Just a short progress report on Bella:
Just 12 days after major surgery for a luxated patella to a hind limb, Bella is now standing on her own without requiring assistance or encouragement.
This might seem like an insignificant fact to broadcast on the Internet, but this blog will hopefully provide essential information to people with animals with the same type of injury. According to the surgeon, there is only one previous medical reference to a luxated patella (dislocated knee cap), caused by a ruptured patella tendon, in a Llama and the treatment in that instance was euthanasia.
Euthanasia was the first choice offered to us for Bella. The thought was that camelids cannot live with only 3 legs and therefore could not recover from an operation of this magnitude. This is not a fault on the part of the veterinarian, because the vet relies on available information to make decisions on many illnesses and injuries, just as a doctor will prescribe remedies according to available information. No information available then no choice!
Well, it seems that llamas and alpacas can happily operate on three legs and there are many such instances. If Bella's operation fails, then she still has this option.
We are treading an unknown path just now - unsure how long recovery will take and what amount of assistance she will need. Once the cast has been removed she will need extensive physiotherapy whilst wearing a steel leg brace.........or maybe she will manage fine on her own.
These ramblings about Bella are dedicated therefore, to all other animals and humans experiencing similar challenges!
For Everything Llama
Custom Search
Showing posts with label Llamas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Llamas. Show all posts
Monday, August 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Bella
At seven or so years old, Bella has reached full size ....and just as well, because she weighs in at a fraction under 400lbs - apparently the largest Llama to grace the halls of the University of Saskatchewan Large Animal Clinic and heavy enough to pin my arms to the ground should I dare to reach underneath her!
Why is she here?
Ruptured ligaments in her stifle knee joint has lead to a luxated patella...which basically means she has a dislocated knee cap, which currently resides high up on her femur. Without the ligaments to secure the patella in the correct position, she cannot extend (straighten) the leg and neither can she bear weight upon it, leaving her right hind leg to do all the work. She basically bunny-hops around the paddock.
How did it happen?
We had noticed several times after she had mated that she shook her left hind leg immediately after rising. We supposed, in our ignorance, that she was trapping a nerve, her leg had gone to sleep or perhaps she had a touch of arthritis. We now know that this is a sign of a luxating patella being pulled back into position automatically by the animal. However, this must have happened one time too many for her and her ligament finally ruptured.
Why did this happen?
We have seen a single black wolf prowling around the llama herd on a few occasions. We live on a fairly steep hillside and it is possible that she slipped on ice whilst running. She also suffered a miscarriage in April, which might also have been the result of a bad fall. Perhaps the surgery will reveal more information.
Initially we believed it to be a slight sprain as we could find no swelling, heat or other signs of broken bones or dislocation. We do not have access to a vet in this region, but we made several enquiries, yielding different ideas and solutions. hmmmm!
We gave Bella a selenium/Vitamin E injection as we live in a selenium deficient area.
We sought advice about parasites, but the symptoms did not match.
We managed to have a Horse Shiatsu/massage practitioner visit and spent two hours examining and manipulating her looking for a possible neurological problem. This is really good way of stretching the patience of a Llama, but Bella still bore our pulling and pushing with her usual placidity. On a subsequent session we finally tried her patience too far and I received my first ever direct-hit, llama spit. I won't tell you the message written in her eyes, but it was plain she had had enough for one day!
The nearest vet referred us to another veterinary about 4 hours distant, that possessed a mobile x-ray machine. A long day out and several radiographs later - we learned the true nature of the problem. Luxated patella or dislocated knee.
.......and then comes the problem of locating a surgeon who is sufficiently knowledgeable and confident to try ligament reconstruction on a Llama.
Prognosis?
At worst she will have to have the leg amputated mid-femur. We received various conflicting ideas about how well a camelid can survive on three legs. Actually 3-legged Llamas are not unheard of and we already have a sire with one completely useless leg!
At best, after a lengthy period of recuperation and much physiotherapy, she should be perfectly normal.
Luckily for us Bella is the sweetest llama imaginable and her suffering and man-handling, travels and manipulations, needles and nurses have all been taken in her usual good humour......well almost!:)
Why is she here?
Ruptured ligaments in her stifle knee joint has lead to a luxated patella...which basically means she has a dislocated knee cap, which currently resides high up on her femur. Without the ligaments to secure the patella in the correct position, she cannot extend (straighten) the leg and neither can she bear weight upon it, leaving her right hind leg to do all the work. She basically bunny-hops around the paddock.
How did it happen?
We had noticed several times after she had mated that she shook her left hind leg immediately after rising. We supposed, in our ignorance, that she was trapping a nerve, her leg had gone to sleep or perhaps she had a touch of arthritis. We now know that this is a sign of a luxating patella being pulled back into position automatically by the animal. However, this must have happened one time too many for her and her ligament finally ruptured.
Why did this happen?
We have seen a single black wolf prowling around the llama herd on a few occasions. We live on a fairly steep hillside and it is possible that she slipped on ice whilst running. She also suffered a miscarriage in April, which might also have been the result of a bad fall. Perhaps the surgery will reveal more information.
Initially we believed it to be a slight sprain as we could find no swelling, heat or other signs of broken bones or dislocation. We do not have access to a vet in this region, but we made several enquiries, yielding different ideas and solutions. hmmmm!
We gave Bella a selenium/Vitamin E injection as we live in a selenium deficient area.
We sought advice about parasites, but the symptoms did not match.
We managed to have a Horse Shiatsu/massage practitioner visit and spent two hours examining and manipulating her looking for a possible neurological problem. This is really good way of stretching the patience of a Llama, but Bella still bore our pulling and pushing with her usual placidity. On a subsequent session we finally tried her patience too far and I received my first ever direct-hit, llama spit. I won't tell you the message written in her eyes, but it was plain she had had enough for one day!
The nearest vet referred us to another veterinary about 4 hours distant, that possessed a mobile x-ray machine. A long day out and several radiographs later - we learned the true nature of the problem. Luxated patella or dislocated knee.
.......and then comes the problem of locating a surgeon who is sufficiently knowledgeable and confident to try ligament reconstruction on a Llama.
Prognosis?
At worst she will have to have the leg amputated mid-femur. We received various conflicting ideas about how well a camelid can survive on three legs. Actually 3-legged Llamas are not unheard of and we already have a sire with one completely useless leg!
At best, after a lengthy period of recuperation and much physiotherapy, she should be perfectly normal.
Luckily for us Bella is the sweetest llama imaginable and her suffering and man-handling, travels and manipulations, needles and nurses have all been taken in her usual good humour......well almost!:)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Introduction
At last! Time is forced upon me to begin this long anticipated blog. It's not often that time is doled out in sufficient lumps that enable one to catch up on writing, but I am stranded here at the University of Saskatchewan, whilst one of our Llamas undergoes some difficult surgery to repair a knee joint.
Having driven the long-suffering 'Bella' nearly 1800kms across Canada to one of the few places that felt sufficiently confident to treat her, Bella's experience, ours and certainly that of the Saskatchewan University veterinary clinic, will hopefully go some way to filling the knowledge-void of llama medical know-how.
Our experience with Llamas is far from considerable and we entered this mysterious camelid domain completely 'green'. Through careful observation though we have developed a canny knack of interpreting the body-language, llama sounds and needs of our herd or perhaps I should say that the Llamas have spent many hours teaching US how to behave in their presence! It is hoped that we can share some of this knowledge and learn from the experience of others.
The journey, thus far, has been demanding, entertaining and extremely rewarding. At this particular moment in time though, I don't think Bella sees life quite that way. Her story will unfold here as it happens!
Having driven the long-suffering 'Bella' nearly 1800kms across Canada to one of the few places that felt sufficiently confident to treat her, Bella's experience, ours and certainly that of the Saskatchewan University veterinary clinic, will hopefully go some way to filling the knowledge-void of llama medical know-how.
Our experience with Llamas is far from considerable and we entered this mysterious camelid domain completely 'green'. Through careful observation though we have developed a canny knack of interpreting the body-language, llama sounds and needs of our herd or perhaps I should say that the Llamas have spent many hours teaching US how to behave in their presence! It is hoped that we can share some of this knowledge and learn from the experience of others.
The journey, thus far, has been demanding, entertaining and extremely rewarding. At this particular moment in time though, I don't think Bella sees life quite that way. Her story will unfold here as it happens!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
