Facial Eczema and Alpacas

In New Zealand, alpacas can become fatally ill from ingesting Facial Eczema (FE) Spores.  Cattle and Sheep are also vulnerable to the FE Spores but their level of risk is much lower.

I have had a lot of trouble getting accurate information on this topic, so thought I would pass on what I’ve learnt so far.  

In a nut shell…..   FE Spores come from fungi growing in the dead litter layer on top of the soil of your paddock.  If you have a long dry spell (drought) killing your rye grasses, then get rain and warm humid weather following the drought, you have on your property the perfect conditions for breeding FE Spores.

These conditions are mostly present in the North Island of New Zealand between January and May. (In the last 10 yrs the season seems to be extending).

Prevention:

1. You could re-sow your fields with grasses that are drought resistant e.g. Kikuyu.
2. You could spray your fields with a Fungicide.  This lasts about 5 – 6 weeks then you’ll need to re-spray.  Check the label carefully.  Some Fungicides have been known to wash off after a heavy rain and are no longer effective so will need to be re-applied sooner than expected.  Begin spraying before fungi are expected e.g. in December.
3. Apply Lime to the paddocks.  This usually increases the worm activity which in turn breaks down the dead litter layer removing the place where the FE Fungi likes to spawn.  Lime also lowers the acidity of the soil making it an undesirable place for the FE Fungi to be.
4. NEVER MULCH the grass in paddocks where you wish to graze alpacas.
5. Feed extra Zinc to your alpacas at least 2 weeks before they will be exposed to any spores.  The easiest way to do this is by feeding them a food supplement e.g. pellet, that has had extra zinc added specifically to aid animals in the FE season.  Check with the manufacturer’s instructions as to how much they recommend you feed the animals in order to get the required dose.  This should be printed on the bag.  Watch out for “false” economies.  One brand of pellet required that you feed 500gm/alpaca/day, another brand recommended only 200gm/alpaca/day.  It all adds up quickly when you are looking at feeding say 20 animals 500gm/day.  A 25kg bag would only last 2 ½ days.  If you have to do this for 3 months it could cost you quite a lot.

Just a word of caution:  It is not recommended that you feed your alpacas with these pellets that have elevated levels of zinc in them for more than 3 months as the zinc inhibits the uptake of copper in the alpaca and copper is vital for many things including fertility, so don’t start feeding out the zinc too early.  It’s all a bit of a guessing game really - when to start feeding the extra zinc pellets and when it’s safe to finish.

Eradication:

1. Fungicide can be sprayed even after the spores are present.  It will kill the Fungi that produce the FE Spores, but it won’t get rid of the spores that are already there.  A heavy shower of rain will help with this, but if there is no rain in sight then time will do the trick.  Allow approx 10-14 days to pass after spraying then take another grass sample to your vet for testing.
2. Lime can be applied during the FE Spore season to help bring the Ph up thus creating a less friendly environment for the Fungi to survive in.
3. If your animals are showing signs of illness, consult your vet immediately.  Take them off the affected pastures immediately.  They will probably prefer to be in a shady area as they become very light sensitive when ill with FE Spores.  Maybe you might be able to have your animal’s agisted until you have your property’s FE Spore counts down to a manageable level.  We have done this for people over the years as we have predominantly kikuyu grass so do not seem to have dangerous levels of FE Spores present on the property.

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The information presented here is from our own experiences, adapted from others to suit our situation, property and our animals. We don’t claim to be experts and you are welcome to disagree, if you find something useful – great. Everyone is welcome to comment and provide feedback – see Contact Us.