Alpaca BVDV-Our Fears resolved!

Our hopes and fears regarding BVDV have been resolved!

At 9:48 this morning my heart sank as the phone rang. I looked at the caller id to see who was calling. The vet's office number was displayed. I called to Terry and he answered the phone. Then...I heard heavy footsteps coming into the room. I closed my eyes and silently prayed. As I opened my eyes I was relieved to see Terry standing before me with a big smile. He said,” Good News! Our herd is completely negative. We do not have BVDV or P.I. in our herd whatsoever! CSU has given us the all clear. Doc said congrats we have been spared!" With that I shed a tear of happiness. Bittersweet news though. What about those who have not been spared. While I am quietly thankful that I have been spared that awfulness of euthanasia; others are not so fortunate.
Why was I scared in the first place? Why did we feel the need to test our animals? Why such a comprehensive test when we have been a closed herd? Because...we been in the farming and ranching business long enough to know what a devastating sickness can do to an industry if not properly contained. Much like many alpaca breeders we had no idea that BVDV could impact alpacas. Sure cross-species contamination is possible, but we do not farm cattle or other animals with our herd. Is this to say that the BVDV is spread through cross-species contamination? I have no idea. I did even know it was an issue until the beginning of January 2006 when another breeder mentioned it to us. I was horrified when I searched the internet and found articles of the sadness which had befallen others owners. At that moment I began to grieve. Why? Not because I had given in to loss. On no! I do not subscribe to negative thinking, but the reality facing us at that moment was unsure. We didn’t know what tests there were, how much it would cost, who needed to be tested and so on.
Terry sat down and diligently began making phone calls and researching every thing related to BVDV. He also called our vet immediately to schedule blood draws on every animal. Just in case. He decided we were better off to start somewhere rather than nowhere. By that evening Terry had compiled a large folder full of information regarding the virus, the spread, farms stories, etc. He sat in bed at read and read. I, on the other hand, began to feel very sad. The more he read to me the more I cried. I looked out the bedroom window at the babies, my kids, and cried. “Terry”, I said, “I can’t bear the thought of having to euthanize them. I just can’t. You know I have always been good about dealing with animal losses, but this different. There is just something different about these alpacas. I have never been so attached to a farm animal as I have my alpacas. I’m sorry, but they are NOT CATTLE! They are my kids!” Wow, that’s revealing! I might as well admit now. I am not as tough as everyone believes I am. I not the cop I use to be. I actually never was. I have always been and still am a very caring person. Do I feel pain for others? YES, I do! Why? Because we should be in this to help each other. Mentor one another. Not fight or compete against each other in the one industry we believe in.
The one thing we all have in common is our love for these wonderful and exciting creatures. How often in life can we actually say we have anything in common with each other? A common bond is vital to proper human socialization.
The following day our veterinarian came out and drew blood on our complete herd of 22 alpacas and one guard llama. We made the choice to test every animal comprehensively. Ouch! That was expensive. Then again, what is expensive in the realm of love we feel for our animals. They un-doubly give me much more pleasure in life than “something as common as money”. So for us…done! Was it worth it? To have a definitive answer and to finally get a good nights rest? Yes, without a moment’s hesitation, I can say it was.
So…where do things stand now? Well, things have changed drastically for us. While we are thankful that people forgot about us, we are also wondering how we can socialize with our animals now. Having an “all” negative herd is very good for sales, but now so comforting when considering outside breeding and showing. This is going to take some time and consultation from experts in the field for us to move forward. For now…we can be a source of comfort and information to others alpaca breeders. Our main goal and focus has always been mentorship.
Terry will be posting more on this subject later. I too will update this issue as I find out more. For those of you who desire any help navigating these waters please know we are available to you. Please feel free to call us anytime if you would like to discuss this. I will be posting more later on today after I have had an opportunity to fully process my thoughts. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all concerned. Thank you for taking the time to read our article.
Annie