Camelids Repro

Question 1

South American Camelids are seasonal breeders. When would their breeding season be in the UK?

Answer 1

April –October

Question 2

Briefly describe the key facts about the ‘oestrous cycle’ in South American Camelids

Answer 2

· Follicular Phase -“induced ovulators” breeding causes ovulation n= rupture of the follicle and release of the egg but does not mean always receptive!!

· Several small (< 3mm) follicles are present at all times on the ovaries, some follicles grow and regress producing oestrogen. Interrupted by ovulation after copulation or exogenous hormone stimulation

· 6‐15 mm follicles burst releasing the ovum or egg approximately 24 hours after breeding or if no ovulation occurs the follicle regresses, shrinking back down in size, or disappears within 2 days.

· Follicular sizes do not necessarily correlate with sexual receptivity

· If no pregnancy is established expect in approximately 12 to 14 days

Question 3

You are called to see an alpaca breeder who has 10 females and 2 males in order to perform pregnancy diagnosis. When asked how many months gestation the fetus should be, the breeder starts to give you dates regarding ‘last seen kushing’ and ‘spitting off’. What do these terms mean and how do they relate to the reproductive cycle.

Answer 3

· Kush – Alpaca sitting down with all 4 legs tucked underneath. Or laying out on their sides. Normally done when receptive to mating – so when in oestrus.

· Spitting – sign of extreme displeasure, fear or dominance. Can consist of air, grass or regurgitated stomach contents, in order of severity. Done to the male when not receptive to mating and in the luteal phase

· Checking for oestrus -run the female into the mating area. Walk the boy in and release him. Now the observation starts. If the girl is open, or receptive, the experienced male will immediately know what is going on. Sometimes they will have a quick sniff to check all is correct before the ogling noise starts. Perhaps a short chase around if the girl fancies some foreplay, otherwise the boy will mount from the rear (on most occasions anyway) and shortly afterwards she will sit in the kush position. If the male shows no interest or the girl shows her contempt for him by spitting and or kicking we do not have a receptive girl.

· Day Seven after Mating. This is a good time to see if have had ovulation. A mature follicle has ruptured, released its egg which has perhaps been fetilised, the corpus luteum should have developed and started to produce progesterone. Checking is done with our stud again (or in fact any active male). So we repeat the same process as we did for the initial mating. Only this time we must watch the girl’s body language carefully. Failure to willingly sit for the male is great news. This can be evidenced by spitting

Question 4

What is the gestation length of llamas and alpacas?

Answer 4

Normal gestation in camelids is ~342 ± 10 days, with alpacas being somewhat shorter. Most normal births (>70%) occur in the morning

Question 5

The breeder also states that he keeps the males separate from the females during the last trimester of gestation. Why is that?

Answer 5

It has be known for the male to cover the female while she is giving birth

Question 6

You are called to an abortion outbreak affecting alpacas of mid to late gestation. What are the most likely causes of abortion in alpacas and what samples would you take? Can equine herpes virus-1 cause abortion in New World Camelids

Answer 6

· Placental abnormalitites (twinning, umbilical cord torsion, severe deformities, chromosomal abnormalities, placental insufficiency, uterine torsion).

· Luteal insufficiency (hypoluteidism)

· Environmental stressors (heat stress, disease, travelling)

· Iatrogenic causes (steroids, PGF, 8-way vaccines)

· Nutritional deficiencies (selenium, Vit a, iodine) or toxicosis (copper, iodine).

· Viruses – BVDV (nc BVDV-1b)

· Equine arteritis virus

· Bluetongue virus

· Bacteria – Chlamydia spp

· Brucella abortus/melitensis

· Leptospoora interrogans

· Listeria monocytogenes

· Campylobacter fetus fetus

· Coxiella burnetil

· Non-specific infections causing placentitis

· Protozoa –toxoplasma

· Neosporosis

· Sarcocytosis

· Trichomoniasis

· Fungi – encephalitozoon cuniculi/aspergillus

· Samples – fetal tissues (ideally entire fetus), blood and placenta. Maternal serum (clot tube) and whole blood (EDTA tube)

Question 7

You are presented with a 3 year old female alpaca who is in cria, but at an unknown gestation as the owners only purchased her 6 months previously. She is showing signs of colic and is rolling and crying out and has been for 2 hours. On physical examination she is in good body condition, with dark pink mucous membranes, capillary refill time of 3 seconds, heart rate of 120 beats per minute with minimal compartmental contraction. The fetus can be seen moving excessively against the maternal side. The vagina is swollen and moist. What are your differential diagnoses for an animal that presents in this way? Please consider all body systems.

Answer 7

· GIT – impaction

· Intestinal torsion

· Grain overload

· Repro – Labour

· Uterine torsion

· MSK – Laminitis

· URI –Urinary/kidney stones

· Neoplasia

Question 8

· What diagnostic tests would you perform in order to confirm your diagnosis?

Answer 8

· Rectal palpation

· Vaginal exam/palpation

· Ultrasound

Question 9

· Examination ultimately results in a diagnosis of uterine torsion being made. What is the underlying reason for the development of this condition very commonly in South American Camelids? How can it be corrected?

Answer 9

· Normally twists near the cervix

· Should be suspected when dam is close to parturition and showing colic signs. Most cases after month 9, 2-6 weeks before parturition.

· Unknown why occur- large fetal size, dam behaviours, right horn pregnancies, prolonged gestation are more likely.

· routinely monitors fetal heart rate (FHR), placental thickness, and placental fluid echogenicity to assess fetal well-being. Evidence of impending fetal distress includes decreasing heart rate, placental fluids developing a turbid appearance on ultrasonography, rapid changes in placental thickness, and apparent separation of the placenta from the endometrium.

· Correction – medical/surgical

· Medical – rolling animal while stabilising uterus (via plank/manual pressure on the outside of the abdomen). May need to be repeated multiple times –try up to 3.

1. Vaginal exam after each attempt to see if corrected. If successful keep the dam quiet.

· Surgical- same approach as a c-section, and correct torsion. Sometimes fetus needs to be removed to untwist, or if thought at risk.

· Complications- fetal death/compromise, death of the dam, uterine compromise, uterine rupture and subsequent peritonitis.