Here's little Libra getting his lunch at noon. Folks, I took 17 pictures to get this one good one. Realize that I'm straddling him with our buttes up against the fence, bottle in left hand, and camera in right. He's drinking 4 ounces of Whole Cow's Milk + a little Vanilla Yogurt 4 times a day now and is starting to gain weight. He hasn't given up on Sonata Mom and tries to get a little from her also.♥
So you're saying, what about the Emergency in the title. Doc Russ called yesterday to report on Sonata's blood work. It looked bad, really bad, and indicated there might be some liver involvement with hepaticlipodosis (this spelling is probably way off). You can imagine how I panicked after dealing with Smitty's liver this summer. I called Buddy Beth and she was here in minutes with her van to make a run to Michigan State's Vet School. Anticipating leaving the 'pacas there, I gathered up Libra's bottles, milk, yogurt, and a couple Diet Cokes. Sonata had never loaded into a van, but followed her baby right in.
The staff there was wonderful - again. After we clarified the misunderstanding that Sonata has, in fact, been eating, everyone relaxed and we discussed why her blood work might be skewered. Maybe because I wormed her last week and gave her a CDT injection, plus she does had an infection, possibly from her dystocia (assisted delivery). And, of course, Sonata's weight problem. The staff was rather sweet saying she is heavy and Rubenisque. No, she is just plain FAT.
We came home with $86 worth of Naxcel, an antibiotic, and $120 worth of Domperidone which is a paste that "might" increase Sonata's milk production. I'm hoping the Domperidone works but in the mean time, really don't mind doing the bottle feeding. Remember little Spot. http://northstaralpacas.blogspot.com/2008/07/spot-bottle-alpaca-minor-miracle.html
