"The Snots"

“The Snots”

The recent scare of “The Snots” has really shown us how important it is to keep your Alpacas’ immune systems built up.

As we learn about these animals, we need to know that not all alpacas are the same, just as we humans are different from one another.

One person may live a healthy life, eat right, exercise, sleep well, and while doing all the right things, still drop dead at age 28 on the basket ball court. We are aware that this can happen due in large part to genetics. Then, there is the guy who smokes, drinks, runs around with women, and is 98 years old and still going strong. Again genetics plays a role in what happens.

Genetics plays the same role with alpacas. Taking your alpacas to the shows is no different than your children going off to school. All the healthy eating, hand-washing, and vaccines in the world will not keep your children from getting an illness going around. It will be the genetic ability the child (or animal) has to fight off the dis-ease (dis-harmony), and their immune system to determine whether that child (or animal) contracts that dis-ease.

As a Natural Health Practitioner I use Iridology to discover a person’s genetic traits or genetic pre-dispositions, which in turn tells me how hard they have to work to stay healthy.

Iridology is the practice and science of reading the Iris (colored part) of the eye. It is similar to a natural x-ray, which gives an outline of the health or dis-ease of the body. This science of physical Iridology began in Europe and was brought to the United States by Dr. Bernard Jensen in the 1950’s. I have been using this technique for the last 25 years with both people and animals. I created a system of reading the Iris of the eye from an emotional standpoint, and developed an Emotional Iridology Course to complement the physical Iridology of Jensen.

So, you can see, the eyes are truly the windows of the soul, when being read physically and emotionally.

Now, I am beginning my journey of using Iridology with Alpacas. Who would not be drawn to those big beautiful eyes? And how wonderful that we can find out about how each alpaca’s genetics, and how their immune system is working. With this knowledge we can begin to know which alpacas we need to supplement with immune building herbs and essences, and what else might be needed to continue great health.

As I look at all I have read about what is going on with the alpacas that have been sick, “The Snots” sound like a viral infection to me.

If this is so, then if you have one alpaca sick, you will need to supplement them all. Viral infections can be spread to every animal. Viral infections also can lay dormant in the system, and show up at any time depending on the health and strength of an immune system.

Recently we purchased a couple of alpacas, and after delivery was made to our farm we found they were sick with “The Snots”. So we cared for every alpaca on the farm using our herbal and essence formulas to heal the alpacas sick with the infection, and prevent the spread of it to the rest.

Specifically, we used our Amazon Alpaca Formula and other herbs for dealing with viral infections.

The alpacas we saw with the snots received our herbal capsules stuck in a quarter of an apple or inside a carrot stick and fed directly to them. We had to be sure they received the capsules. It is always best to use what the alpacas are used to, so if you have any other snacks or ways you feed your alpacas, use this method.

For the rest of the alpacas, the herbal capsules were put in their grain. This was precautionary, but we felt necessary. The alpacas all eat in different dishes but there were no guarantees they each got what they needed. We kept an eye on all of them, and would start the above personal feeding with apples or carrots at first sign that a previously un-infected alpaca was developing the snots.

I would also use all the above herbs by pulling the herbal capsules apart and mixing them all together with a little water, and use it all in the syringe to see that the alpacas got it that way if needed.

There are no absolute guarantees that anything works except to use it and be committed and faithful, and be alert to the potential for the viral infection, or initial signs of the infection, so you can get to the animals with the immune building herbs in time.

It is our belief that Antibiotics will not work with a virus. Your Vet may feel it is best to use Penicillin. We have a natural product, Silver Shield, which helps kill, viruses, bacteria, mold, fungus, and parasites that we use. I highly recommend it.

Because we do not use any medications unless it is to save a life, I would rather use daily herbal supplements and preventative health care first. I have a Vet who is open to what I do and will complement with medicine and other therapies if we agree.

We had all our alpacas cleared up in three days and have had no problems since. The new alpacas get their daily herbal supplement and continue to be watched.

Should you have an alpaca with labored breathing call your Vet. Our Vet will allow us to use an herbal product for the problem until he arrives and checks out the situation.

If you are interested in the herbal formulas and essences we use, feel free to email me at: alpaca4u@verizon.net

Thanks again for listening,

Alicia Rocco, NHP
alpaca4u@verizon.net
http://www.alpacaspringvalley.com
330-868-4988

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Natural Health - Natural Fiber!

I recently read an article on the reality of unnatural cotton. Since we as Alpaca owners are working toward fiber to fashion I wanted to see what it said. I was amazed to find that there are cotton growers who use synthetic fertilizers and pesticides many of which are so highly toxic that they not only destroy the environment, they injure or kill plants, animals, and people as well.

More than a third of a pound of synthetic fertilizers and farm chemicals are used just to grow one pound of cotton, enough for a single T-shirt. Multiply those chemicals by all the cotton clothes, for those of us who love cotton that we have in our closets, plus each household’s towels and sheets, and that adds up to an enormous amount of poisons that we are all contributing to the toxicity of this planet.

Because cotton accounts for about half the world’s textile sales, some 25 percent of the insecticides and more than 10 percent of the pesticides used in the world are used to grow cotton.

Yes, we do have organic cotton farmers. They depend on healthy, rich, living soil to produce strong plants resistant to pests and disease. They do not use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, defoliants or GMO seeds. They use manure or natural phosphates as well as crop rotation with plants that naturally put nitrogen into the soil.

So, now what does this all have to do with Alpacas?

Our goal is to raise Alpacas for the fiber. Right! But in order to have healthy, luxurious, beautiful fiber we need to look at the health of the animal that will be producing it for us. I know that we usually discuss breeding practices about obtaining beautiful fiber but let’s look at their health to obtain beautiful fiber as well.

Using common sense we realize and many vets have told us the same thing, if we continue to over medicate our animals we will end up with a resistant strain of parasites which will cause the immune system of our animals to be over taxed. Taxed immune systems create all kinds of dis-ease (disharmony).

As a Natural Health Practitioner for over 30 years I have cared for people and animals.
So when my children decided to raise Alpacas I began to look at supplementing their diet with an herbal formula that would be a natural way to control parasites and build the immune system of the Alpaca. We have been more than pleased with how the formula is working.

So now that I have a healthy supplement for their overall health, my next goal is to see how we can have beautiful fiber. Imagine our own hair, some people are bald, some have thinning hair, and some have a beautiful full head of hair. Well we know genetics play a role in that so here is where our breeding practices come in. But more than that I have seen people change their rules as to how they eat, drink, live and take supplements that has changed their lives and their hair. Now, saying that, I haven’t seen a bald man grow a full head of hair but then again I haven’t seen a bald alpaca. But what I have seen is people and alpacas with very fine thin hair and fleece. Already we are seeing fleece grow back where our alpaca had lost some, just from the formula we are using.

Can you imagine for those of us out there who have the deep love and passion for our alpacas growing beautiful luxurious fleece that we have a textile company that does only alpaca fleece in the USA. WOW! So you say I am a big dreamer. Well if I don’t dream it – then who will?

I love my Alpacas!

Have questions feel free to email me! I would love to hear from you. I will answer as many questions as I can using our monthly natural health article.