Needle time - Vitamin D
April 10th 2008 23:35
Going into winter, we give our alpacas a dose of vitamins. We give a combination of vitamins A, D & E, but it’s the vitamin D which is particularly important for these guys.
Vitamin D is obtained mainly from sunlight. Alpacas can suffer from a deficiency in vitamin D and it is thought this is because they have come from the high altitude regions of South America to live in much lower altitudes, with less sun. In Tassie, particularly in the winter time, we miss out on a lot of that lovely sunlight.
Alpacas need vitamin D to enable them to absorb calcium and magnesium which is required for skeletal development. It seems that darker coloured alpacas, blacks and browns, and denser fleeced alpacas need more vitamin D than lighter coloured and lightly fleeced ones.
Vitamin D deficiency leads to a condition called Rickets. The typical symptoms are a wobbly gait, crooked legs, an arched back, reluctance to walk, lameness, swollen joints, lethargy, and poor growth. It mostly affects crias and young alpacas who are still growing.
Many alpaca people now give vitamin D injections as part of their normal routine, as they do for vaccinations. We had our experience with a vitamin D deficiency a few years back, so now I think it’s much better to give them a quick dose to prevent it, rather than having to deal with a sick, wobbly alpaca.
Vitamins A, D & E
Vitamin D is obtained mainly from sunlight. Alpacas can suffer from a deficiency in vitamin D and it is thought this is because they have come from the high altitude regions of South America to live in much lower altitudes, with less sun. In Tassie, particularly in the winter time, we miss out on a lot of that lovely sunlight.
Alpacas need vitamin D to enable them to absorb calcium and magnesium which is required for skeletal development. It seems that darker coloured alpacas, blacks and browns, and denser fleeced alpacas need more vitamin D than lighter coloured and lightly fleeced ones.
Vitamin D deficiency leads to a condition called Rickets. The typical symptoms are a wobbly gait, crooked legs, an arched back, reluctance to walk, lameness, swollen joints, lethargy, and poor growth. It mostly affects crias and young alpacas who are still growing.
Many alpaca people now give vitamin D injections as part of their normal routine, as they do for vaccinations. We had our experience with a vitamin D deficiency a few years back, so now I think it’s much better to give them a quick dose to prevent it, rather than having to deal with a sick, wobbly alpaca.
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Comment by katyzzz
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Interesting.
Comment by Rosemary
Alpaca Notes - Tasmania
Yes, heavy fleeced alpacas are often the ones with these problems.
We shear in the spring here, so they have the whole summer to soak up the rays and to grow their fleeces back for the winter.