MU Vet School

My First Trip to the Vet School: Mari's Story

My first pregnant alpaca, Marinella, was due in late 2002. Mari gave birth to Casi without incident, and much to my excitement, my first cria was a female! Shortly after Casi’s birth, Mari began to appear anemic. It turned out that the C3 sphincter between her last stomach and intestinal tract had grown a tumor that was increasingly inhibiting the passage of nutrients into the area in which they are absorbed. She was slowly starving. Unable to even sustain herself, her beautiful cria became more of a parasite rather than a welcomed blessing. Not much longer after this picture was taken, Mari died.

We had to put her down, there was no hope of recovery or surgical intervention, she was doomed and we couldn’t just let her starve… even though her cria would then be motherless. This becomes my first experience not only with the mortality of the livestock under our charge, but
also with the veterinarians who treat them in times of emergency.

And so began my relationship with the University of Missouri Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Since 2002, they’ve been treating my alpacas and this association has blossomed into so much more.