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E Keeble

Publications and source records attributed to E Keeble.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

South American camelids in the United Kingdom: reproductive failure, pregnancy diagnosis and neonatal care.

The results of a postal questionnaire survey conducted between December 1992 and March 1993 indicated that a third of mated female South American camelids in the United Kingdom failed to produce offspring. This failure did not include abortions or stillbirths, which accounted for up to 4 per cent and up to 3 per cent of further reproductive losses respectively. The most common method of pregnancy diagnosis was observation (40 to 70 per cent). Plasma progesterone estimations and ultrasonography were used by a small proportion of respondents. A combination of methods was seldom used. Between 25 and 46 per cent of camelid owners housed their animals at parturition and 50 to 82 per cent routinely dipped the navel of the newborn calf. Neonatal mortality was an important cause of loss.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1998

South American camelids in the United Kingdom: population statistics, mortality rates and causes of death.

A survey of the health of South American camelids in the United Kingdom was carried out between December 1992 and June 1993; 123 members of the British Camelid Owners and Breeders Association and 19 non-members were sent questionnaires and usable responses were received from 84 (59 per cent). In total 689 camelids were included, and in 1992, 66 per cent were Ilama, 21 per cent alpaca and 13 per cent guanaco. Their ages ranged from less than six months to over 10 years, with animals aged two to five years constituting the largest proportion. The mortality rates between 1990 and 1992 were 2.7 to 3.3 per cent for Ilama, 3.5 to 6.9 per cent for alpaca and 0 to 11.4 per cent for guanaco. The highest mortality was in animals less than six months and more than 10 years old; 4 to 11 per cent of Ilama deaths and 17 to 33 per cent of alpaca deaths were in animals aged less than six months and a high proportion of these occurred during the first week of life. In the cases for which a cause was reported, accidents and injury accounted for 20 per cent of Ilama deaths, and perinatal deaths accounted for 22 per cent of alpaca deaths. A third of the deaths were reported as being of unknown cause, and a veterinary diagnosis was reported in less than half of the cases. These data suggest that attention to the environment and housing conditions of Ilama, the neonatal care of alpaca and improvements in diagnosis are priorities for reducing the mortality and improving the health of South American camelids in the UK.

Animals↗