Innovative Ways to Give (and Get): Harvesting Social Media

If you are active in harvesting social media, chances are you have already stumbled upon a charming B&B, replete with llamas and a unique marketing concept, all connected to the Southeast Llama Rescue organization. A complete package, and it just doesn't get any better, from a client and a marketing perspective. Located in Grantville, OH at 4058 Columbus Road SW, Orchard House, from my views of it on Facebook, looks like a must visit place to stay. With 971 Likes, 47 People Talking About It, and 46 People Were Here stats, I'm guessing this is a place I would like to visit and stay a while.

But what really convinced me (2 things, actually) was their connection to SLR and their mission statement:

We are not only stewards for the llamas at Orchard House, but have a responsibility to help those in need of a safe home, free from hunger and fear. We are happy to offer some help, while also educating the public about SELR and the llamas they protect.

A gotcha moment. They have me. More importantly, they have my future business as a destination trip. For all my friends in our camelid community, there's a rock solid marketing message here. I love that Orchard House commits to a stewardship at several levels:

1. providing a safe haven for man and llamas on site;
2. engaging in llama education (huge and we just do not do this enough--always exceptions to the rule, but let's face it, most of us fall short on outreach);
3. collaborating with a rescue organization close to their facility.

In my way of looking at the farm world in which I share my life with my husband, 3 house cats, a barn cat, and 6 on-site llamas, I would NOT hesitate to visit Orchard House. It's on my bucket list and in my Pinterest account. If you are looking for creative ways to give, Orchard House is an interesting model, fascinating, really, because they implicitly understand that to get (traffic flow) they give. That ancient concept, give to get. Love it. Love Orchard House. Wish people who are looking for new marketing avenues would take a look at this engaging opportunity for creating collaboration in the camelid community at several levels. BRAVO! (and I love the way your images appear on your website--nice use of technology).

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Dr. Steve Purdy on Neonatology at GALA 2010

A healthy birth is a blessing.

Steve Purdy's Neonatology presentation at The Magic of Llamas GALA 2010 was a tremendous presentation, whether you are a beginner or long-time camelid owner. I did not see the entire presentation, but having his PowerPoint presentation will help me. When I arrived, it was at a timely part, almost as if he knew I needed to hear this. Owners of new crias need to develop patience and let natural instincts take over. Don't interfere with nursing, but watch to see that the cria is taking mother's milk. Never go to sleep when a cria hasn't nursed.

When it comes to breeding, assume defects are inherited and make decisions accordingly. Never breed an animal before it is at least 2 years; never re-breed an animal quickly. A mother needs time off to rest, and according to Purdy that should be no less than 3 months. I sensed that he thought that window was too short.

I learned from this presentation, fireside chats, and the Wet Lab that a healthy cria is a blessing; so many things can go wrong. A healthy birth for mother and cria--a blessing.

Graciously sharing as always, Dr. Purdy's PowerPoint.

Steve Purdy DVM logy

Steve Purdy, DVM on Common Camelid Health Issues at GALA 2010: The Magic of Llamas

Steve Purdy, DVM & his Nunoa Project Peru

Proximity = the threat!

Dr. Steve Purdy, professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Massachusetts, is busy teaching the next generation of camelid vets who will help us managing our herds. He is working on a vaccine for camelids. According to Purdy, he states that wherever white-tail deer exist, most of the northeast, the deer are infected with the meningeal worm. Paralysis or death occurs to the infected animals. So weakness in a hind leg or lameness would be a sign of infections. Joan Burke, USDA Ph.D., fellow GALA presenter, mentioned that sheep and goats in the southeast are also affected with the disease.

Camelids at risk from meningeal worm

It becomes important to protect our guard llamas from the diseases that goats and sheep may carry. Our largest protection, however, is keeping llamas and alpacas from deer feces where the slugs reside.  So we need infected manure, a slug on top of the manure pile, and the larvae burrows in, and in 30 days we have the infectious stage. 90 to 100 days later, the larvae are secreted in the mucus trail, where they lodge on the surface of the brain to repeat the life cycle. Purdy believes it is the mucus trail that contaminates and infects our animals, which also live on host plants that our animals consume. Wet conditions will also increase our animals’ high risk.

Several species of slugs and snails carry the meningeal worm disease. For our animals to get a disease with infected grass with slugs and snails—there must be thousands. Deer, once infected, do not become reinfected. They become exposed, get the parasite, their bodies develop an immune system, and the deer rejects reinfection. This becomes a type of vaccination in the deer’s immune system.

Wet areas, downed trees, leaves, branches, and trees (upright) are hosts for these gastropods (slugs). They are infected by the L1 while moving over deer piles, and then mature to the final stage. In deer, the worm moves within 30 days to the brain. In the aberrant host, camelids, the slug does not always infect the whole herd, just usually one animal. Keep your animals away from streams and ponds. Depending on where the parasite goes, it makes holes in the spinal cord or brain.

These infestations occur all year round, and immune systems among animals make the difference between infection or not. Purdy says the mucus left behind causes the infection. Can baled hay create an infection? Purdy says he does not know.  Lameness, mild or to acute paralysis, and blindness are signs of the Meningeal worm disease.

 

Diagnostic testing is a blood sample for elevated levels of eosinophic white blood cells in the spinal fluid from a CSF tap. CSF can be stored for days in EDTA tubes before analysis as long as it is refrigerated. It is not a hard sample for your vet to get and it is bogus when people tell you the sample must be obtained and sent immediately. Just not true.

Even before you find the results of the test, Purdy advises you to begin to treat the animal, because it could die. So, hit him with everything to get his nervous system back because the disease progresses QUICKLY. CSF tap will likely cost $150 – $200 dollars, without adding treatment. But considering an animal could die in 5 days, so early aggressive treatment is what you want to do. IDEXX labs near Tufts University is a place to send the blood work.

For treatment of suspected cases:

Anti-inflammatory drugs: DMSI orally every other day for 3 treatments; flunixin meglumine (Banamine) by intramuscular injection once dail for 5 days. Dosage is included in binder as well as in the digital copies below.

Anti-parasitic drugs: ivermectin by subcutaneous injection every other day for 3 treatments; fenbendazole (Panacure or Safeguard) past orally once daily for 5 days.

Chiropractic and acupuncture is also an alternative and Purdy says all the people he’s sent to them have had good result. A pregnant llama is a high risk if it has a neurological disease. Recovered animals have some neurologic deficit, and that may include weakness and lack of coordination.

Prevention: monthly doses of injectable ivermectin during snail and slug season—May to December in the northeastern US. Oral ivermectin paste and liquid…are not effective. 4 mls per 100 pounds body weight for treatment.

Please peruse Dr. Purdy's PowerPoint presentation that he so very graciously shared. I have included all of his GALA 2010 presentations below, although this was the only one I had the opportunity to attend and blog. Neonatology is presented separately since the file was to large to upload in box.net.



Steve Purdy DVM logy

 

GALA 2010 Keynote Speaker Dr. Marcelo Aba

Marcelo Aba, DVM Ph.D.

Animals, especially camelids, as well as people have a difficult existence in Tandil Argentina, because the climate is one of serious extremes, and the altitude is a problem. Under these conditions, full supply for animals is very tough. Their food supply is very dry grass, so animal nutrition is a problem. Highly conditioned by climate, animals run the risk of competition, overgrazing, and vicunas and donkeys continue to compete for food.

History of the Puna is interesting because it is the only place where there are historical ruins of homes and a fort carved in stone. In the Puna, camelids, particularly llamas, are the prime source of food, as well as grains. For llamas to survive in this place is very difficult. Colla or Coya are the people living there, and they were named by the Incas to mean people living in the Puna. Today over 30,000 people live there. Most people living in this area have 5 animals they call their own. To find real Coya, you need to travel high into the mountains.

Their traditions are very religious; there are churches everywhere. Pachamama is highly religious, and requires that you give everything that you receive back to Mother Earth. All belongs to God; whatever they have they do not see as a source of money. Animals exist to provide for their existence, so they take care of them.

Strongly religious traditions

Minga is the tradition of cooperation and working together; they do not pay taxes. It is a way of thinking to work collectively. They bring all their animals together in villages working together for the community. Young couples do not get married immediately; they live together to "try and see." If it works, they marry. Their social situation is difficult; they have almost nothing. Today, a few roads; television is coming. When they see the outside world, they will want more. But the people will never get out of the Puna. It is their reality. And it is a very harsh reality, something we really cannot imagine in our privileged lives as hobby or business camelid farmers.

Harsh living conditions on the Puna

Poverty abounds for people and animals. There are no doctors for these Puna farmers; a broken leg could take a week to mend. It could take hours or days to find a neighbor. People live crudely and having their animals makes the difference between having something to eat--or not. The people's economy falls to the women to maintain what they eat but the man's work is to go out and find work. People, especially women, look OLD at 25. There are no fences for the animals, so they roam at night and women must go out and find them to bring them back. Vicunas are increasing, even faster than llamas. Vicunas are becoming a business, but for the rich, not the poor farmers. That is why Dr. Aba and his people have engaged in helping the people of the Puna.

Animals and their farmer owners need to walk 2 days out and 2 days back to get veterinary treatment. That is why Dr. Aba and his people visit the villages in the Puna to help the people and their animals. He says that their working--and sleeping--conditions are hard. Difficult. But his photos show the rigor of their helping. Sometimes they used dry rivers to travel. Transportation to villages is a transportation risk. They even had accidents in their journeys.

Dr. Aba noted that this society is male dominated. You have to work with the men to get them to allow the women to engage in the help, in the new technology, the new drugs. Aba's goal is to teach them how to treat their animals with the drugs and instruments. The people have to work hard to pay back to continue having the drugs and services available to them. The goal is to make them self-sustaining and confident of trusting his people in a very closed society. Closed for centuries.

In defining the Argentine type llama,  Dr. Aba cites that supplementation is almost impossible in the mountains. Moving the animals to the valley is a possible solution, but it takes 2 days to make the move, the job of the women. Today the people of the Puna have fences to keep the animals out so they can grow grass for the difficult times. Dr. Aba is also working on trying to get the people of the Puna to reduce the size of their herds. It is considered manly to have MANY animals, despite their conditions. Today, reducing the herd size is a difficult concept to teach because the men believe their neighbors will think them weak, based on herd numbers.

Internal parasites exist but are not frequent because of the dry climate, but external parasites abound. It is difficult to teach the Coya how to treat the parasites. Getting them to return with their animals for treatment is difficult, but beginning to work. It is very hard to change centuries of a mindset, and that is the reality. Education makes a small difference, but even with government money it is hard to make them understand the importance of injectable drugs. Water is also an issue--just finding it. And getting them to understand where they and animals drink, and the placement of immersion baths. Finally, the best treatment is to get everyone treating their animals because the animals mix so frequently.

What does the future hold? Only time will tell. Small steps work. For Dr. Aba's complete resoures, please check below.

Kicking Into Real

What authenticates you? 

At PETE&C DEN PRECon 2010, Hershey, PA

Years ago, for me it was fast Italian cars (speeding tickets), horses, degrees, diamonds, languages, students. The usual stuff.

What makes you an authentic llama owner? How do you know you are finally there? real? What tells your inner self you have arrived. Something that goes beyond the care and love we give and share. Daily.

Something else kicks in, and you know you're there, a real owner at last.

SP, with Maria in the background.

The aha moment arrived this afternoon and it felt great. Euphoric. I was on the back end of a down-and-back three-hour trip to the valley. I knew the girls should be hosed, so I connected my new 10 footer, bled the hot water, and talked SP into being first. For some reason, my yearlings mind the heat most, so I started with them. SP comes when called--really--so out of the stall she came. Hoping to get her to the litter box the girls use for sun bathing, I asked her to join me there. She did. I hosed her and she loved it. No halter, no lead rope.

Tess, followed by Maria.

Around the ten-minute mark, Tess came over. She's one lady that can't stand being upstaged. Frankly, I thought she would have moseyed over much sooner. Hosed her. Wonder of wonders, pregnant hormonal and sometimes (lately) difficult but lovable Rev meandered over. Hosed her. She is a talker, so we conversed. She told me the cria's coming soon. Good news indeed. Fingers crossed.

Then Maria came when called, and we repeated the process. But something Teri Conroy told me would happen did. They jostled for position; 1 hose and 4 llamas. But (here's the big aha moment), Miss Cierra joined the group, cautiously, and I hosed her. Cautiously. You cannot appreciate this scenario unless you understand that Miss Cierra was not a Carol Reigh llama breeding/raising but rather an outside llama she acquired for her bloodline. She's been hard to gain trust because she was not as socialized as Carol's other llamas, but I've been working on that all summer. Nights. Sitting with her in the stall when the others went out to pasture. Conversations with her. Letting me stroke her coat, still kushed down. A gimungous accomplishment.

Etcetera in the mini-pasture.

Last but not least, Etcetera wandered down from grazing in the mini-woods. She did them all one better, and I must say I should have seen it coming. After watching, please tell me if you think my dark Hershey chocolate brown llama, Rev, is pregnant. Or not. I'm a first-time mother all around, so a real beginner. Already have the cria's name picked, regardless of gender. (Hope that's not bad luck). Here's the video.

Kicking Into Real from RJ Stangherlin on Vimeo.

Eventually I rode Bridge on Fire to some nice BIS.

For those of you who might wonder why becoming authentic is so important, a large part of my horse life in a show barn had my animals on a total care package. I was handed my horse, rode, and handed it back. Total care. When my husband died (number 2), I eventually became a real owner, and I knew the moment when. I have always taken care of my llamas, but today I landed. We were finally a unit, working like a team of 6-in-one. If you've ever ridden a horse over fences, you know what I mean. It's that split second of oneness when you meet, take, and land a huge oxer perfectly, or jump an outside course in-and-out with perfection. That feeling. Today I had it with 6 and 3/4 llamas.

Total trust. Total bonding. Kicking into real at last.

http://beatingbackcancer.blogspot.com

PS: For those of you who do not know, last summer I was seriously ill. Someone cared for my llamas as I watched them from my sun room windows that look out to the barn. Otherwise, this bonding would have likely happened much sooner.

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The Good Earth

Two bosses, two businesses, one objective. Move a lot of earth. Carve out some of the mountain, move it across the street, pond side, create a new road to the upper 40. Level the playing field. Build the berm higher. Top the topsoil. Add stones. Mix all of the above, and you have the recipe for a perfect landscape. The good earth.

Always a pleasure to watch genius working with the skill and experience of years and tons of earth moving. Just peeking at the work in progress scares me silly, the angles on which these big machines sit and work--with people inside them. When I saw the big boom sliding down the berm, I knew it was time to leave.

Until the temperature rose into the high 80s, the girls looked on with classic llama curiosity. Bless them. Nothing deters Rev, the brown llama that resembles a very giant poodle (a nightmare to clip, hormonal, pregnant, say no more...) lets nothing stand in the way of eating. The earth could quake, but if a food source remained intact, she would chomp. Tess, however, is another story. Always in the thick of things, always curious, always inside the moment.

What always begins as a single day's work merges into 2 or 3 as one thing leads to another, quite literally. First day's work was the hardest, moving part of the mountain, but it will take till the end of the week to see the finished results.

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Buck Hollow Open Barn 2010 Part 2

If I had to settle on just one thing that made Carol and Doug Reigh's Open Barns at Buck Hollow Llamas so perfect each year, I would be hard pressed to select only one aspect of the two-day event. Perhaps the camaraderie of the wonderful vendors, great friends and member of Carol's GALA 2010 team. Or the collective knowledge in the arts, crafts, and llama breeding, rearing, and running a farm is staggering--and a wonderful learning opportunity. Or spending time with Carol and Doug, however busy they may be. Or just hanging out, being part of the scene, from behind a lens. From felting to spinning, weaving, shearing, and carding to walking llamas or just sitting in the pastoral setting, enjoying a picnic at a beautiful farm, it's all good.

I love being out and about, mixing and mingling with the visitors, vendors, llamas, and the people who are slowly but surely becoming family. Lunch for the volunteers and vendors is always wonderful; Carol makes her beef barbecue and we all bring something else. When all the goodies are put together, it's surely a feast. Saturday evening, we were guests of the Reighs at Shady Maple, an experience in smorgasbord dining. Despite the lines--beyond long--Carol walked us right in, finding our party a special room. Always we have such a fine time, spending a day with friends, family, and llamas. Forgive me for sounding nostalgic, but it's almost like being a child again at Christmas; the wonderful memories last a year. And before you know it, that time of year returns again, building new memories of perfect days with people and pets we love.

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Weather Or Not?

Weather or not, clipping llamas is part of the May landscape, and this year the month is not cooperating. We went from premature summer, catapulting to 90 degrees then plummeting to consecutive days of morning frost. To clip or not to clip is not the issue; it centers on when. At least for this year, I do not have to agonize about taking things into my own hands. Tabitha, who clips camelids from Maine to Florida, and perhaps westward, has a blistering schedule, and I am happy to be on it. Perhaps sometime in the future, when I can not only pronounce but actually act on the retirement word, I will become more hands on. After all, didn't I clip my horses and my daughter's ponies for how many years.... Still, there is a difference between clipping horses and llamas for shows.

Then there's the decision of which kind of haircut. Saddle, saddle and thighs, or a full cut. My very heavily-coated dark Hershey Kiss llama this year is getting the full cut. I am not sure I will like how she looks afterwards, but at least this summer, she will be cooler. Silky white will get a saddle with thighs, my Sophisticated Lady (top image), a saddle only, and my soon-to-deliver mama llama probably a full cut.

Yesterday, in the rain, my wonderful crew of two cut the pasture, and it needed it. I never saw the girls happier than their cavorting and stulting about in 2.5 acres after they were released from 3 hours of confinement in the paddock. Today, when I arrived home, the girls were in the upper pasture, and across the road, near the pond were these avian nomads. I do love life on the farm, weather or not.

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Facing First Light

Cross-posted on Beating Back Cancer

She is my Sophisticated Lady, elegant, fine-boned, beautifully chiseled, and reserved. You might ask, which one. Fawn or white. (You guessed correctly if you chose the lady on the left, although the white llama is my soul mate.)

Almost timid; it runs in her bloodlines. Although she is a perfect weight, she is thinner than I would like, what animal people call a hard keeper. Because she will not spit off another llama at feeding time, I am her protector, her grain keeper, and I make sure she has her full measure. Because I hand feed her (the Spoiled Rotten Llamas plaque is so appropriate), each morning we share extra time together, facing first light as it moves slowly over our mountain.

There is a stillness as you watch the invisible made visible, light rising eerily behind a copse of trees, velvet muzzle on your hand, sounds from grain crunchers. In this shared time with one of God's elegant creatures, I ponder the day ahead. How can I make a text more relevant for my students. What about myself needs reinvention. Was my aunt's knee replacement a success. And I pray. "Lord, make me a blessing to someone today." (Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford)

Facing first light, I confront my fears, small as they are. Questions about the future progression of my disease, will it attack other organs, will it lead to leukemia, what are the first real symptoms I should look for, is there a cancer diet. Small things, really. But life fully lived, on my terms, always asks hard questions. Because I can ask them, I can face the answers, facing first light.

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