Holding
-- the foster home agrees to provide temporary care (food, water,
shelter, safe environment)
for a specified amount of time while the llama is awaiting pickup
by or delivery to another foster
home.
The holding care provider is entitled
to reimbursement for receipted emergency or previously
approved ongoing medical treatment expenses incurred by the fostered
llama, and a per diem feed
allowance.
Short-term
-- the foster home agrees to provide food, water, and shelter
for no less than 30 and no
more than 90 days. Short-term foster care may be renewed or converted
to indefinite-term foster
care by mutual written agreement of the provider and Llama RescueNet.
The short-term provider is entitled to
reimbursement for receipted sterilization and medical
treatments, and a per diem feed allowance.
Indefinite-term -- the foster home agrees to provide food, water,
and shelter for an indefinite
period of time.
The indefinite-term provider is entitled
to reimbursement for receipted sterilization and medical
treatments, and a per diem feed allowance.
Remedial
-- the foster home agrees to provide food, water, and shelter,
and to provide the llama
with remedial basic training until he or she meets adoption criteria.
The remedial provider is entitled to
reimbursement for receipted sterilization and medical
treatments, and a per diem feed allowance.
Rehabilitative -- the foster home agrees to provide
food, water, and shelter, and to provide the
llama with rehabilitative training until s/he meets adoption criteria.
The rehabilitative provider is entitled
to reimbursement for receipted sterilization and medical
treatments, and a per diem feed allowance.
Initial foster care provider(s) are any providers -- whether short-term, indefinite-term,
remedial,
or rehabilitative -- who accept a llama into foster care during
its initial 30-day tenure with Llama
RescueNet and thus assume responsibility for executing Llama RescueNet's
basic care policies.
In addition to those entitlements outlined above for the applicable
foster care type, initial foster care
providers are also entitled to reimbursement of receipted expenses
or a basic supply allowance of
$15 per llama for unreceipted expenses incurred as part of executing
Llama RescueNet's 30-day
health care policies.
Initial providers may request microchips
from the Llama RescueNet business office, or they may
instead receive a $10 reimbursement for each RescueNet llama microchipped
and recorded by
them.
Providers
Foster care applicants must have no past
history of animal neglect or abuse and no current personal or
business involvement with animal byproducts obtained through the
death of companion animals,
including but not limited to llamas and alpacas.
Applicants under the age of 18 must have
parent or guardian permission. The parent(s) or guardian(s)
must agree to assume legal responsibility for the care and welfare
of the llama in the event the
applicant does not do so for any reason.
Facilities
Foster care facilities must have zoning
that is compatible with llama keeping, and the total number
of llamas kept on the premises must not exceed the number allowed
by zoning restrictions. Foster
care providers are responsible for seeking out information regarding
zoning, complying with zoning
restrictions, and notifying Llama RescueNet through their Coordinator
of any zoning changes.
Foster care facilities are to be free of
environmental hazards and debris in the llama area(s),
including but not limited to toxic plants, chemicals, spoiled
feeds, wire, nails, glass, baling twine, and
lumber.
Foster care facilities may not have barbed
wire in small enclosures and paddocks where the foster
llama is kept. Any barbed wire on the premises is to be noted
in writing.
Feeding areas are to be kept clean and are to be large enough for the number of llamas.
Clean, unfrozen water must be available to the llama(s) at all times.
Foster care facilities must include shelter
that provides shade, a windbreak from prevailing winds,
and protection from precipitation. The shelter is to have dry
flooring, and must be available to the
llama(s) at all times.
Total shelter space must be large enough
to simultaneously accommodate all llamas that will have
access to the shelter(s). Llama RescueNet recommends at least
40 square feet of interior floor
space per llama or guanaco and 25 square feet of interior floor
space per alpaca or vicuna.
Foster care facilities must be secure against
predatory animals, including but not limited to dogs
belonging to the provider; loose and feral dogs; and stock-killing
coyotes, wolves, bear, or cougar in
the vicinity.
A Llama RescueNet representative will physically
inspect the foster care applicant's premises. If a
physical inspection is impractical, the Coordinator will contact
the applicant's veterinarian for an
assessment.
Health and Safety Responsibilities
The foster care provider is fully responsible
for his or her own safety and welfare, his or her own
llamas, other animals, family, cohabitants, visitors, and personal
property.
Fencing, enclosures, and/or stalls that
the provider uses to contain foster llamas are to be
sufficiently secure to prevent escape by foster llamas and intrusion
by other llamas.
Llama RescueNet recommends that Llama RescueNet
llamas be prevented from getting closer than
ten feet to other llamas in the provider's herd during the initial
30-day period.
Llama RescueNet recommends that foster llamas'
quarters be cleaned and disinfected before use by
other foster llamas and/or llamas belonging to the provider.
Llama RescueNet recommends that fencing
be a minimum of five feet high for fostered intact male
llamas over the age of two years -OR- that there be double fencing
providing a minimum
separation of 50 feet from females and other intact males.
Llama RescueNet recommends that fostered
open female llamas be separated from intact males by
two fences, one of which is at least five feet high, at least
ten feet apart.
Companionship
At least one other llama shall be in visual
range of a Llama RescueNet llama under normal
circumstances. If the foster care provider does not have other
llamas on the premises, at least two
Llama RescueNet llamas must be held in foster care at all times.
Additional requirements for remedial and rehabilitative providers
Remedial foster care providers train foster
llamas in any basic skills that may be lacking. As such,
remedial providers are expected to have past success teaching
untrained llamas to halter, unhalter,
lead, load into a trailer, stand tied, allow all feet to be picked
up, and allow touching or inspection on
all parts of their bodies.
Rehabilitative foster care providers house
llamas with one or more behavioral problems and apply
rehabilitative training techniques until the llama can be handled
safely without special skills or
special equipment. Rehabilitative training for some llamas may
include remedial training.
Rehabilitative providers are expected to have past success with
llama rehabilitation and in teaching
llamas all the basic skills listed above for remedial providers.
Both remedial and rehabilitative training
entail risks above and beyond those encountered in
handling normal llamas. Remedial and rehabilitative providers
are solely responsible for accepting
these risks and for assessing their own abilities.
Remedial and rehabilitative providers must
have secure containment and appropriately restricted
access for all foster llamas they accept, and they are solely
responsible for the actions of all foster
llamas in their care.
Because both remedial and rehabilitative
training skills must be acquired through experience, Llama
RescueNet will approve remedial and rehabilitative placements
with less-experienced providers who
will be working under the supervision and/or guidance of more
experienced trainers.
Rights of foster care providers
All foster care providers are entitled to
a feed allowance in the amount of $0.50 per day. In regions
where the cost of hay is significantly above the national average
(as supported by receipts) and in
cases where llamas require special supplementation, a written
contract between Llama RescueNet
and the provider will be negotiated and executed, adjusting the
per diem feed allowance to reflect
average expenses. When possible, Llama RescueNet will attempt
to reimburse the feed allowance
with an equivalent value of hay or other appropriate feed.
Initial, short-term, and indefinite-term
foster care providers will be granted first right of refusal to
adopt llama(s) that are in their own care with the exception of
those temporarily housing a llama
with an adoption application requested or pending. This right
of first refusal expires 90 days after
the date of the llama's arrival at the provider's facility.
Remedial foster care providers will be granted
first right of refusal to adopt llama(s) for whom they
have provided remedial training (except those llamas with an adoption
application requested or
pending). The remedial provider's right of first refusal period
begins on the date that written or
email notification, stating that the llama is ready for adoption,
is given to the Coordinator and ends
90 days later.
Rehabilitative foster care providers will
be granted first right of refusal to adopt llama(s) whom they
have rehabilitated. The rehabilitative provider's right of first
refusal period begins on the date that
written or email notification, stating that the llama is ready
for adoption, is given to the Coordinator
and ends 90 days later.
All foster care providers have the right
to petition for reduction or waiver of adoption fees as
compensation for the value of services they have provided.
Foster care providers have the right to
receive full medical records of any llama(s) in their care at
the
time the llama(s) are transferred to their facilities.
Foster care providers have the right to
terminate their foster care agreement with 30 days notice for
any reason.
Foster care providers have the right to
have incompatible foster llama(s) removed from their
premises with all practical expediency.
Foster care providers have the right to necropsy deceased foster llama(s) at their own expense.
Foster care provider approval procedure
Approval of foster home applicants will
be contingent on:
(1) inspection and interview by the local coordinator (a BOD member
will arrange inspections
and conduct interviews when there are no Coordinators)
(2) completion of any necessary foster home training programs
(3) Coordinator or BOD approval
Denial of application will be conveyed in
writing by the local coordinator to the applicant and will
state all reasons for denial.
Applicants who are not initially approved
may reapply after the reasons for the previous denial have
been addressed.
(1) Furnish food, water, free-choice mineral
supplementation, continual-access shelter, and fenced
pasture (unless in contradiction with an individual treatment
plan); grooming or shearing as dictated
by the llama's coat type and current weather conditions; and toenail
trimming as needed.
(2) Provide or contract for preventative
health care and any medical treatments authorized by Llama
RescueNet.
(3) Contact the Local Coordinator for prior written approval of nonemergency medical treatments.
(4) For fertile llamas, ensure that Llama
RescueNet authorization for sterilization is received in
writing before arranging for the appropriate procedure. Ensure
that a veterinary certification of
sterilization (including veterinarian's name, address, phone,
procedure performed, date, and name of
llama) is procured and forwarded to the Llama RescueNet Secretary.
(5) Provide or contract for veterinary care
in cases of medical emergency and notify the area
coordinator or a committee member as soon as practical after emergency
needs have been
addressed.
(6) Maintain health and other records on
each llama as specified by Llama RescueNet. Fully update
and forward all files to the Coordinator within five days after
any llama leaves the provider's
facilities.
(7) Prevent breeding by or of Llama RescueNet
llamas while they are in foster care. If an accidental
mating is suspected or confirmed, the provider is to contact his
or her Coordinator immediately.
(8) Secure the llama(s) from adults, children,
and other species. The foster care provider is also
responsible for interfacing with neighboring adults and children
as may be necessary, and for
reporting potential difficulties to the Coordinator.
Upon each llama's arrival:
(1) Determine or verify sex (male, gelding, female) and record.
(2) Inspect each animal for fighting teeth; cut immediately if found.
(3) Inspect for:
-neglected toenails
-disability, wounds, and lesions
-external parasites
(4) Photograph each llama from both sides before further treatment
if possible; take additional
photos of any lesions, wounds, unkempt toenails, or other evidence
of neglect (make one copy of
each photo for the llama's file).
(5) Trim toenails if needed and possible
without undue trauma. Treat other findings or report to
Coordinator as may be appropriate.
(6) Record weight and wither height if possible.
(7) Record color at skin level OR part wool
to the skin and clip a small (1/2" square) sample lock
for color determination.
(8) Estimate llama's age if unknown.
(9) Administer first deworming if the llama
is within a reasonable weight range for the llama's
height and body type.
(10) Place in protected area for observation and readjustment.
Note: if practical, some or most of
these procedures may have been completed before
transportation to the foster home and need not be repeated.
During first week:
(1) Groom according to wool type, species, and current weather.
(2) Administer initial inoculations (please do not inoculate and deworm llamas on the same day).
(3) Check for microchips and tattoos. If
no microchip is found, place one if possible. Use the
guidelines in Appendix 10.
(4) After grooming, photograph each llama
from both sides, and from front and back if possible.
Also photograph any unusual or identifying features or markings.
If the llama is not known to be
registered, make two copies of each side photo and one copy of
all other photos. Send those copies
and the copies of the initial arrival photos to the Llama RescueNet
Secretary (PO Box 291, Dexter,
OR 97431).
Second through fourth weeks:
(1) Administer second deworming 21 days
after the first (or at other interval as specified by local
veterinarian).
(2) Administer booster inoculations according to vaccine manufacturer's guidelines.
(3) For llamas who are still without a microchip, place chip according to guidelines in Appendix 10.
(4) If the llama is female, is over age
5 months, may have been exposed to a male older than 5
months, and is not visibly pregnant, draw blood no sooner than
21 days after intake for
progesterone testing.
Occasionally Llama RescueNet may receive
a pregnant llama and place her in foster care. Females
who are known to be pregnant at the time of placement will normally
be assigned to foster care
providers who have adequate experience with llama or livestock
births.
Providers holding a pregnant llama are authorized
to procure veterinary assistance for apparent
torsion or for dystocia they cannot correct themselves.
Foster care providers holding a pregnant
llama that gives birth will be granted right of first refusal
to adopt the cria after it has been weaned. This right of first
refusal expires the latter of 60 days
after the cria's weaning date or when the cria reaches the age
of nine months.
If a foster llama gives birth to a weak,
dysmature, or deformed cria, immediately contact the
Coordinator. If the Coordinator is unavailable, call the RescueNet
emergency number.
The foster care provider is authorized to
immediately procure veterinary services for any foster
llama that has the following symptoms:
Emergency euthanasia may be required for
any Llama RescueNet llama while in foster care. The
foster care provider should immediately contact a veterinarian
for evaluation.
If the attending veterinarian recommends
euthanasia as the most reasonable treatment after
examining the llama, the foster care provider has permission to
authorize immediate euthanasia.
Obtain a short written explanation of the situation from the attending
veterinarian and append it to
the llama's medical record before returning the llama's complete
records to the Coordinator.
Necropsy will not generally be funded by
Llama RescueNet, but it may be approved by the foster
care provider at the provider's expense.
Remains of euthanized and deceased foster
llamas are not to be disposed of before authorization
from Llama RescueNet except when necessitated by a contagious
condition as documented by an
attending veterinarian.
Download a Foster Home Application
Mail your completed application to:
Llama RescueNet
PO Box 291
Dexter, OR 97431
If there is a coordinator near you, please mail or email the completed application directly to the appropriate coordinator.
Foster Home Applications cannot be processed unless Llama RescueNet has a contracted Coordinator near enough to you. If there is no Coordinator near you, LRN encourages you to become a coordinator yourself! After all, if you won't, then who else will?
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