RIP Solomons Battlestar Sprout, you were very little, but you had a huge personality

Apollo Lolita gave birth on the 4th June 2020 to a very little cria; female, and a modern grey, which was a surprise out of a fawn mum and with a solid white sire.

In our hearts we knew there was something not quite right, but couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

Sadly mum didn’t have any milk, well, not enough to feed little Sprout. I never thought I would be able to put “I can milk an alpaca” on my CV, but I can now!

We consulted with our vet and followed instructions. First, injections of Oxytocin to try to bring the milk in, repeated but no luck. Colostrum given, then bottle feeding two hourly to supplement mum’s meagre supply of milk. The problem was, Sprout didn’t want it.

We persevered trying different types of milk, adding cream, yoghurt, sugar, honey everything we could think of but she fought us.

Then one day she suddenly took a full bottle. Up to that point she had barely gained any weight; suddenly she looked like she had cracked it! She put on almost half a kilo in a couple of days, then continued to gain. We thought we were home free.

Then just as suddenly as she started, she stopped again. Stronger now, she fought us over every mouthful.

The vet saw her again, gave all the usual treatments, and tests, couldn’t find anything wrong.

We tried rescue remedy, “T” touch, cria boost….etc. I tried Weetabix, which seemed to help for a while, then she went off them, everything anyone suggested. No joy. She just got weaker and weaker.

We had the vet out again as I thought she was dying, almost unresponsive, and laying flat out. By the time the vet got there she was on her feet again. I told her I was intending to get her to put little Sprout to sleep, and she said, no, I don’t think it’s her time, so another round of injections.

The following morning when we got to the farm it was very clear she was going. I got her onto my lap and held her as she died, her mum standing watching, the rain pouring outside… just about broke my heart. Almost every hour of every day for a month we dedicated to that little cria. I’m so glad we had others, or I would have given it up there and then.

Poor Lolita stood with the little body for all of one day, we started covering it with a blanket gradually covering her, then buried her and left the blanket for a while for Lolita to mourn.

Solomons Battlestar Sprout, you were very little, but you had a huge personality. Always in my heart, sleep tight.