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Cria with eye issue
Heres one I have never seen. A friend had a 10 pound litle girl born on Halloween. She was a bit weak but between mom (which she nursed within 4 hours) and us giving her 18 ounces of colostrum within the first 24 hours, she is good. The problem is this:
When cria was born she had her head cocked a bit to the side. At first I thought maybe a neck issue but soon realized it was an eye issue. I believe she can see certain things but not everything and not sure if the issue is with both eyes or just one. She does bump into things but not full force so thinking she is seeing something. The owner is also seeing her going around in circles at times. She doesnt loose her balance so I wouldnt think it would be an ear issue but really at odds with this little girl.
Any thoughts?
Anyone else seen anything like this or had a blind alpaca born with any of these issues?
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
When cria was born she had her head cocked a bit to the side. At first I thought maybe a neck issue but soon realized it was an eye issue. I believe she can see certain things but not everything and not sure if the issue is with both eyes or just one. She does bump into things but not full force so thinking she is seeing something. The owner is also seeing her going around in circles at times. She doesnt loose her balance so I wouldnt think it would be an ear issue but really at odds with this little girl.
Any thoughts?
Anyone else seen anything like this or had a blind alpaca born with any of these issues?
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
Tags: alpaca, alpacas, blind, cria, crias, eye, in, issues, problems
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lori on -
Our little blind girl is now 9 months old. She wasn't born on our farm, but we were told she was also rather weak at birth. In fact, she needed a transfusion. Once she had that, she was very strong and independent. However, she is apparently blind. We say 'apparently' because we've never had her tested. Two vets have briefly looked at her, but no opthamologist.
We sometimes think she can see shadows or at least distinguish light and dark. She rarely bumps into things, but we believe it's more of a "body radar" than sight.
She does run in circles. Others had warned us to stop her, but this is the only way she feels safe getting some exercise and since she runs circles in both directions, we see no harm in it. In fact, it's her way of playing. She's a very happy girl who loves to show off by running fast and pronking.
Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss further. We have made some special accommodations to help her. She does require extra attention, but we know things could be a lot worse and we just adore her silliness and terrific personality - plus, she has incredible fiber!!
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Permalink Reply by Cindy Lavan, Chase Tavern Farm on -
Is there cloudiness to the eyes? Could be she was born w/rod and cone issues, etc. Could be caused by early cataracts or vaccinations while in utero on mom, etc. The only way to know is to have an eye doc take a look. Most equine docs should be able to tell if something is going on. Recommend vet examination because could be a viral or bacterial thing contracted in utero that would be cleared up w/medications and time. Either way, worth a professional look see without question just for her quality of life alone if not more past that.
Cindy Lavan
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