Alpaca Journal

By Mike Safley

         I am constantly inspecting alpacas at shows and seminars around the country and the world. The most common problems that I observe are funky skin conditions with the symptoms that I described above. If the owners have noticed the problem or spoken with their veterinarians about it, they most often tell me that it has been diagnosed as “zinc deficiency”. Some say they believe it is due to sunburn. Few, if any, have found an effective cure for the conditions they describe.  If you have ever had problems clearing up skin conditions on your alpacas you should Read this article.

By Mike Safley

         Alpacas Magazine recently published a series of articles on the subject of Crimp.  I first wrote; The Case for Crimp and Eric Hoffman responded with an article entitled; Curvative:  Is it crimp or something else?  Crimp vs Crinkle is my response to Eric's article.  If you are interested in the subject of crimp in huacayas I think you will find this article enlightening.  Read the entire article

Related Links:

• The Case for Crimp

• Measuring Fiber Curvature:  Key Issues

• The Role of Crimp in the Textile Process

By Thomas Shaw

         It is absolutely impossible to attain marked success in breeding domestic animals without breeding them to a certain standard.  The man who makes the attempt to do so is like the mariner who sails the seas without a compass.  He, himself, cannot tell whether he is drifting.  He is playing at what may be termed a game of chance.  Read the entire article.

Related Links:

• Comparative Analysis of Alpaca Breed Types & Standards

• Our Future:  Alpaca Breed Standards or Flip of the Coin?

By Jude Anderson, Maggie Krieger, and Mike Safley

         Breed standards for American alpacas have, in the past, been controversial. The leadership of the industry has, over time, uniformly opposed adopting breed standards.  This article endeavors to look at breed standards analytically.  The authors firmly believe that breed standards are an overwhelming positive for the alpaca breed, particularly regarding the health of future generations of alpacas. For you who endeavor to read this article in its entirety, which is a little long and admittedly dry, we would ask you to ask yourself:  How could these standards hurt our industry and how might they benefit not only the industry, but also the breed?  Read the entire article.

Related Links:

• A Standard of Excellence
• Our Future:  Alpaca Breed Standards or Flip of the Coin?

By Mike Safley

         The industry is making steady progress on breed standards.  Only last year the old Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association, Inc. (AOBA) Board of Directors force through an ill-advised by-law change that declared that there would be no alpaca breed standards established without two-thirds of the AOBA membership voting in favor of the proposed standard.  As it turns out the Colorado Appeals court decided that the old Board of Directors had acted in a manner that was contrary to the Colorado statutes for non-profit corporations.  The court reversed the Board of Directors’ actions.  The issue, of breed standards, is now back in play and the industry has some decisions to make.  Read the entire article

Related Links:

• A Comparative Analysis of Alpaca Breed Types & Standards

• A Standard of Excellence

By Nancy Carr MD

         This is the detective story about the discovery that BVD (bovine viral diarrhea) virus, originally thought to be an insignificant problem for camelids, does indeed cause illness and abortions in alpacas, and that it can also cause the persistenly infected (PI) state in alpacas.  This has fairly far reaching consequences for alpaca farming.  For detailed information on BVD virus itself, please see the accompanying article.  Like any detective story, my narrative is long and detailed.  Also like a detective story, looking back, the solution looks fairly clear; working forward from the beginning  it was not clear at all.  Read the entire article

Related Links:

• Recommendations for Testing for Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Alpacas and Llamas.
• BVD Virus - A Newly Recognized Serious Health Problem in Alpacas.

By Nancy Carr MD and Susy Carman DVM PhD.

         Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD virus or BVDV), a serious problem in cattle, has now been proven to also cause illness, abortions, and most important of all, the persistently infected (PI) state in alpacas.  The virus's ability to produce persistently infected cria, the main way this disease would be spread, and its ability to cause abortions are extremely important for the alpaca industry.  Read the entire article

Related Links:

• Recommendations for Testing for Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Alpacas & Llamas
• BVD Virus and Alpacas - The Detective Story

By Susy Carman, DVM PhD

         Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) and persistent infection (PI) is a newly recognized disease in alpaca.  So far only one persistently infected alpaca cria has been studied.  The following BVDV testing strategies for alpaca are based on comparative medicine and derived from those currently used for cattle.  These recommendations may need to be refined as more is learned about BVDV in alpaca.  Read the entire article.

Related Links:

• BVD Virus and Alpacas - The Detective Story
• BVD Virus - A Newly Recognized Serious Health Problem in Alpacas

         The Alpaca Research Trust (ART) was established by the ARI Board of Directors in December, 1997 as a Colorado non-profit corporation for charitable, educational and scientific purposes.  The Board of Directors, of what is now known as the Alpaca Research Foundation, is composed of a select group of camelid veterinarians, research scientists and medical professionals.  Their job is to establish research goals and critically evaluate research proposals from qualified research scientists.

         The mission of the Alpaca Registry Foundation is to encourage and support scientific research which benefits the North American alpaca industry, primarily in the areas of alpaca health and husbandry, genetics and fiber.  To read more about what the ART has to say about BVD, click here.

Related Links:

• BVD Virus and Alpacas - The Detective Story
• BVD Virus - A Newly Recognized Serious Health Problem for Alpacas
• Recommendations for Testing for Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus in Alpacas & Llamas

      I thought you might enjoy Cameron Holt's new website.  Cameron is a good friend and an internationally recognized alpaca fiber expert.  The website has a summary of his training programs and a series of articles he has authored about alpaca fiber.  The web address is http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/cameronholt/index.htm

         Northwest Alpacas is conducting a Neo-Natal Seminar featuring Dr. Paul Jones on Friday, December 2, 2005.  Click here to enroll

Related Links:

• How to Buy, Breed, and Succeed in the Alpaca Business

• Getting Started in the Alpaca Business