1. If a cria is hypothermic (low temperature), her organs will not get the appropriate amount of blood flow and may become damaged. The longer the temp is down, the worse the damage can be.
2. Having oxygen on hand can save the cria’s life. Consider asking your vet to help get you a small oxygen tank for your farm to have in an emergency. I had to take her to the vet’s office for one.
3. If a cria pees and it is a HUGE pool of blood – this probably means the kidneys are failing.
4. Have lama plasma around no matter what. You cannot count on Triple J Farms to get it to you in time. Too many things can go wrong & they don’t ship it out every day.
5. If you can’t get a cria’s temperature up with a hair dryer and heating pads, try putting the cria in a garbage bag (or two) and immersing her in a bathtub full of very warm water. (Who knew I would need this in August?)
6. When a cria is born in the summer it can become hypothermic quickly if born in front of the fan. The dam has been sitting in front of the fan to stay cool. A wet cria and a fan is NOT a good combination.
7. If a dam has to fight heat stress (even sub-clinical) her body doesn’t give the proper blood flow to the uterus, and the mechanism that tells her when to go into labor goes haywire.
8. There is a lot of support out there. The alpaca community is a a very friendly and supportive one. Reach out and you will find that a lot of people care and are there for you. Twitter & Facebook friends offered me lots of love & comfort.
9. Losing a premature cria after working on her for days is painful. However the joy that goes into helping her and caring for her, and the special moments between the pair of you is worth it.

“Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

~Alfred Lord Tennyson