Wound advice please...

[teach1rusl]

Hi. Not an emergency or disease, but hope someone can give us feedback.

Yesterday morning I noticed a wound on my alpaca's ear, at the base of the ear, just inside the lip (of the ear). I noticed it due to flecks of dried blood around the long ear hair. She's fawn, so easy to see, and I thought it was mud - wondered how the heck she'd gotten mud splashed there. Her ears are pretty hairy, and the area was a bit matted, so not easy to inspect. Of course I found that it was crusted, dried blood. I figured she'd scratched herself there overnight, because she tends to rub her face on fence posts, etc. for a scratch. She had to have done it overnight (Friday night), because I only have four alpacas, and so I look them over pretty closely every day when I'm tending to them.

Knowing that we were going to be containing and worming our herd today, I just rubbed some antibiotic cream into the area for the moment. Last night when I had her back at the barn, I noticed that there was a little swelling around the area, and that it looked roundish and protruding - at first I thought it was one of those big, fat ticks (ewww)...but after a bit of prodding found it wasn't.

So this morning we washed the ear well to take a closer look. There was a (small) tick attached to the side of the wound - I'm pretty sure dead. The wound is much more noticeable now...looks like maybe she got poked with something??? Could a tick bite have resulted in this? A bee sting (bees are bad in our area this year)? Poked on a piece of fencing?? Any guesses?? It's about the width of a pencil eraser tip. For now, we just stuck some more of the antibiotic cream on it. We've only had our alpacas for less than six months, so we're still learning. My plan was just to keep an eye on it, and if it looked better over the next day or two - great. If swelling became an issue or it looked worse, then I was going to consult the vet. Her temperature is normal, and she seems just fine behaviorally, but if this is something that needs to addressed asap, I need to know.

I'd appreciate any feedback or advice!

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

I don't have alpacas, but llamas. I have found llamas, to be very hardy, so the alpacas probably are as well. I would think your alpaca will probably be fine and should heal up nicely on her own. If you notice the wound getting alot bigger, or she acts like she isn't feeling herself, then you might want to get it looked at, and if she develops a temp., but until then, I wouldn't worry! Most likely in a week or so the wound will be looking a lot better, maybe even almost gone!

 

[teach1rusl]

Thank you for your input Four Winds - I feel reassured!

 

[bcnewe2]

Can't see it well enough but kinda looks like an old tick spot. The dried blood could of been her scraping an engorged tick off it. I'd watch it to make sure it didn't get worse but not much else.

 

[goatboy1973]

I would clean the wound with a betadine scrub solution, rinse well, dry it good, and apply liberal amounts of neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment. Keep close watch on it and note amt. and color of any drainage from the wound. If the drainage is minimal and the color is clear slightly blood tinged (serosanguinous) this a normal sign of the healing process. If it is yellow or green or brownish and thick and the ear is swelling or hot to the touch, clean the ear really good often and either give LA 200 sub Q or IM at a dose of 4.5 ml per 100 lbs. or just call the vet. This is what has worked for me in the past. Llamas and Alpacas are very resilient and by the looks of this wound, it should heal up just fine. Make sure that the animal up to date on it's tetanus etc... vaccinations though. Good luck!

 

[Sweetened]

It does look like an old tick spot. I treat these with just a dab or oregano oil for a week. They usually go down significantly in that time.

 

[goatboy1973]

Hemorrhoid cream should help it shrink also. Yes, Preparation H can be used on the other end also. It's all hydrocortisone cream.