The Digestive System of the Llama and Alpaca

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The Digestive System of the Llama and Alpaca

• Dr. Melissa Bruski
• Dr. Christine Malinowski

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Normal Digestive System

• Unique Characteristics
• Foregut fermentation
• Rumination

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The Upper GI

• Lips
• Tongue
• Nares

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The Upper GI

• Teeth
• Incisors
• Cheek Teeth
• Llamas
• vs.
• Alpacas

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GI Compartments

• Nomenclature C1, C2, C3

• C1
• Cranial sac
• Caudal sac
• C2

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GI Compartments

• C3
• Tubular and glandular
• pH changes
• Permanent nonpermanent folds
• Contraction cycles
• Duration 2 minutes each

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Lower GI Components
Im supposed to eat this??

• Adaptions to poor feed
• Urea recycling
• Nutrient absorption
• Overfeeding is dependent on the quality of forage

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Lower GI Components

• Small intestine
• Almost 12 m long
• Cecum is midline running into pelvic inlet (10 cm
  x 5 cm)
• Large intestine
• Spiral w/ many coils
• Diameter from 5 cm ? 2 cm
• Colon

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Signs of GI Disease

• anorexia
• dysphagia
• regurgitation
• emesis
• abdominal distension
• ileus
• atony
• colic

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Anorexia

• Internal factors
• oral or pharyngeal ulcers
• dental pain
• colic
• gastritis
• External factors
• unsuitable feed
• psychologic ostracism

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Dysphagia

• Presents as
• drooling of saliva
• retention of feed in the oral cavity
• fetid odor originating from the oral cavity
• gagging/retching

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Dysphagia

• Due to
• pharyngitis/esophagitis
• pharyngeal abscesses or tumors
• esophageal obstruction
• stomach overload
• bloat
• congenital defects
• choanal atresia
• cleft soft palate

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Abdominal Distension

• Causes
• excessive fat
• excessive gas
• accumulation of feces
• advanced pregnancy
• A thorough physical will help determine the
  cause.
• A thorough rectal is not possible.

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Ileus

• Dynamic
• spastic
• constriction around feces
• paralytic
• intrinsic disorder of GI motility
• Mechanical
• peritoneal adhesions
• tumors
• torsions
• internal hernias

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Ileus

• Post-operatively
• peritonitis
• ischemia
• overstretching
• ingesta
• gas

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Regurgitation

• May be voluntary
• threat
• defense
• Esophageal or laryngopharyngeal stimulation
• Passive
• anesthesia
• recumbancy

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Emesis

• Due to the elongated soft palate it is very
  common for ingesta to pass into the nasal cavity.
• rhinitis
• obstruction
• aspiration pneumonia
• Causes
• C1 overload
• gastritis
• diaphragmatic hernia
• partial esophageal obstruction
• poisonous plant ingestion

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Stomach Atony

• Usually affects C1-C2
• Causes
• grain overload
• indigestion
• feed changes
• prolonged antibiotic therapy
• spoiled feed
• gastric ulcers
• obstruction

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Stomach Atony

• Presents as
• decreased or complete cessation of food
  consumption
• loss of body condition
• depression
• may see other GI signs
• Diagnosis
• Lack of C1 sounds

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Stomach Atony

• Treatment
• treat primary disease
• supportive care
• 3-5 days of anorexia may cause death of rumen
  flora so transfaunation may become necessary.

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Transfaunation

• 0.5-1L of camelid C1, or strained sheep or cow,
  rumen contents is administered to aid in regrowth
  of rumen flora.

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Colic

• very stoic about pain
• signs
• teeth grinding
• rolling
• kicking at belly
• anorexia
• depression
• pained facial expression

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Ulcers

• usually a secondary problem
• most common in the acid secreting distal portion
  of C3 and proximal duodenum
• may be partial or complete thickness

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Ulcers

• Presents with
• decreased food consumption
• intermittent to severe colic
• depression
• May also have
• secondary pneumonia
• peritonitis

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Ulcers

• Etiology
• unknown
• stress??
• Diagnosis
• no good pre-mortem test available

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Ulcers

• Treatment
• Resolve primary problem
• Stress reduction
• Sucralfate
• Omeprazole
• H-2 blockers
• cimetidine/ranitidine
• Supportive
• fluid therapy
• prophylactic antibiotics

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Selected Bibliography

• Fowler, Murray E., DVM. Medicine and Surgery of
  South American Camelids Llama, Alpaca, Vicuna,
  Guanaco, 1st edition. Ames Iowa State
  University Press, 1989.
• http//www.mazuri.com/llamalink.htm
• http//www.purdyvet.com
• http//www.merckvetmanual.com
• Johnson, LaRue W. Update on llama medicine.
  Philadelphia Saunders, 1994.

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