Have a question about Colostrum

[Gini]

Hopefully someone can help. The next ranch from ours has 12 LLama's which 2 have given birth so far. All are due in the next few weeks. They lost the 1st baby and are now losing the 2nd. It was born on a hill and he rolled under the the fence. The other female llama's cleaned him up. They tried putting him back with his mom and she rejected him.

My question is would the colostrum I have in my freezer from a mare be ok to give a llama? This is for info on if one of the other 10 have any problems and they need some.

This situation is making me sick!!!

 

[Jill]

Gini, I just don't know.

Do you know how long llamas are able to absorb the colostrum orally? For horses, the first 12 hours are ideal and the ability to absorb it orally diminishes after 24 hours. After that, it requires a plasma transfusion to give the foal the immunity they need to survive. However, this is not a huge deal or extremely expensive -- we've done it here many times (as added protection for our foals).

If you don't need the colostrum this year, I would try it in the hopes it would work, but if I felt one of my to be born foals might need it, then I'd have some serious thinking to do, including making sure I was comfortable in the ability to obtain a plasma transfusion for coming foals if need be...

I hope the baby llama will be okay!!!

 

[Katiean]

I would call the vet and see what he has to say.

 

[Gini]

Thanks Jill. Everything I've heard is the 1st 12 hrs and 24 at max. This baby is too far gone and they are going to put him down. These people, who are nice people, just bred all the females at the same time. She then took a job 400 miles away and left the husband who works and the neighbor to birth the babies.

The neighbor doesn't know a thing about livestock and they have been feeding goats milk around the clock and they are feelng horrible about this.

 

[Ellen]

Please know that if you are ever in doubt again, Horse colostrum is safe. My vet says many animals, including Llama's respond well. A friend of mine has goats and she uses her colostrum from the mares to pull them through. I am sorry about the 2 they lost. But matbe it can help in the future.

 

[Gini]

Please know that if you are ever in doubt again, Horse colostrum is safe. My vet says many animals, including Llama's respond well. A friend of mine has goats and she uses her colostrum from the mares to pull them through. I am sorry about the 2 they lost. But matbe it can help in the future.

Thank you Ellen.. I will remember that.