October is here and its quite cold in the mornings. Mac is here by about 6am to start cleaning out the animal pastures and barn. From 7 onwards we work on the fencing project until he leaves to go pick grapes.

I then call the vet and arrange for a visit at 2.30 then shoot off to buy supplies for the AlpacaMania alpaca show at the weekend.

The vet arrives on time and inspects the little chap and everything is fine. We draw blood which we use to complete the FTA card which forms part of his DNA registration and we draw blood to do a BVDV test and test for his IgG level which is an indicator of how strong his immune system is. The results take 24 hours so NOW the waiting begins. A low IgG and he will need a plasma transfusion. So fingers crossed that its over 800.

He has a slight temperature of 102 so we will use some blood to run a short chemistry panel.

As always we inject vitamins A,D and E and give a shot of BOSE which is essentially selenium.

Tonight I will weigh him and hopefully he will be putting on weight. He was 22 lbs when born but slipped back slightly the second day which isn't unusual.

The vet commented that spring babies somehow come out in better shape than autumn babies which does not totally make sense. Given that the best grass is in the summer and the sunlight and warmth ... if I discover why this appears to be true I will let you know.

Adrian Stewart