Camelids
Internal Parasites
Alpaca vaccinations:
Vaccination in alpacas should be given routinely to protect against clostridial diseases (as with sheep and goats).
The commonest clostridial diseases are Tetanus, Pulpy Kidney and Black-leg and these antigens are included in a number of multi-strain vaccines such as Heptavac, Lambivac and Heptavac P Plus. Please note that none of these products are licensed for use in camelids in the UK however, and so there are no definitive recommendations for their use in alpacas. Consequently, there are a number of different protocols that have been used on a small number of trials performed by veterinary surgeons and keen owners.
The regime that we recommend is based on that used for sheep. The primary course should be given to young alpacas over 3 months of age. This primary course consists of 2 doses of Heptavac, given 4 – 6 weeks apart. A single booster dose must then be given annually to all stock to maintain the immunity. In the case of breeding females, this annual booster should be given to the pregnant female in late gestation, ideally 4-6 weeks before the calving date.
Vaccination of the dam before calving should ensure that protective antibodies will pass to the cria via the colostrum. However, because there is little data on the effectiveness of these vaccines under UK conditions, some owners also give a dose of Lambivac to the dam and the cria, two days after giving birth. This is then repeated for the cria at two weeks and six months of age. This protocol gives additional protection to the cria, which by virtue of its age has a poorly developed immune system and is therefore in the highest risk group.
NOTE: Heptavac P Plus includes antigens against Pasteurella organisms, which can cause septicaemia and pneumonia in crias. However, there have been reports of adverse reactions to this vaccine in alpacas, where occasional abortions have been seen. It has not been determined whether or not these are due to the vaccine, but because this product is not licensed for use in alpacas, there is no recourse for compensation from the manufacturers should this occur.
Purchasing
Because there are no vaccines licensed for use in alpacas in the UK, these medicines can only be prescribed by your veterinary surgeon. As part of the XLVets group, Larkmead are able to buy all medicines very competitively and we will be very pleased to quote you for any of your sheep vaccine requirements.
For further information on farm animal medicines and the Larkmead policy on sale and supply, please click on this link to our medicines page.
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Last Updated : 29 January 2008 (C) Larkmead Veterinary Group