Spaying female llamas
A decade ago, the idea of spaying a female
llama was unthinkable -- back then, the only reason to own a
reproductively capable (and by definition, expensive) female
was to make more llamas as fast as possible!
Today, female llamas are no longer seen
exclusively as walking incubators, but instead more and more
are owned and used just for being the llamas that they are, doing
everything that llamas do and doing it well. Many new owners
have no intentions of breeding their females, or only intend
to raise one or two crias from their very best female to keep
as understudies and eventual replacements. This inevitable and
welcome change of emphasis has also changed views on spaying.
Why spay? Why not just leave the female open?
The first reason is for the well-being of
llamas in general. Unfortunately, there are many poorly-informed
people who genuinely believe they can get rich making more llamas
-- the fact that they bought a really crummy looking female for
$300 (or $30!) doesn't alter their fantasy that all llamas are
worth many thousands -- and so spaying becomes an important means
of both birth control and quality control. Spaying a female who
is not breeding quality for a particular end-use is one way that
conscientious breeders can exert that control for those who don't
know better or simply don't want to believe that there are too
many llamas in need of homes or rescuing. Spaying insures that
a nonbreeding female will never breed even if unforeseeable events
result in an ownership change. Spaying protects the marketability
of good quality llamas. Nothing turns off a prospective buyer
faster than encountering an inferior animal and subsequently
coming to the conclusion that all llamas can't pack, have coarse
wool, or possess a rotten disposition; scores of inferior llamas
from backyard breeders do untold damage to the species' reputation.
The second compelling reason to spay (by ovariectomy,
not tubal ligation) is for the well-being of the female as an
individual and the enjoyment of her human partner. Unlike other
domestic species, who have a well-defined estrous, or heat cycle,
a female llama has no heat period and is almost always interested
in breeding. Spayed females are calmer and more confident, and
it naturally follows that they are easier and more enjoyable
to handle and train. Without the constant distraction and discomfort
of their hormones, female llamas are distinctly happier and more
relaxed, and thus are better companions and better performers.
Spays are more active, and their optimum weight is much easier
to achieve and maintain. Finally, estrogen exposure is linked
to mammary (breast) cancer in other species. Open female llamas
are constantly under the influence of high estrogen levels (the
reason their weight is difficult to control) because of llamas'
unique cycle. It follows -- although studies have not yet been
done -- that spaying may very well reduce the risk of mammary
tumors in llamas substantially. Certainly the spayed female no
longer runs the risk of ovarian cancer.
The most common reason for large breeders
to spay is when a female would be breeding quality except that
she carries a serious genetic defect. If such a female fell into
unknowledgable or unscrupulous hands, she would end up being
bred and spreading that defect further. Many of these breeders
are willing to pay to have these llamas spayed rather than tarnish
their reputation, even though the same breeders are not yet willing
to put out the money to spay for other reasons.
As with castrated males, fiber production,
fiber quality, and working ability are not affected by spaying.
What exactly is done to spay a llama?
Two methods are commonly used -- tubal ligation
and ovariectomy. Ovariectomy is most common and is the method
of choice if hormonal relief for the female is of any concern,
or if the health and/or behavioral advantages of spaying is the
goal. Ovariectomy is also is the more reliable method of birth
control -- tubal ligations can fail.
Both methods can be done by laparoscopy, which
is the least invasive form of abdominal surgery possible. One
small incision is made for the laparoscope (so that the surgeon
can see what s/he's doing) and two additional tiny incisions
are made for the surgical tools. In an ovariectomy, the ovaries
are also removed through the latter two incisions. Despite the
relative safety of laparoscopic spays, the procedure can be uncomfortable
-- carbon dioxide is used to inflate the abdominal cavity so
the surgeon can see. The gas is largely removed after surgery,
but some remains, resulting in one or more days of discomfort
for the llama.
Ovaries are removed via "open" surgeries
in other species. In llamas, both midline and flank approaches
are used with success. An experienced veterinarian can remove
a female llama's ovaries through an incision only a couple of
inches in length. Recovery time is dependent on the veterinarian's
skills: Post-surgical discomfort can be as long as a laparoscopic
spay, or it may be considerably less.
Complete hysterectomy is not performed on
a llama unless the uterus is severely infected or the llama in
question has frequent uterine infections. Complete hysterectomies
are much riskier because of unique anatomical features of the
llama; complete hysterectomies also require more invasive surgery.
How much does it cost? What care is involved?
Although the cost is greater than for common
small animals, when you consider that a llama can live more than
twenty years, the investment to spay a llama is not extreme.
The greatest expense of spaying is the general
anesthesia. An "open" procedure spay may cost relatively
reasonable $200-$350. A laparoscopic spay done in a large animal
hospital or a veterinary teaching hospital may run up to $1000,
although at a teaching hospital you might be lucky enough to
receive "teaching credits," which could cut that total
by up to half. Laparoscopy can also be done under local anesthetics
and sedation "in the field," which is less expensive,
but your veterinarian must have both the tools and the skill
to perform the surgery.
The female is fasted prior to surgery, both
to minimize the risk of regurgitation under anesthesia and to
reduce the abdominal mass so that the surgery itself is more
easily and safely accomplished. Aftercare is minimal -- a preventative
dose of antibiotics, overnight recovery in a clean stall or paddock,
and observation for the next few days is all that is typically
necessary. Those females who do experience discomfort for a few
days afterward will benefit from a general pain reliever such
as Banamine during that short time period.
What age is best to spay?
Like young male llamas, some young females
may risk abnormally delayed epiphyseal (growth plate) closure
and extreme height if neutered too young. Although no age-specific
spay studies have been done, growth studies and age-specific
castration
studies have been undertaken. Females grow faster and mature
sooner than their male counterparts, and so they should theoretically
encounter no problems if spaying is delayed until at least 12
months.
Mature females can be spayed at any time,
but should not undergo the surgery immediately after giving birth,
when stressed or depressed, or when in general ill health.
Can I keep a spayed female with intact males
and late geldings?
Even though a spayed female cannot become
pregnant, cohabitation with males and late geldings would be
harmful to the female. Male llamas will breed anything they can
force down, and spayed females will eventually drop out of self-defense
when mounted. "Recreational sex" in llamas is actually
recreational only for the male partner -- the female sustains
damage to her reproductive tract with each copulation, and the
cumulative effects of frequent matings result in infections,
which in turn may become life-threatening.
Spayed females may be housed with spayed and
intact females of any age and with those geldings who were castrated
in a timely manner. People are slowly becoming aware of and
practicing timely castration as a part of responsible llama management,
and so eventually most llamas will be compatible with spayed
females -- only studs, castrated former studs, and juvenile males
from weaning until four months post-castration would need to
be kept separately. In addition, it's been our limited experience
that adult spays will not tolerate sexual advances from most
young males up to a year of age or so.
Are there long-term risks for a spayed female?
To date, there appear to be none. Osteoporosis
has not yet been described in llamas (geldings should be equally
susceptible -- testosterone plays the same role for maintaining
bone density in the male body as estrogens do in the female).
Osteoporosis may not occur because llamas are generally kept
at pasture and therefore are continually active. Even low levels
of exercise are of far greater importance than estrogen in prevention
of osteoporosis in humans, a species that is comparatively susceptable
to the condition. Because spayed llamas are markedly more active,
there may even be more benefit than detriment where bone density
is concerned.
Despite abrupt estrogen withdrawal, female
llamas spayed by ovariectomy do not show any signs of "hot
flashes" or any erratic "withdrawal" behavior
during the adjustment period. In fact, spayed adult females show
much quicker behavior changes than do castrated adult males.
It is probable that female llamas, as induced ovulators, are
adapted to respond to sudden changes in their hormone "cocktail"
without experiencing detrimental side effects.
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