We have taken some blood samples from our crias in order to establish if they have sufficient supplies of selenium and vitamin D. Alpacas are sensitive to reduced selenium in their diet; there is some evidence that they have a higher requirement than other classes of farm animals. Whether this is a real requirement or has come about as a result of their exposure to higher than normal levels in their natural environment in Peru is not clear. Inclusion of selenium in their diet at up to ten times the accepted levels for cattle or sheep is practiced and some people advocate supplementary injections. Take advice about this from a veterinary surgeon as care needs to be taken, as selenium can be toxic. Selenium, as I understand it, plays a part in the active uptake of other micronutrients and is pivotal in the development of an active immune system. Both these are, of course, critical to the well being of our animals. We use a supplementary ration made especially for camelids (Camelibra), which has a higher level of selenium included in it to take account of their requirement. Many soils in the UK are deficient in selenium but it is possible to correct deficiencies through selective fertiliser applications. Soil testing for a wide range of plant nutrients is available at a reasonable cost and is really the first step to understanding the soil’s make up, from which a fertiliser programme can be built up.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with rickets in man and animals. We have experienced symptoms of rickets in our alpaca stock from time to time, usually associated with fast growing youngsters but not always. Stiffness of limbs and some signs of discomfort or reluctance to rise are the main symptoms. The application of a vitamin injection or oral paste is sufficient to correct these symptoms. Vitamin D is rarely available on its own but included with vitamins A and E. We use injection as the preferred method of application as it seems to persist longer than the oral paste. The rate should be 1000 iu (international units) of vitamin A per kilogramme body weight. Most preparations use a concentration of 50,000 iu per ml, so a 1ml dose is sufficient for a 50 kg alpaca, but be careful and read the label to determine concentrations! Rickets is something that most farmers have seen little of in recent years as the understanding of the dietary requirements of farm animals has lead to inclusion of appropriate levels of vitamins in proprietary feeds. We ourselves have introduced better practice on our farms with the making of silage and haylage which are cut earlier when the grass has higher nutritional value but remember that hay made in good sunshine will have good levels of vitamin D as the vitamin A in the grass converts to D in sunlight, as it does in our skins if we are exposed to sunlight.

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