today's project

i have llamas. one of them, Perl, developed an ear infection just before (American) Thanksgiving, which caused her to be very dizzy. so she's been 'down' since then. after 10 days of antibiotics & vitamin B1 treatment her infection is cleared up, but she isn't able to get up or stand on her own. we're working with her, using a sling to hoist her to standing & doing some range of motion exercises on her legs. it's a long process. so, at the same time, we contracted to have a barn built, which meant that we had to take down the shed that we were keeping Perl in & Perl was moved (sled ride!) over to the reduced winter pasture with the other llamas. she has a 'temporary shelter consisting of 3 4' high walls & a frame holding a pulley to help lift her & to support a tarp to keep most of the snow off (we've had 3' of snow so far this month). then my Malamute broke his collar last Thursday... so, Perl has chewed up ears & a big wound on the top of her head. amazingly this has not affected her usual sweet & tolerant temperment. so, to the project: because treatment for the wounds requires many soakings per day with hot water, & because it's very cold here (lower 20s to subzero, except today which is supposed to get to the 40s), i'm worried about frostbite on the wet ears. she *doesn't need* any more problems! the project is llama earwarmers. socks didn't work, she just shakes them off. i'm thinking polar fleece, because it is warm & somewhat water repellant, but i'm not sure if the fuzziness might stick to the wounds. should i line them & if so, with what? i'll attach ties to go to her halter, so they won't shake off. and is it really sick to put tassels on the tips? my SO thinks so... but the polar fleece i have on hand is bright yellow, so tassels can't make it worse.... lee

Reply to
enigma
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Lee,

I have no great advice to offer re: wounds or llamas, but go all the way and do the tassels! Good Luck getting Perl well, raising the barn, and for your malamute's recovery. Merry Christmas.

Sheila in Calgary

and is it really sick to put tassels on the tips? my SO

Reply to
Sheila Heinrich

"Sheila Heinrich" wrote in news:mKwbj.6926$DP1.3617@pd7urf2no:

oh, Chief is fine, if a bit clueless about his choice of playthings. i don't blame him for doing this to her (and it's mostly superficial, but head wounds bleed like mad). he's a Malamute & he was unsupervised. i am going to have a discussion with the manufacturer of the collar though. it was only 7 weeks old & the break had to be a manufacturing defect. lee

Reply to
enigma

Wool - it is warm even when wet.

Lee, just a tip if you need any more temporary shelters, you can build a decent shed if you stack hay bails (the small ones that are about 4'x2'x2') in a 3 sided shape and then can pu some old tin on the roof held down with big rocks.

Reply to
FarmI

"FarmI" wrote in news:476f208f$0$6848$ snipped-for-privacy@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net. au:

Perl is currently alternating between two wool Army blankets. i switch them out when they get wet/dirty. would wool stick to the wounds?

yeah, but hay is almost $7/bale. mulch hay is going for $5/bale (straw is over $8/bale because it's trucked in). the llamas need a bit of protection from the wind when it's cold, but they're pretty weather resistant. they get under the trees when it rains. snow doesn't faze them at all, they just sleep closer together (you can tell where they slept by the ovals where there's no snow) we have the 2 does in a walled in area of the former grape arbor & the wether is staying with Perl. i worry more about the goats in winter weather than i do about the llamas usually. i'm just trying to reduce Perl's stress as much as possible. lee

Reply to
enigma

I'm not a llama, but... Seems like making the poor thing wear a polarfleece hat, in bright yellow, with tassles, would somehow be incompatible with that goal!

HTH

--Karen D.

Reply to
Veloise

I think there is a fair chance that it would but then so will any dry dressing or even the polar fleece. If you have some of that petroleum jelly coated gauze (or can coat some gauze yourself) and you put that on the wounds before putting on Perl's hat then that could help. God! I just realised what we are discussing! The things us country types have to do for our animals. Don't ask me about what one of my dog once did to his boys bits......

Hey, count yourself lucky - after 7 years of drought a small bale is over $20 here :-))

the

Wise move - animals that aren't in great condition because of illness or injury need all the help they can get.

Anyway, it's Xmas eve here so all the best to you and Boo and Perl and your partner for the 'festive season'.

Fran

Reply to
FarmI

Veloise wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@l6g2000prm.googlegro ups.com:

not a hat. the top of her head between her ears is a big gash. the base of both ears are covered in punctures, which i have to soak in hot water. because the ears stick out & because the circulation is compromised and it's below freezing here, i'm afraid the wet will cause her ears to get frostbite. frozen ears are more stressful than silly covers. lee

Reply to
enigma

"FarmI" wrote in news:476f973b$0$6803$ snipped-for-privacy@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net. au:

heh. someone on Ravelry suggested a microfiber fabric as a liner that is less likely to stick. i'm trying to keep triple antibiotic goo on the punctures, so that should help some i guess. stupid dog hopped over the electric fence last night & discovered there's a broken spot in the plastic cover on his cable tie by hanging it up on the fence. so he went & hid under the big metal truck in a puddle. i had to turn off the fence to get him out. he electrified the truck & plow. i think he'll stay away from the fence for awhile now...

thank you Fran. i hope your Xmas is nice & relaxed. my darling younger brother is bringing my son a puppy (Boston Terrier) for Xmas. oh joy! ;) lee

Reply to
enigma

Ok, this got me thinking.....I have made stange things in the past, like the car mirror protectors when DHs car was being attacked by some silly bird at his office, the "quilted" draft avoider for under my sink (good thing I did that because we did have a couple of mice get in - only they cam in the summer...would have hated to see how many came in the winter if I didn't have that thingy up!)....

so, I have a question for you, but...can you email me at snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net and I'll send the questions to you in an email as opposed to via this group.....

Nothing bad, just my creative sense going off and want to run some things by you

Larisa, pondering this...and with LOTS of leftover fleece in more subdued colors...lol

Reply to
offkilterquilter

That is a "Boston Terror" -- good luck.

Reply to
Pogonip

Pogonip wrote in news:47701063$ snipped-for-privacy@news.bnb-lp.com:

she's pretending she's a good doggie right now ;) i'm aware of the activity level & it's going to be just about perfect for my 7 year old son. our older Great Pyr/Border Collie cross is too laid back for him and the Malamute is too strong & too big. apparently her name is Butterfly, but that is subject to 7 year old indecision. lee

Reply to
enigma

I would not add tassels. If she can see them flit around it will startle her. Even if she can't see them, one of the other animals might be attracted or annoyed by them and be aggressive toward her. Don't know much about Llamas.

Just keeping the wind off of her ears is your goal. So make them loose and you shouldn't have wound "stickage".

Good luck,

Janice

enigma wrote:

Reply to
Janice G

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