Small Ruminant and Camelid Critical Care Tips and Tricks

Abstract

Small ruminant and camelid veterinary medicine can be an important and economically viable portion of veterinary practice. The evolution of small ruminant and camelid owners has put veterinarians in the position to be expected to provide more extensive care for some of these patients. The New World Camelid industry continues to grow in the United States, although it is uncertain how long this growth will be sustained. The sale prices for New World Camelids remain high and due to the investment nature of these animals, owners will often seek high-level veterinary care. In addition, owners are obligated to seek appropriate medical treatment of animals with mortality insurance and this may necessitate more extensive medical care. There is also an increase in the number of owners raising pet livestock, in particular sheep and goats. These clients will often pursue veterinary medical care that is in excess of the monetary value of the animal. For these reasons, it is important for practitioners working with these species to be familiar with basic critical care techniques.

The methods described are developed from the collective experiences of clinicians at the Colorado State University James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital. While these methods are biased toward the types of routine and tertiary cases that we see, they will provide the general practitioner with many tools to treat routine and critical care patients. The topics and key concepts presented can be put to use immediately in a veterinary practice.