Given that alpacas are native to mountainous regions in South America, they do not deal with heat and humidity in this country well. That is why most parts of US shear their herds early Spring so they have as little fiber growth as possible heading into the Summer months. There are other management practices that can really help them to be comfortable during the hot months too.
One of the easiest things to do to cool alpacas when it is hot is to simply hose them with cool water. Spraying them directly on the neck, legs and bellies can make a huge difference and can rapidly cool their body temperatures. We try not to saturate their backs with water in hot weather, as water can get trapped on the skin beneath the thin fiber layer and not evaporate off. In extreme circumstances, the trapped water on the skin can reach near boiling temperatures and actually overheat the animal instead of cooling it. That is why when hosing alpacas, we keep the water spray focused on bellies, where there is little fiber growth, and legs. We also wet the ground with the hose to cool shady areas where they lay and they seem to like that a lot.
Many owners set up small pools, baby pools or tubs for alpacas to lay in to cool down. They actually do step into baby pools and tubs. The only concern with this would be to make sure that the water is cool and hasn’t been sitting out in the sun, in which case the pool becomes a hot tub, and not to let them lay in the pool for long periods of time which can lead to other problems like fleece rot, foot rot or other skin conditions.
Another easy but effective management practice to help keep alpacas cool and happy during hot weather is to use frozen water bottles as “ice” to cool drinking water in tubs. We put a handful of water bottles in the freezer and once they are frozen, put them around in water troughs to float around like ice cubes and keep the water cooled. Changing water in troughs often also helps to provide cool clean refreshment.
Providing electrolytes during hot weather is something every owner should consider. There are many brands of electrolytes on the market that can be dissolved in drinking water that are good. We prefer these over powder that goes on top of grain. We use an apple flavored electrolyte and add to large buckets of water in each paddock so that they have choice of fresh cooled water, or apple flavored electrolytes. And of course they go for the apple water first and because they love the flavor, they end up drinking a lot of water, which is great too!
Overheating can also be reduced by running fans in barn aisles and stall or shed areas to simply keep air moving. If given access, alpacas will prefer to sit in front of fans or around fans to stay cooler. We have big barrel fans and wall fans in all barns and run-in sheds keeping air circulating. To make things easier for us, they are all on timers and we can adjust run times longer into the night when the heat is particularly oppressive.
Consider limiting pasture time when the temps are in the 90s and especially if pasture has little or no shade. Alpacas do love to graze and often will stay out on pasture even though they are overheating internally. Keep in mind that darker colored or black alpacas will absorb more radiant heat than white or light animals, too. When there’s a heat wave around us, no alpacas are turned out on pastures during the day. We keep them in barn areas with fans running and lots of electrolytes and hosing to keep them comfortable. Sometimes we will turn them out late in the day when it cools so that they have some hours of grazing time.
The bottom line is to do whatever possible to reduce the chance of “heat stress”. True clinical heat stress can result in death of the alpaca if it is not observed and remedied quickly. Signs that an alpaca is having difficulty thermoregulating in the heat are rapid breathing, flaring nostrils, restless behavior, laying for long periods in wet areas, not eating, elevated body temperature and neurological symptoms like tremors or shaking. If they progress from being too hot to clinical heat stress with neurological signs and loss of appetite, often there is great concern for hepatic lipidosis. This is more often than not a fatal condition whereby the body will start metabolizing its own liver in survival mode. We have actually brought an animal back from hepatic lipidosis but it is not easy. It involves tube feeding around the clock to keep nutrition flowing, and transfaunation to keep the rumen alive. We would not want anyone to go through that and that is why we cannot overstate the importance of providing multiple layers of protection like fans, hydration, hosing, to keep your animals cool.
Enjoy the Summer and being out in great weather, and enjoy a happy and healthy herd!