Affliction Highlight: Ulcerative Pododermatitis

So, we had a little cria present with some very unusual foot symptoms this week.  This poor little guy has had a rough go of it recently and it has not helped that he only weighed about nine and a half pounds on day two of his life.  He has recently had a major weight gain slow down and has been laying around a lot.  Fecals on him were not good, showing a heavy load of emac so he has been treated and cleared of those nasties.  Well, we were a little concerned about his gait.  Seemed like he was walking on eggshells which is a classic sign of Rickets, even though that has never been a problem on our farm and he had been receiving doses of jumpstart with careful consideration that Vitamin D can be overdosed.  So we took a look at his little feet and lo and behold, we saw something we did not expect.

His little feet had a layer of skin stuck to the bottom that was peeling and leathery.  He is two months old so his booties should be long gone.  The best guess I can come up with so far is:

Ulcerative Pododermatitis 

Llamas and alpacas kept in moist conditions develop “immersion foot,” characterized by footpad blistering and sloughing, with variations depending on infection by anaerobic bacteria. Debridement, antiseptics, and foot protection may be required for prolonged periods to facilitate resolution. Treatment with penicillin is always indicated unless unique bacterial isolates are involved. These cases require a relatively long healing period.

He has been treated with Naxcel for five days so my continued treatment will be betadine washes, thorough drying, and a treatment with a anti-fungal topical meds to counteract in fungal infections that may try to set in.  Fingers are crossed that this little guy can come out ahead of this mess.