It’s important to keep regular measurements or estimates of an alpaca’s weight. If an alpaca has lost a lot of weight, this could indicate a sickness, malnutrition, worms, or other parasites. If an alpaca is mature and has gained a large amount weight in a short time, it’s critical to ensure that you aren’t overfeeding them, especially with alfalfa, treats, and snacks. Obesity-related complications can regularly lead to dangerous conditions and death in alpacas.

How are they holding their head? It’s best if they’re holding it up on their own volition. If they’re shaking, hunching, or tucking their head, this can be a sign of illness or injury. Check their head for abscesses, which could be a symptom of Caseous Lymphadenitis, which is highly contagious and requires quarantineThe policy or space in which an individual is separately housed away from others as a preventative measure to protect other residents from potentially contagious health conditions, such as in the case of new residents or residents who may have been exposed to certain diseases. and intervention.

The alpaca should have bright, clean, alert eyes. They should be free of discharge and clear. Cloudy, watery, dry, swollen, constantly blinking, or crusty eyes indicates likely illness or injury. The above symptoms could be signs of pink eye, which is highly contagious to other animals and humans. Their pupils should be about the same size and react properly to bright light (get smaller and then return to normal). If you suspect their eyelid coloration is amiss, you could try evaluating this using the FAMACHA system (after receiving certification from a qualified veterinarian) for reference. Many have reported success using this goat and sheep resource for their camelids. If they are excessively pale, it could be a sign of anemiaAnemia is a condition in which you don't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body's tissues..

Their ears can have a modest amount of earwax or debris in them, but should be clear of any ear mites. Excessively sticky, yellow, or odorous earwax needs addressing. You can use a gauze pad to clear out excess earwax or to sample potential ear mites.

The alpaca’s snout should be free of any discharge, fluid, crustiness, or blood. Their nose should be soft and wet, and not cracked. An excessively runny or blocked nose could be a symptom of an upper respiratory infection.

You shouldn’t be able to hear an alpaca breathe in ideal circumstances, but you should be able to see their nostrils flare. Their breathing should not be labored, loud, wheezy, rattly, sneezy, whistling, or squeaky. Generally, a mature alpaca should have between 10-30 breaths per minute. A breathing-impaired alpaca might have lungworms, a serious and potentially deadly infection in their respiratory system. They should not have a dry cough. Many of these symptoms could be a result of pneumonia which alpacas are highly susceptible to. Abnormalities should be immediately reported to your veterinarian. If they’re reluctant to eat, they might have a problem with one or more of their teeth that needs to be managed (especially in male alpacas, which have sharp canines which grow until they’re around 8 years old). Now take a look in their mouth. There should not be any any sores, abscesses, or scabs in their mouth, which can be a sign of Sore Mouth. An alpaca’s jaw should not be swollen or enlarged, which could be a symptom of Bottle Jaw. If an alpaca has particularly bad breath, it could be symptomatic of an infection and require deeper examination.

It’s critical to check the alpaca for stomach ailments, or symptoms of bloat, which is rare in alpacas compared to goats and sheep but still life-threatening. If an alpaca has a rubber ball-like tightness to the touch in their belly, is grinding their teeth, is straining to poop, is kicking at their abdomen, has difficulty breathing, or are stretching themselves out, this is a sign of bloat. If you are at all concerned that an alpaca might have bloat, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible and administer extra strength anti-gas medication. In cases like these, it’s crucial to keep the alpaca moving while waiting for veterinary intervention; bloat can be a life-threatening condition. If concerned about the digestion of the alpaca, use a stethoscope on their left rear flank and listen for stomach contractions. A healthy alpaca should have 3-4 contractions in a minute of listening. They should also have a resting heart rate between 60-90 beats per minute.

Check around the alpaca’s entire body to ensure healthy skin, parting their wool where necessary. This is the time to ensure you are checking and feeling every area of the individual’s body, not just the those included in this list.  This thorough section of the health check is critical to ensure that nothing that can be addressed early is missed.  Their skin should not have lice, mange, itchiness, mites, nits, lumps, cuts, cysts, bruises, gangrenelocal death of soft tissues due to loss of blood supply, larvae, maggots, dry patches, blisters, or pressure sores. Abscesses on their body could be a symptom of Caseous Lymphadenitis. Their hair should be shiny, and their skin should be bright and not tough. Their hair should not be standing on end. Ensure they do not have any patchy wool loss or loss of pigmentation in their wool, which could be a sign of parasites or a mineral (especially copper) deficiency. Check their tail for hair loss and parasites as well. If the alpaca has enough wool that it begins to negatively affect them in summertime heat, schedule a shearing as soon as you can to avoid heat exhaustion.

It’s important to check the alpaca’s joints in their legs and shoulders for swelling or tenderness. They should not be warmer than the rest of their body. Ensure that the alpaca doesn’t have pain when they move their joints. There should be no cracking or crunching sounds when they move, and they shouldn’t be avoiding putting weight on any of their joints in particular. Joint inflammation could be a sign of arthritis, which is prevalent in alpacas as they get older.

Ensure that the alpaca’s nails are a reasonable length and free of cracks, heat, swelling, debris, or abscesses. Any of these symptoms can cause lameness, discomfort, and could possibly contribute to infections and further damage. They should be able to put their full weight on their feet and they shouldn’t limp or walk on their pasterns. If they are limping, check their toes for uncomfortable debris, parasites, or infection. If their nails are overgrown, schedule a trimming as soon as you can. Certain alpacas are born with “screw claw”, which causes their nail to curve under. These alpacas require more frequent nail trimming to prevent injury.

The alpaca’s butt under their tail should be relatively clean. It shouldn’t have any discharge, excessive accumulations of fecal matter around it, nor should it be crusty or bloody. Ensure that it doesn’t have any mites, lice, tapeworms, or other parasites. Make sure that it isn’t irritated or prolapsed (protruding). If it’s prolapsed, you should consult with a veterinarian. Check their udders and ensure that they are not hot, swollen, painful, or tough, which can be a symptom of Mastitis and requires treatment. When checking a female, be sure to check their vulva for any scabbing or discharge.  If a male alpaca is struggling to urinate, it can be a sign of urinary blockage and require treatment.

It’s important to monitor an alpaca’s poop recognize what healthy alpaca droppings look like. Healthy alpaca poop is formed in small, well-formed pellets and is not runny but easily broken apart. If it’s poorly formed, watery, strong smelling, or bloody, it could be a sign of diarrhea, parasites, illness, or improper nutrition. If their poop looks like a “cow pie”, this could be an indication of parasitic malabsorption, eosinophilic enteritis, or Johne’s disease. If you’re particularly concerned by a dropping, you can bring it into your veterinarian for analysis, though you should consider fecal testing healthy-seeming alpacas at a regular interval to check for internal parasites. Conversely, ensure that the alpaca has regular bowel movements, as they are prone to constipation. Their urine should be clear to deep yellow, but not very dark and concentrated. There should be no white, or chalky sediment in alpaca urine.

If you notice that an alpaca is unhealthy, it’s crucial to consult with a veterinarian or compassionate care expert and prioritize accurately diagnosing the problem. Depending on the health concern, it may be necessary to isolate the alpaca in order to protect the rest of the herd from a potentially infectious disease.  However, with some illness, such as pneumonia, often once an alpaca is showing symptoms, the other residents in the herd have already been exposed. In these instances, you will need to weigh what is in the best interest of all of your residents. A sick alpaca who is isolated from their herd may become more stressed, which could delay recovery.  Depending on the health concern, separating the alpaca with a calm companion might be a good compromise.