Milk Replacer Recommendations Apprechaited

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Permalink Reply by Virginia Vogel on October 6, 2009 at 9:52am

Thanks, Karen. He is nursing periodically on another Mon, but not enough. What about milk replacer, as well as plasma?
VV

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Baker on October 7, 2009 at 9:44am

Virginia,

I agree with Karen on the use of whole milk over milk replacer and the IgG testing. I've also added a small amount of Karo syrup (less than a teaspoon) to help with energy and warmth but only for one bottle/day for 3 days; more than that they don't metabolize well. If your weather has turned cooler you might give this a try

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Permalink Reply by Emaly Leak on October 6, 2009 at 12:37pm

I have a related but somewhat off-topic question, what is the minimum weight gain expected by a cria that is healthy? I know the rule of thumb is 1 lb per day, but is less gain (but still an overall gain each day) acceptable? I have a week old cria that is very active, but only gaining .5 lbs a day so far. Mom doesn't have tons of milk (more than last year), but we are giving her lactation herbs to help. Her cria last year gained 0.25-0.5 lbs a day, and turned out just fine at 6 months (he was sold then, so he's been off the farm, but I hear he's still healthy). He also was not nearly as active. Would a very active cria just burn off more of the calories ingested, and thus not gain as much weight daily? Thanks, Emaly

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Baker on October 7, 2009 at 9:39am

Emaly,

As you say, the one pound/day is a guideline. I know from working with Dr. Lakritz at Ohio State that any gain is positive and it isn't necessary to get upset if none is seen even 3-4 days after birth. Llamas are individual just as humans and what is "normal" for one isn't necessarily so fo another. There is no doubt that a cria who does get that "pound a day" gain is what we'd all love to have but it isn't a hard and fast rule. Have you ever tried Domperidone for a low-milk mom? I've used it several times and had good results in all but one case. It is more expensive but it also works more quickly than the lacation herbs and gets milk production up.
Barb

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Permalink Reply by Emaly Leak on October 7, 2009 at 8:26pm

Barb,
Thanks for easing my worry a bit. We started weighing the cria with a more accurate scale tonight, and it appears that she's gained 0.5 lb each of the last 2 days, which is a start. She wasn't even due until this weekend, so we're going to give mom a little more time to increase her milk production. We've never tried Domperidone, but will definitely keep it in mind. Doesn't that need to be given almost immediately following birth, or am I thinking of something else? Emaly

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Baker on October 13, 2009 at 9:03am

Emaly,

The sooner it's given the better, but I'll check with Ohio State and see what they say - stay tuned. Barb

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Permalink Reply by Emaly Leak on October 13, 2009 at 12:29pm

That's what I thought, but I'd love to hear what you learn from Ohio State. I think we're finally out of the woods with our little girl. She's starting to gain 0.5-1.0# per day (more when she can't run around outside), so I think she's getting enough but is just running it off. And we're going to continue the lacation herbs, just in case. Thanks again, Emaly

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