention must be tailored to each individual farm. There are too many variables that will affect the life cycle of the parasites, the types of parasites present in a herd, the parasites' survivability in the environment, and even the likelihood of contamination of herd members.

Factors to consider include:

• The individual farm's geography: A farm in Maine, a farm in Georgia, a farm in Colorado, and a farm in California are all likely to encounter different problems. Variations will include climate, foliage, soil and even species of parasites.
• The farm's layout: This includes pasture design as well as shelter availability and location. The ability (or lack of ability) to rotate animals to "safe" pastures and rest contaminated pastures will affect contamination and recontamination of herd mates.
• Deworming history of individual animals, farm history, stocking density, exposure to transient or outside animals, exposure to animals with unknown history or exposure to infected animals: All of these factors will influence the level and type of parasitic challenge in the environment.

In addition, when formulating a parasite prevention or treatment plan, fecal egg counts should be used to measure the level of parasitic infection in a herd, and the effectiveness of the eradication program.

Identifying At Risk Animals

While fecal egg counts are important in identifying parasites and degree of contamination, at risk populations and target groups also need to be established. Factors to be considered include age, nutritional status and presence or absence of clinical signs. Younger animals, particularly crias and weanlings, are going to be your animals most susceptible to the presence of parasites in the environment. Animals that have a poor body condition, or a lack of weight gain or weight loss should also be evaluated for parasites. Those animals that are immunocompromised, suffering other diseases or under stress (i.e., recent weaning, transportation, change in environment), are also going to be in a high-risk category.

In many cases, clinical signs do not truly reflect the direct parasitic damage. Many of these parasites cause damage to the lining of the gastro-intestinal tract. This may affect the animal's ability to digest feed and absorb nutrients. Other parasites may cause anemia due to blood loss. Clinical signs, if present, may include lethargy, diarrhea, inappetance, weight loss, lack of weight gain, poor condition, sudden collapse, and death. The lack of clinical signs does not mean that an animal is not at risk of suddenly becoming very ill and/or dying.

Treatment will almost always involve deworming; however, even with effective elimination of parasites, severely affected animals may still be at risk of illness or dying due to secondary damage to the gastro-intestinal tract. In severe cases, aggressive supportive care may be needed. This may include I.V. fluids, plasma, and/or a blood transfusion. The economic ramifications involved in treating a sick animal or actually losing an animal make treatment more costly than prevention.

Fecal Egg Counts

The only effective way of identifying individual at risk animals is through fecal egg counts. This allows the identification of the parasitic species involved, the degree of infestation, and the degree of environmental contamination, and determines if and when animals should be dewormed. In addition, fecal egg counts can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the anthelmintics being utilized.

If you request a fecal analysis from your veterinarian, make sure he/she is not using a simple fecal float for analysis. Because the level of parasites tends to be low, a special procedure known as a modified Stoll's method is used to separate the eggs from the other material in the test tube. If your veterinarian is not prepared to evaluate the fecal sample, he/she may choose to send it to a university with a veterinary teaching hospital where the sample can be analyzed by a parasitologist.

When evaluating a herd, fecal samples need to be collected and evaluated on a sufficient number of animals. A gold standard is to use fecal samples from 10 animals or 10% of the herd--whichever is the greater number. The herd average is a reflection of the environmental contamination. Once a sample is collected, it should be placed in a clean plastic bag or cup and labeled. If it is not going to be evaluated immediately, it should be placed in a refrigerator. A sample should be analyzed within a day or two of collection to obtain the most accurate results.

Fecal samples analyzed prior to treatment should be compared to fecal samples collected two weeks post-treatment to establish efficacy of the anthelmintic. A drop in parasite numbers of at least 90% should be observed. Most parasites have a two-three week life cycle. Waiting this long will allow any surviving parasites to repeat another cycle, reach maturity and have eggs present in the feces. A significant presence of parasites two weeks after treatment would indicate an ineffective "kill" by the anthelmintic utilized.

During extremely cold periods, parasites may go into a state of hypobiosis within the animal. This is a metabolically inactive period and may result in a carry- over to the spring of a heavy parasite load. Fecal egg counts taken during a period of hypobiosis may result in false negative findings.

As with any of the pharmaceutical products used in veterinary medicine, anthelmintics are not labeled for camelid use. Extra-label use has been studied and safe dosages have been established. You should use extreme caution when using anthelmintics on pregnant animals or crias less than three months of age. If in doubt, consult with your veterinarian on the suitability of a product and its dosage.

So why would an anthelmintic fail?

There are a number of reasons:

• Resistance: The frequent use of a single class of anthelmintic will encourage the development of resistance to any and possibly all drugs within that class. "Class" of anthelmintic refers to the "family" of chemicals used to produce the anthelmintic. Products within the same class use the same method of kill to eliminate the parasites. Anthelmintics from different classes use different kill methods. Parasites have survived every attempt man has made to eradicate them by developing resistance to kill methods. When this occurs, another kill method or class of anthelmintic must be utilized.
• Example: Ivermectin and Doramectin are both Avermectins and, therefore, within the same class. Because they use the same kill method, rotating between them will most likely not decrease resistance! Fenbendazole is from a different class, Benzimidazoles, and should be effective if resistance to the Avermectins has developed.
• Under-dosing: Dosing for the incorrect body weight will lead to the administration of the wrong dose. Under-dosing can lead to an insufficient kill of the parasites. Not only will the problem remain, but it can also be worsened as under-dosing can contribute to the establishment of resistance to an anthelmintic.
• Improper administration: Spit happens! An anthelmintic will not be effective if it is spit onto the ground! Likewise, a subcutaneous injection will be ineffective if the needle is poked through the skin and the injection is squirted out the other side of the skin. If you are unsure of techniques, ask your veterinarian to review them with you.
• Recontamination (part I): Rotate! Rotate! Rotate! Returning animals to contaminated fields will lead to recontamination of the recently treated animals. Ideally, treat, wait 72 hours for any live parasites to be shed, and then move treated animals to a "clean" field. Keep in mind that if the animals are moved to a new field but are utilizing the same shelter, they may still be exposed to the same contaminated environment.
• If environmental contamination is suspected, fecal samples analyzed prior to treatment should be compared to fecal samples collected six weeks post-treatment (don't confuse this with the two week check for anthelmintic effectiveness--you'll need to do both tests to distinguish between resistance and recontamination). The six-week period allows sufficient time for animals to be re-exposed, re-infected, and allows sufficient time for the parasites to reproduce.
• When planning how long to keep animals off of contaminated fields, keep in mind the conditions of the field, the climate, and the time of year. Many parasites thrive in warm, moist conditions and can survive in hospitable conditions in the environment. During hot, summer months, they may survive in the pasture for 30-60 days. This can be increased in cooler weather by up to 4 to 8 months, depending on the species of parasite.
• Rotating with other species can be useful to help manage field availability. However, while horses and donkeys are okay, sheep and goats share parasites with camelids and sharing grazing space with them can lead to very high parasite levels in the camelids.
• Recontamination (part II): If even one animal is not effectively dewormed, it can re-contaminate your field and re-infect the rest of the herd! No drug is 100% effective. Also, not all animals will respond to a drug the same way. Retesting allows for the identification of ineffective drugs. It also allows for the identification of “trouble animals." These are the repeat offenders who continue to be infected following treatment.

Other considerations

• Overcrowding: The ideal stocking density is 3-4 llamas or 5-6 alpacas per acre. This does not include your rotational fields. If every available pasture is in use, there is no room for rotation. If the stocking density is higher than the suggested level, the animals are more likely to come into contact with fecal material and parasite eggs. If animals are being forced to graze near dung piles, there are too many animals or the grazing area is not large enough.
• Farm layout and management: Evaluate field dynamics to determine the ideal location for feeders and shelters. Try to separate the bathroom from the kitchen by placing feeders away from the dung pile. While it may be impossible to prevent defecating in or around the shelters, every attempt should be made to maintain cleanliness where the animals cush. If a dam cushes near a dung pile, the teats will likely be contaminated and the cria exposed to parasites.
• Age segregation can help decrease exposure to susceptible youngsters. Adults can be asymptomatic carriers--shedding parasites without any disease. The parasites that might not affect an adult may cause severe disease and even death in crias.
• Biosecurity: Quarantine all new animals—including animals brought in for breeding, returning from breeding farms, or returning from events. Younger animals and pregnant females in particular should never be exposed to transient animals. Keep in mind that human visitors can track in parasites to your farm on their shoes, clothing and/or hands! Plastic booties and hand washing are two sensible examples of how risk can be decreased.
• Aside from a quarantine area, consider establishing a remote area on your farm for mobile breeding. This may involve either shipping in a stud to cover your females or shipping in females for a one day breeding only to your male. The transient animal is brought to a pen that is only used for breeding. Other than the animals being bred, no other animals should enter this pen. The pen is then disinfected following breeding--rubber mats are easier to disinfect than a dirt floor. If you must keep breeding animals overnight or for any extended period of time, you should have quarters for them separated from the rest of your herd.
• Good biosecurity practices not only keep parasites from sneaking into your herd, but also can help prevent the spread of infectious disease!

Decreasing the use of drugs:

• Hygiene: Cleaning dung piles is a start, but keep in mind that feces may also be tracked on foot pads and deposited into shelters and near feeders. Keep those areas clean and avoid feeding off the around.
• Utilize pastures/grazing systems: Ideally, stay within the suggested stocking density and practice field rotation. If your stocking density is higher than ideal, try to develop grazing strategies to allow higher numbers of animals on less land. This may involve splitting existing fields to allow for some field rotation. Long, narrow lots are less efficient than square/rectangular lots.
• Optimize host immune resistance: A healthy animal will be more resistant to parasites and to the effects of parasitism. You can improve your animals' immune function through good nutrition.

Take home message:

• Work with your veterinarian in establishing good strategies to prevent illness due to parasites.
• Frequent deworming is destined to create resistance to the chemicals being used!
• Use management and fecal egg counts to decrease the exposure to parasites and the use of chemicals.

Biography:

Shari C. Silverman is a graduate of the University of Pennyslvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Good health management and a need for compassionate care for small ruminants, camelids, and horses are what prompted Dr. Shari Silverman to establish Abbey Rose Veterinary Services. Serving clients and patients throughout New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, the practice provides wellness programs, educational seminars and programs, as well as emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In her spare time, Dr. Silverman flies planes, kayaks and plays on her farm where she lives with her husband and many different animal friends.

Shari Silverman, VMD

Abbey Rose Veterinary Services

Email: vmd@abbeyrosevet.com

Website: www.abbeyrosevet.com

Plan Your Health Calendar for Healthy Animals

By Dr. Joe Klopfenstein, Vergennes Large Animal Associates

As I write this, there is still a heap of snow on the ground and sugaring season has not begun yet. It's not too early, however, to plan your health calendar for the year. If you have protocols in place for your health events throughout the year, you can make sure your camelid companions have the best possible attention to their well being.

Spring is vaccination season. Even though most camelid vaccines provide a year's worth of protection, spring is the most effective time to vaccinate since most exposure to disease occurs in the spring and summer. Since camelids are generally very healthy and have little disease risk, there are very few vaccines to worry about. The basic vaccination protocol for adult llamas and alpacas in our area includes vaccines for clostridial diseases and rabies.

Clostridial diseases are caused by bacteria that live in the soil. Clostridial organisms that may cause disease in camelids are Clostridium perfringens types C and D and Clostridium tetani (tetanus). Vaccines for these bugs are usually combined in a vaccine known by its common name, CDT. Clostridium perfringens causes disease by overgrowing in the animal's gut causing potentially severe toxemia. This overgrowth may occur after overeating grain or spoiled forage. Tetanus is caused by bacterial growth in contaminated wounds. Both diseases are life threatening and the vaccine cost is very reasonable, so it is very important to have your animals vaccinated for clostridium.

Rabies is a neurological disease caused by a virus spread by a bite from an infected animal. The disease is 100% fatal. Already this year, there have been nearly two dozen animals in Vermont confirmed with rabies, including some livestock. Rabies vaccination is a must to protect your animals and your family.

There are other vaccines available for camelids that may be important in your herd. Talk with your veterinarian about the use of vaccines for Leptospirosis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and E. coli diarrhea. In most cases, these vaccines are not necessary but your vet is the person to ask about disease risk in your herd. If you have pregnant females that will be giving birth this spring and summer, talk with your vet about vaccinations during late pregnancy and protocols for your newborns.

Summer is the time to focus on parasite control. Internal parasites in llamas and alpacas are picked up on pasture while grazing. Parasite loads in your animals will vary depending on the number of animals in your pastures, your past parasite control program, how big your pastures are, whether or not you rotate your pastures, whether sheep and goats have shared your pastures, and how often you clean up fecal piles.

When your vet visits your animals in the spring, you should talk with him or her about your parasite control program. You should take some representative samples of fresh stool from the pile to assess the level of worms your animals are currently carrying. This can you help plan your parasite control program. Many animals may need to be dewormed only once or twice in the spring, others need more intensive deworming. Last spring's cool, wet conditions enabled a boom of parasite growth on pastures, resulting in many heavily parasitized animals, so it will pay to be aggressive with parasite control. Many effective deworming products are on the market. After you have checked your herd for parasites, talk with your vet about specific products.

In the fall and early winter, your parasite control program switches to focus on the meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis). This worm is a normal parasite in deer and can cause disease in llamas and alpacas by aberrant migration through the spinal cord. The meningeal worm eggs are deposited in pastures by visiting deer, pass through a snail and are consumed by llamas and alpacas as they graze. Camelid owners should focus on this parasite from May through December. Effective dewormers can be administered every 4-6 weeks to prevent damage from the meningeal worm. Ivermectin (1cc per 75 — 100 pounds under the skin) is currently the best choice for meningeal worm control. There are a variety of products on the market that contain Ivermectin or similar compounds.

During the winter, focus turns to nutrition. Once animals are no longer grazing and are eating stored forage, some decisions need to be made. Have your hay tested for its nutrient value. Your vet can take a representative sample and submit it to a testing laboratory for the required tests. The cost is very reasonable and the resulting information is valuable. Test results can help you select grain that balances the nutritional needs for your animals. Not only is proper nutrition economical, but it can also result in much better health during the long winter months.

Proper animal care is a year long commitment. With a little planning you can provide excellent health care for your llama or alpaca throughout the changing seasons. Your vet is a great resource for questions you may have about health care concerns with your animals and risks for your area. Here's to a healthy and happy year for your animals!

The Latest Information on West Nile Virus

By Teri Nilson Baird

I attended a most informative three-hour presentation by Dr. Michelle Kutzler of Oregon State University. Dr. Kutzler is the author of the study sponsored by the Alpaca Research Foundation, the Willamette Valley Llama Association, and the Southwest Washington Llama Association, which dealt with the safety of the [WNV] horse vaccine in camelids. I must emphasize that the efficacy of the vaccine is still unknown and a challenge study has not yet been done. 

A lot of information was exchanged this weekend between Dr. Kutzler and eight of our local veterinarians [front range Colorado area]. They were able to provide her with anecdotal evidence of their experiences and studies, and a lot of the blanks may begin to be filled in. 

To summarize the discussion at the meeting, we may not need to vaccinate all of our animals. Dr. Jeannie Rankin passed along to Dr. Kutzler the results of blood tests she had done on a herd that lost several alpacas. Seventy of the animals tested showed high titers for the virus but had no clinical symptoms. These animals are producing their own antibodies without vaccination, meaning they had also been exposed to the virus but did not become clinically ill. 

The eight local vets, with Dr. Kutzler's input, formulated a strategy for next year along the Front Range of Colorado and other areas previously affected. They will recommend blood testing (less expensive than vaccination) ten percent (or more if the owner desires) of each herd to determine probable antibody levels. Animals who have antibodies will have a natural immunity and therefore do not require vaccination. In fact, there is anecdotal evidence of two animals that experienced anaphylactic shock when vaccinated; these animals had not been tested for antibodies prior to administration of the vaccine. 

If animals do not show antibodies, the timing for vaccination should be April, May, and June for the three-course administration of the vaccine. Pregnant females should not be vaccinated in the first or last 60 days of pregnancy. This schedule should provide at least twenty weeks of immunity. The vaccine may be boostered again in September and twice the next year. This could be an expensive proposition, depending upon the number of animals in each herd and whether the price of the vaccine declines next year with competition from the other vaccine manufacturer. Oregon State University has not tested the last blood draws they did in October so we do not yet know about antibody titers beyond the twenty weeks. 

Unvaccinated animals that contract the disease (and are caught early in its course, before it crosses the blood-brain barrier) have the best chance of recovery if the vet sees the animal when the facial tremors begin. A treatment with plasma from vaccinated animals has proven to provide the best results, possibly within 48 hours. It is possible an immune booster may be used in conjunction with the plasma; discuss this with your veterinarian. Dr. Rankin is testing passive transfer of antibodies via colostrum through Oregon State Univ. as well, and has funding through Colorado State University for other WNV research. 

It appears that everyone learned a lot this weekend and I believe the Alpaca Breeders of the Rockies did many of us a great service by sponsoring Dr. Kutzler's trip to Parker, [CO]. It was productive to get our local veterinarians together, sharing their individual experiences, and then to have Dr. Kutzler pass some of the information along to the owners.