Texas camelid health and management survey

Abstract

A web-based and mail-out survey instrument was created to gather information on camelids in Texas. Information on management, nutrition, diseases, and reproductive problems was collected. The objectives of this research study were: (1) to establish prevalence of various diseases in alpaca and llama populations in Texas; (2) to evaluate association between potential management/nutrition risk factors and specific diseases/reproductive problems; (3) to determine how many camelids are kept in Texas and what their use is; (4) to determine possible disease clustering through spatial analysis. The survey results included 2,079 camelids on 125 farms within Texas. The top five camelid diseases in this sample were intestinal parasites, incisor overgrowth, mites, heat stress, and colic. Univariate analysis and multivariable modeling found associations between potential risk factors and these diseases.