Llama having fits?

Llama convulsions english

Husband just called me that one of the female llamas was having a fit. He had gone in to give them a little of their granules before he crossed the pen to feed the chickens.

She had started flicking her eyelids fast, walking backwards, rearing up, the finally fell over and was shaking all her legs. One of the other females seemed tonattack her while she was down. By the time I walked 50 yards its was all over, she was following my husband around wanting to steal the chicken food as normal.

She then was conpletely calm for about ten minutes. I sat and watched, while trying to ring the vet. When we put some fresh hay is she ran for it, then started the rapid eye movements again, then with a mouthful of hay she started the uncoordinated backwards walking, she reared up but did not fall over, then she started screeching the llama warning call. She carried on eating and calling gently for about two minutes. Before looking a little disorientated and wandering around. She pushed her baby away from suckling but after 15 minutes she let her feed and was completely normal.

Since she came to live with us she has done the rapid eyelid flicking if anyone comes up to the fence, it has usually been a prelude to spitting!! We thought it was just one of her things as she had been rescued from a circus! I have also notice the backwards walking usually when she is excited and comes rushing over to feed. I suppose excitement could be her trigger.

This is the first time we have seen a fit like this but not the first time in the last two months that we have heard her alarm call, we always came to check but none of the other llamas were on alert so we are now presuming that maybe she has had fits here in the past. I have just sent a message to her previous owners to see if this has been a problem in the past.

She is the llama that had a very difficult birth a few weeks ago. I have been carefully watching or any infection, discharge, mastitis etc, and have to say there have been no outward signs at all. I put a call in to the vet and will speak to him in a little while, but if he comes here he will see a completely normal llama.