Farm
Facts...
The End of Life
of a Llama
by Marilyn Loft
Houck
We have been in
the llama business long enough that we have lost some of our
dear companion animals.
As your llama
herd ages, it is wise to have a plan for the time when one
of your animals passes away.
- Burial:
Do you have adequate
acreage that you can bury the llama on your farm? If you
live in a municipality, are there regulations about burying
an animal?
- If you anticipate
the possible loss of an animal in winter, it is wise to
prepare the site for digging by a
backhoe.
-
- Place
a large piece of plastic or a plastic tarp
on the ground
- Mound
up your barn cleanings on the plastic… the
plastic will keep rain from penetrating the
ground and freezing to make digging more
difficult. The manure/hay/stray
mounded up on the plastic will help keep
the soil from freezing as deep as it would
be in an uncovered
location.
- If an animal passes
away during the summer, you will have to move quickly to
burial.
-
-
Other Considerations:
Stock removal companies...
these companies will remove cattle and now will
remove horses and llamas. The cost we found
from a company in Wisconsin is $277 to remove a
llama for a first time pick up. If you have
done business with them in the past, the cost
is $252. Your local veterinarian can help find
a stock removal company.
-
Cremation is also an option...
Costs for cremation of large animals at the
company closest to our farm are:
$1000 for a 350-500 pound animal IF
you want the ashes back, plus a $200 pick up
fee.
It is less expensive if you do not get the
ashes back and if you deliver the animal to the
location. You local veterinary service should
be able to help with these
arrangements.
- Euthansize: What if
you find the need to euthanize a llama or alpaca?
a. How do you know when you
have to take this step? You will know. Your
sensibilities with these animals will help you to
find the strength to make the decision.
b. Call your vet. The vet will want to know
the approximate weight of the animal.
c. Be prepared to move the animal to a location
that will be easily accessible for burial arrangements
either before euthanasia or after euthanasia.
d. The vet will inject a penta-barbitol into the
blood stream and the animal will literally not feel a
thing. The penta-barbitol is an anesthetic and
essentially the vet overdoses the animal to cause the
heart and brain activity to cease. It is
absolutely necessary for the vet to have the weight of
the animal so that the overdose is complete. The
penta-barbitol is very brightly colored for a good
reason… it should not be used for any other
procedure.
e. Following the euthanasia be prepared to
position the animal’s legs and head and neck into a
compact shape for ease of moving and burying. Use
a rope or ropes to tie the back legs and the front legs
into a kind of kush position. Tie the head and
neck forward and downward and to the side if possible.
se a substantial rope and tie securely. Binder twine
would not be recommended for this procedure.
f. We wrap the body of the llama in a plastic tarp
and roll the llama onto the bucket of the tractor.
g. We have enough acreage on our farm to have
plenty of room for a llama cemetery. We call our
local excavator who comes out with a backhoe. He
digs a hole and we bury our dear llama friend.
Losing a llama from the herd is
never easy. We grieve for the llamas who have lived
out their lives on our farm.
Contact
us if you have other questions about llama 'end of
life'.
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