A facial abscess in alpacas is fairly common. When you see facial swellings on alpacas, it could be nothing much or it could be very serious.
One of our alpacas had an abscess shortly after we brought her home to live with us. Being new to the alpaca business, we called the owner we had purchased her from and asked about the swelling on the side of her face. We were told not to worry about it because some alpacas pocket food in the side of their mouth and that is probably what she was doing.
We watched her, but it seemed she always had this pocket of food that she never swallowed. A few days later, we saw pus running down her face. At that moment we knew what the “pocket of food” had been. We had just learned our very first alpaca health lesson! We should have done a hands on investigation and looked in her mouth instead of taking someone elses distant assessment as the answer.
We took the alpaca to the vet because we thought there might be something wrong that had caused the facial abscess. The vet said the abscess had resolved itself (we knew that). He did not know the cause of it but floated her teeth in case a sharp tooth was the problem. No other treatment was necessary.
Our theory is that a sharp piece of hay pierced her cheek allowing an infection to start. We, also, believe that the stress of the move to a new home may have lowered her immune system some, contributing to the facial abscess formation. She has not had one since that time.
What is an abscess?
Well, it’s a pocket of pus. Pus contains fluid, white blood cells, dead tissue, bacteria, and possibly some foreign objects. One of these masses will have a soft center with a firm capsule around it.
Septic and sterile are two types of abscesses that can form.
A septic abscess is caused by a germ.
A sterile abscess is caused by non-living irritants such as an injected drug.
A sterile abscess will turn into a hard, solid lump due to scarring.
A tooth root abscess can cause facial swelling, too. An infection along the jaw bone may present as a hard, bony mass.
The abscess will need to burst (as did the one our alpaca had) or be lanced to get the pus out. If the abscess does not resolve itself, the abscess needs to be drained, flushed, and possibly the alpaca will need antibiotics. If it is a tooth root abscess, it may need surgical curettage of the infected bone, antibiotics, and extraction of the tooth. If your alpaca is in need of surgery, be sure it’s in the best body condition it can be. Poorbody condition sets your alpaca up to be at greater risk of complications.
Windrush Alpacas uses an herbal poltice called “All Species Poltice” to clear their alpacas abscesses. They clean the abscess and then apply thepoltice, leave it on overnight, and then start the process again the next day. The poltice draws out the pus.
Other camelid owners like a treated gauze-like material called “Silverlon” that you pack into the abscess. This material kills the infection and helps with healing.
You can read about them and decide if you’re interested in trying these treatments.
We read about an alpaca that had to be put down because the infection from an abscess had not been completely cleared up and it ended up destroying the alpacas jaw bone.
While doing routine health checks, be sure and feel the alpacas jaw bone, sides of the face to back of the ears, and down the neck. Because of an alpacas thick fleece you may not see an abscess, but you can feel a lump or a hot area on the skin. Also, smell your alpacas breath. Not a pleasant thought if you’ve smelled their spit! You can detect the smell of decay by doing this, though.
There’s, also, a contagious abscess that you should be aware of in ruminants. It’s caused by the Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis bacteria. It is spread to other animals by direct contact with the infected pus. These abscesses can spread to other organs and should be surgically remove to prevent spreading the infection to others in the herd. Be sure and wash your hands or at least use antibacterial wipes between examining alpacas. The simple mechanics of washing hands helps prevent the spread of viruses and infections. Many owners don’t practice this simple infection control strategy.
A facial abscess can be simple or more complicated. If you notice facial swelling in an alpaca, determine that it is not a bolus of food in the cheek, then consult your vet for how to treat your alpacas specific problem.
