Paco the Llama

Paco, one of our younger male llamas, has been dealing with sore hips and back left leg. About 10 days ago, the males were scrapping with each other and we think Paco ended up going down on some ice in their pen. It seems he might have done the splits with his rear legs, or he has a groin pull on his left rear leg.

This has made it difficult for him to get up, and I have literally had to help him up by grabbing his rear end when he tries to get up and lift him a little to get his feet under him. After that he can move around slowly, but he is not to staple.

But the last 2 days he seems to doing better, and he can pretty much get up by himself, but I sometimes just have to make him get up, so he gets his circulation going in his legs. He either camps out next to the hay bale in the pen or in the shed depending upon the weather.

Crystalie, also implemented an aspirin program for him, by feeding him 7 aspirin in a little grain daily, which he does not hesitate at all to eat. It seems to remove some of his discomfort and he tends to stay on his feet for a while before he lays back down. He seems to be getting plenty to eat, and drink.

Hopefully the field will lose more snow next week, and at that point the llamas will wander around more picking at the remnants of the fall grass covered by the snow. Which in turn will get Paco some more exercise.