We drove up to Winder last week to meet some potential new additions to the farm. Our neighbor's alpaca and llama have been living in our front pastures in hopes that they would help control the grass growth. Sadly, Bella, the black llama passed away and poor Stud Muffin was heart broken.
We have been considering adding some new girls for Stud Muffin's brood since alpaca are pack animals. When we would leave him in the pasture in the evenings, you could hear him crying all the way up at the house.
In order to keep him healthy, we purchased him from our neighbors so he is officially ours. First things first, we had to make sure he was healthy. Oddly enough, there aren't many vets around that are familiar with alpacas. We searched and searched and finally found one...an HOUR away in Blue Ridge, GA. I pondered all week about how to get him there because most vets only do house calls when there are multiple animals involved...not just one little ol' Stud Muffin. So after asking around, the vet convinced me to put him in a van. YES, I know at this point you are thinking that's CRAZY. Yes, so was I. But we really had no other options and we were worried about his health. So, lo and behold, we backed up the Computer Movers, Inc van to the barn, haltered Stud Muffin, and walked him right in the van for an hour ride.
He was a little nervous at first, but finally settled in for the ride. Once there, our vet gave him a clean bill of health and a lot of great info for first-time alpaca parents, like us. On the way home, we even took him through the Chick-Fil-A drive thru...now that was humorous.
So now that Stud Muffin is healthy as a horse (?), stay tuned...he may be getting some new friends soon!
