Here is an important message from Dale and Leslee Miller at Premier Alpacas in Washington State.


PNAA members: [ & Alpaca Lovers/Bloggers]

Unfortunately one of us loses a cria at birth or very early in life from time to time. It is sad, but goes with owning livestock.

We each have an opportunity to have a positive outcome by shipping the cadaver to WSU for teaching purposes. Please make a note of the following contact information in case you have a loss and would like to make a donation. They will be very appreciative, and you will be helping the next generation of vets to become better educated – a plus for the entire Camelid industry.

Shirley Sandoval, RVT
WSU
509-335-0741
sis@vetmed.wsu.edu

Thank you,

Leslee Miller
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Visit our web site at http://www.premieralpacas.com/.

Shall I Show This Boy?

In a previous blog posting, I asked your opinion about showing Kenai, the Alpaca who lost an eye to an injury. I said in that posting that I would add a photo of him. Here it is:

Ken Larson

Alpaca Info

I am asking your opinions on something.

At our place, we have a gorgeous young Alpaca male whom we had planned to show this spring as a juvenile. He is from Premier's Absolute, has a nice fawn color, excellent composition and his fiber is thick, soft and quite crimpy.

Here is the problem: He had an accident and cut his eye. We have not been able to determine the cause, but the vets at WSU said since the lens was gone and based on the shape of the cut, it looked like it was caused by trauma, such as being kicked. His left eye was removed.

The question is, shall we still show him? According to AOBA Show Division, it is quite within the rules as long as his entry registration is accompanied by a vet's statement that the cause was from trauma and not something hereditary.

I plan to enter him this week for the Albany, Oregon show in March and Alpacapalooza. I am a bit nervous about the reaction he will receive, but I also feel that he is the same guy he was before losing his eye and he should be able to show what he has. His value as a potential herdsire has not been diminished in my opinion. Yet, I have heard from a few people that I should prepare for a great deal of resistance, especially from some of the judges and the larger Alpaca breeders. What do you all think?

I am out of town now, but will add a photo of him when I get home. Alpaca Info