Quick Reference for Medication and Shots

In Shots for Beginners, I talked about the basic medications and vaccines a beginning breeder should keep on hand and also provided a brief guide to abbreviations commonly used in livestock care. To supplement that, I thought I would post my quick and dirty reference for shots and medication dosages. I keep this posted on my board and refer to it all the time. You’d think that over time, I would have all of these memorized, but the opposite has happened instead! My memory just seems to get less and less reliable and I, as in most cases, like to blame it on getting older.

I hope you find this as useful as I do. Please remember, I live in Colorado and this list reflects that.

Quick Reference for Medications and Shots

	Breeding Females	Crias and Weanlings	Breeding Males
CD&T (refrigerate) 1ml SQ< 1month old 2 ml SQ= 1 month old	Annual booster 6 weeks before delivery or during open period Not during 1st 60 days of pregnancy	Annual Booster 1st shot at 24 hours of age if dam not vaccinated, then at 1, 2, 6 months of age. If dam vaccinated, 1st shot at 1 month of age, then 2, 6 months of age and at 1 year	Annual Booster
West Nile (refrigerate)- Fort Dodge (1 ml SQ)	Annual in July (peak mosquito season) Not during 1st 60 days of pregnancy	Annual booster in July Start crias with 3 shot series at 1, 2,and 3 months of age	Annual booster in July
West Nile – Merial (1 ml SQ, refrigerate after mixed)	Annual in July Not during 1st 60 days of pregnancy	Annual booster in July Start crias with 2 shot series at 1 and 2 months of age	Annual booster in July
Deworming- Ivermectin or Dectomax Only deworm as needed by positive fecal	1.5 ml/adult or 1 ml/100 lbs SQ	1.5 ml/adult or 1 ml/100 lbs SQ Not for use for crias under 1 month of age	1.5 ml/adult or 1 ml/100 lbs SQ
Deworming- Fenbendazole (Panacur or Safeguard) Only deworm as needed by positive fecal except post-delivery	Dosage per tube markings for 3 days post-delivery	Dosage per tube markings as needed. Safe for crias <1 month of age	Dosage per tube markings as needed
Deworming – Albon Tabs	2400 mg/100 lbs 1st day, 1200 mg/100 lbs up to 14 days after	2400 mg/100 lbs 1st day, 1200 mg/100 lbs up to 14 days after	2400 mg/100 lbs 1st day, 1200 mg/100 lbs up to 14 days after
Deworming – Albon Liquid	45 ml/100 lbs 1st day, 23 ml/100 lbs each day for 2-5 days	45 ml/100 lbs 1st day, 23 ml/100 lbs each day for 2-5 days	45 ml/100 lbs 1st day, 23 ml/100 lbs each day for 2-5 days
Antibiotic – Naxcel (refrigerate or freeze after mixed – can be frozen once only)	1 cc/25 lbs one time daily for five days either SQ or IM	1 cc/25 lbs one time daily for five days either SQ or IM	1 cc/25 lbs one time daily for five days either SQ or IM
Antibiotic-Penicillin (refrigerate)	3 cc/100 lbs two times daily for 3 days, one time daily for 2 days = 5 days total IM (active infection) 3 cc/100 lbs 1x daily for 5 days (prophylactically)	3 cc/100 lbs two times daily for 3 days, one time daily for 2 days = 5 days total IM (live infection) 3 cc/100 lbs 1x daily for 5 days (prophylactically)	3 cc/100 lbs two times daily for 3 days, one time daily for 2 days = 5 days total IM (live infection) 3 cc/100 lbs 1x daily for 5 days (prophylactically)
Vitamin shot- AD&E	1 cc SQ/100 lbs 3 months prior to due date	1 cc SQ/100 lbs every 45-60 days during growth and winter months
Epinephrine	1 ml IM	1 ml IM	1 ml IM
Banamine (Flunixin meglumine)	1 ml/100 lbs	1 ml/100 lbs	1 ml/100 lbs
Oxytocin (refrigerate)	1 ml IM
Enema (using a 4 oz Fleet bottle)		2 oz.warm water mixed with a drop of mild liquid detergent (e.g. Dove,Ivory) as needed for newborns

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Neonatal Care Part II:The First Four Hours

The baby’s just slithered out of mom and is lying on the ground, you have all your supplies ready and waiting.

Now what?

Where was that milk again?

There are usually two priorities that override all else if the baby is healthy:

1. Getting colostrum
2. Bonding with the dam
If it’s cold, I’d add a third: getting the cria dry and warm

Fulfilling the first two priorities should happen without your intervention. In many cases, the hardest thing for a breeder to do is nothing. Trusting that the instincts of the cria and dam will make everything come together goes against all our nurturing tendencies. Observation first is what will help you to determine whether it’s time to take action or step back.

First, the cria will be born with a membrane covering it’s entire body. In most cases, the membrane covering the nose will be broken by the toes upon delivery. If this is not the case, you need to peel it back so the baby can breathe. If it’s cold, rub the baby dry with towels. If it’s really cold, make sure dam and baby are in an insulated stall with a heat lamp and even use a blow dryer on the cria.

Is the umbilical cord bleeding? Normally, it will seal itself, but you may opt to use a clamp (or tie it off with dental floss) if it’s bleeding excessively. Otherwise, you can leave it alone.

Does the baby seem to be breathing easily and without effort? If there’s wheezing, you may want to use the infant suction bulb to clear its nose of any fluid. If the fluid still needs to be expelled, you can swing the cria upside down between your legs (be careful not to let its head hit) or if you have an oxygen tank, this would be a good time to use it. If the wheezing is persistent or you see the cria trying to breathe through its mouth, check that air is coming from each nostril. If not, you may have need to have the air passages flushed or it may be a case of choanal atresia, where the air passage did not fully develop and blockage exists. You’ll need your vet to advise.

Other observations you can make: are the ears erect, does the baby seem active and alert, is the baby shivering?

Within the first 30 minutes, the cria should have stumbled to its feet for the first time and will probably spend the next half an hour falling and getting up again. You should see the tongue sliding in and out as the cria instinctively starts to recognize its hunger. If you stick your finger in its mouth, the cria should suck, indicating the correct reflex.

Now I’ve just indicated many things you might do in the first hour after birth, but in most cases, it’s ideal if you can just let the dam and cria bond, explore each other’s smells, and have the cria figure out the whole nursing thing within the first two hours. The most important event that has to happen is to get that first milk (colostrum) into the baby within the first six to twelve hours, in order for the cria to receive immunities from its mom. Crias are born immuno-naked so they rely on that first infusion to protect them for the next few months.

While baby is figuring out how to coordinate all four legs, you can check the dams teats and remove any waxy plugs that may make it tougher for the newborn to get the milk flowing. Helping the milk production get started not only confirms the dam has milk, it also brings some to the surface to encourage the baby to latch on when they get a whiff in the vicinity. Some dams may resist nursing until the placenta has passed, though I have found the mothering instinct tends to override this. Sometimes the dam has not bagged up yet by the time the baby is born. In this case, you can try pressing a warm cloth to the udder or inject 1 ml Oxytocin IM to encourage the milk to drop. That, of course, assumes the dam has any.

If the baby has not nursed by the first couple of hours, you should watch for signs of fading. If the cria gets floppy or stops trying, it may need some assistance from you. One ounce of goats milk bottlefed every two hours will give it enough nourishment to fuel its efforts without taking off the edge of hunger to keep it motivated. Even better is if you can nurse out the dam and get it into the baby. Some people prefer tube feeding but when you’re alone, always go with bottle feeding. At this point, if the baby is standing and walking but clueless and you’re inching into the third hour, I usually give in to the temptation to help out and steer the baby toward the dam and position its head by the teats. Rubbing a small amount of milk on the baby’s lips can also help it realize where the good stuff is.

So let’s assume the baby appears to have latched on. There are a few ways to tell if the cria is actually getting any milk. The most telltale is a milk mustache on the lips. The sure way to know if baby got what it needed is to do an IgG the next day to measure the level of immunities in the baby’s blood. Anything over 800 is sufficient to protect the cria. If under 800, your vet may advise a plasma transfusion to give the cria a temporary boost.

We’re still in the first four hours but baby has nursed, you’ve witnessed that mom is protective of the baby and stands for nursing, maybe clucking at the cria and encouraging it to nurse by directing the cria to the correct location. All is good.

Your first two (or three) priorities? Check.

Now it’s time for the secondary to-do list which can all occur after the first nursing which may or may not be within the first four hours.

Previous: Neonatal Care Part I: Supplies
Next up: Neonatal Care Part III: The First 24 Hours

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Shots for Beginners

Unless you come from a livestock background (which I did not), that first year of alpaca ownership can introduce you to a new vocabulary when it comes to healthcare – specifically when it comes to taking care of your own shots and vaccinations.  And you can feel like a total idiot – breeders and vets will reel off acronyms easily that fall on neophyte ears like a foreign language. Luckily, not only did I have an outstanding vet (thank you so much, Dr. Kim Gardner-Graff) , but also some wonderful mentors who answered all my questions patiently. But even now, years later, I still remember the awkwardness of the first year and thought I would publish my own schedule of shots and vaccinations, along with full explanation of those pesky acronyms.

As always, care may vary according to region, your own particular herd needs (due to size, ranch layout and practices etc), or your vet may prescribe a different practice. I always go with what my vet says so we’re always on the same page.

Those puzzling first acronyms that soon become your second language:

• CC = cubic centimeters. 1cc equals 1 ml but cubic centimeters are appropriately used for solid matter.
• IgG= immunoglobulin G. This is a blood draw to measure the levels of proteins that function as antibodies in the immune response. This has nothing to do with shots but you’ll run into it when you have crias born. An IgG on the day after birth can determine whether the newborn received adequate immunities from the mom’s colostrum.
• IM= intramuscular. The shot is injected in the muscle tissue, most commonly into the butt. Especially important that all air has been eliminated from the injection.
• ML = or “mil”= 1 milliliter. 1 ml equals 1 cc but milliliters are appropriately used for liquids e.g. blood, drugs etc. Syringes are marked in ml.
• SQ = subcutaneously. The shot is injected under the skin but not into the muscle. You tent up the skin to create a pocket. Most commonly done in the hairless area in the inner armpit, the top of the leg , or the base of the neck. Important that all air has been eliminated from the injection.

Those first puzzling meds that are injected:

• AD&E= Vitamin A,D &E. Non prescription and can be stored at room temperature. Viscous liquid. Used for growing crias at the rate of 1 ml per 100 lbs SQ to encourage good growth and straight legs. I also give it to pregnant dams 3 months before their delivery date as a boost for the baby.
• Banamine= flunixin meglumine is the generic term, Banamine is the brand name that everyone refers to it by. Prescription only and stored refrigerated to maximize life. It’s an anti-inflammatory and therefore a pain reliever. It also blocks a female from aborting during times of high stress and is sometimes used during transport and shearing. 1 ml per 100 lbs IM.
• CD&T= Clostridium Perfringens, Types C&D Tetanus Toxoid. Non-prescription vaccination stores in the refrigerator. Prevents enterotoxemia among others.  1 ml administered SQ to newborns unless dam was vaccinated 6 weeks prior to birth, in which case newborn is injected at 1 month old. Then 2 ml SQ at 2 mos, 6 mos, 1 year old and annually after that.
• Dectomax = brand name for doramectin. An injectable non-prescription parasiticide preferred by some breeders over Ivomec. Administer 1 ml per 70 lbs either SQ or IM. Like all parasiticides, I usually only treat upon discovery of parasites in fecals and do not usually treat on a set schedule.
• Epi= abbreviation for epinephrine (not to be confused with the parasite formerly known as “epe”, now called mycoplasma haemolame).Prescription only and store refrigerated to maximize life. Epi is used to treat anaphylactic shock if the animal reacts after you administer meds. 1 ml IM should be administered as soon as the signs of shock are evident as anaphylactic shock can be fatal. This med is like insurance – you have to have it but hope you never use it.
• Ivomec= brand name for Merial ivermectin which is an injectable parasiticide.  Non prescription and can be stored at room temperature. There is also Ivomec+, which covers what Ivomec does plus things like liver flukes. Ivomec covers only specific parasites so your vet should advise you based on the fecal results.
• Oxytocin= prescription only and stored refrigerated to maximize life. This is another med that you have on hand and hope you never have to use. It’s a mammalian hormone that can induce contractions in the uterus. It is used most commonly to bring the milk down in post partum dams for the benefit of the nursing newborn.
• Panacur= or Safeguard= both brand names for fenbendazole. Non prescription oral paste that can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated to maximize lifespan.  Another parasiticide with premeasured notches on the plunger. I do use this to treat dams for 3 days after they give birth as the stress of delivery may cause them to shed eggs. You should consult your vet for its appropriate use. Not a shot, unlike Ivomec.
• Vit B= non-prescription liquid that can be stored at room temperature. Used to boost appetite for weight-deficient animals. 1 ml per 100 lbs.

These are the most universal injectables that I could think of. There are , of course, many other meds that are specific to illnesses (like antibiotics like Naxel, Excenel, and Penicillin at 1 ml per 25 lbs) and region (West Nile (WNV), selenium).

Those first puzzling syringes:
To give a shot, you need a needle and a syringe. You can buy them separately or pre-assembled but they should all be sterile, of course.  I like the luer lock syringes that screw the needle on slightly vs the ones that are just pressed on (and seem to pop off just as easily). For all the shots above, you can stick with a 3 ml syringe and a 20 gauge needle, 1″ long. I used to have 18 gauge needles (which are bigger) and 22 gauge needles (which are smaller) but a 20 gauge is an all-around good-to-have size. As you use the meds, you will note the ones that are more viscous (AD&E) or more fluid (Ivomec) and can specialize accordingly.

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