Dream Or Nightmare?

The girls chilling today.  Notice Daisy Mae on the left.  She's zonked!

Today was a stressful day here in alpaca land.  Please note the next picture is not for the faint of heart (I'll leave plenty of space between the text and picture if you choose to forgo the image of Caroline's injured eye).  

Caroline has been struggling with an eye injury she received last Tuesday.  When we picked the alpacas up from Benchmark Farm on Sunday, Barrie Lynn, the owner, offered to let Caroline stay at their farm.  Due to the high cost of board and transportation issues, we chose to bring Caroline home. 

It's been a hell of roller coast ride since.  Her eye never looked good, even the day we picked her up.  I called a recommended alpaca vet on Monday that I thought worked in our area.  She is located out of Cadillac and said she didn't come as far south as Evart.  She did prescribe some eye drops.  She said she would be in Evart next Monday and would come by then. Caroline also was on penicillin.  I've been trying these last few days to administer the medicines, including giving the penicillin as an injection.  It's been a struggle.  

Last night a good friend of ours, Ray, single handily, constructed a beautiful stall in the barn on the girls side (Jeff and I mostly got in the way).  Thanks to the stall it was easier today to give Caroline her meds.  

She, of all the alpacas, appears to be the most shy and skittish.  As I observed her today she appeared listless and wasn't eating or just barely.  When an alpaca doesn't eat, things can go south in a real hurry.  Desperate, I called another vet closer to home hoping they worked with alpacas (note to future alpaca owners, be sure there is a competent alpaca vet in your area).  After a drive to their clinic to get more meds and a conversation with the vet there, I was assured that someone would try to come today or tomorrow.  I'll spare you the drama with the vet from Cadillac, just suffice it to say that I hope to not ever have to talk to her again.  The local vet did finally come at 6:00 this evening.  His prognosis is that Caroline's eye is beyond help, the cornea has a large gouge in it.  He thinks it's best to remove the eye and lids and stitch the skin together over the eye socket.  The eye socket is infected and is probably why Caroline is so listless.  She is in pain.  I so want Caroline to feel better.  I feel awful that she feels awful.  I guess we will have the surgery done tomorrow.  The vet said the sooner the better so she can be out of pain and feel like eating again.  This whole scenario is so sad.  This is not what I wanted my alpaca life to start out like.  That's the kicker with owning livestock, you never know what the new day will bring.  It could be beautiful or heartbreaking.  As I was trying to come to terms with the vet's suggested course of treatment I was treated to a show of alpaca high jinks, as the other alpaca girls raced around the pasture, jumping and kicking.  Like I said, the good with the bad.

Caroline's injured eye.