Pumpkin's Birth
On Thanksgiving morning we got up and went out to take care of all the alpacas. Momma "Blossom" was clearly distressed and really did not know what to do to have her baby (baby alpacas are called 'cria.'). The baby's head was out and breathing and after some pacing around, the cria shot out like a rocket. She lay on the ground gasping for air; she was limp, terribly small, but…alive. We were determined to try to save this precious little life, we just couldn't give up. We wrapped her in a blanket and began warming her with hair dryer. We just wanted to see some sign that she WANTED to fight and live.
Although her breathing began to normalize, Momma had abandoned her baby. Nature had signaled....to her, at least, that it was over. Our heart broke to think that some instinct had kicked in telling her that this cria was not going to live. So we made the decision to adopt this tiny creature and bring her in the house to take care of her. Hours went by and we finally got her temperature to normal up from 92F to 101F; and she had just started drinking a little bit of milk we had prepared. We knew she needed to get that first colostrum from momma, but because nature had sent her the signal momma she had no milk to offer. The little cria was clearly a fighter and we were going to do everything in our power to give her a chance. So the decision was made that afternoon that we were going to start bottle feeding her every two hours....around the clock.
Once she was dry and had stabilized, we started trying to weigh her. The bathroom scale didn’t even register her weight. So we wrapped her up and placed her in a basket on small postage scale that is used for letters and packages. It read 5 pounds 8 ounces. She was fully formed, except her little ears curved up over her head making her look like some kind of elf creature. She really was the cutest little thing. We still did not know if she would make it through the night, so we were resisting giving her a name. We set up a small basket for her to sleep in for the night, worried that she may not make it, but hopeful that somehow, she had the will to fight. We checked throughout the night and then after the sun came up that morning we had that sinking feeling walking over to her room to check on her. Would she still be alive? We peaked into the room to find two bright eyes and a bobbing head staring back at us...she made it!
Princess Pumpkin Fun Facts
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The Early Days with Pumpkin
Born on Thanksgiving Day, we knew what we were thankful for on this day. Even though the future was not certain, we had to celebrate and did so by naming her "Pumpkin." We knew she was not out of the woods yet, but our tiny little girl was eating well, and alert, but she still could not stand or walk. On day 4 she started trying to walk a little. On day 5 she tried to nurse from momma, but Momma Blossom still was not producing milk. We were getting very attached to this precious little soul and all indications were there that she was going to pull through. It all seemed too good to be true.
The next day, we packed up to go to the doctor's checkup. We placed Pumpkin in an over-the-shoulder satchel. This helped to keep her close to me, but also, it helped to keep her warm during the drive. When we arrived to the doctor, they called her a "pocket alpaca" and that name stuck. Once home from the doctor, little Pumpkin began acting strangely. She had a spasm and threw her head back and then went limp in my arms. My heart broke.....she was having seizures. We learned she was suffering from anemia and liver toxicity and the doctor didn't know if she would survive. I held her in my arms and had a firm talk with her, I said, "Ms. Pumpkin, I can promise you that I will do everything I can for you. But I need you to fight, I need you to hold on....If you can do it, I will make you my Princess and give you everything within my power to keep you happy." She just looked at me with that look in her eye that said, "I'll do my best Papa, now get me more milk please."
So at 6 days old, Pumpkin started a series of shots, medications, and a strict diet. Do you know how hard it is to only give that cute little creature a small amount of milk and get that “but Papa, I’m still hungry look!”? By this point we were bottle feeding every two hours (day and night). We brought Momma Blossom inside the house every day to spend time with Pumpkin. It was our firm belief that Momma Blossom would provide encouragement to Pumpkin, provide hope, and we all know there is nothing more healing than a mother's love. For months and months, we never missed a day bringing Momma Blossom to see Pumpkin, it was quite a sight to see walking up the front step, in the front door and into the converted laundry room with a full grown Momma alpaca; but I made this little girl a promise that I would do everything I could and I intended to keep it. Pumpkin slowly but surely gained her strength. She gained weight too. On December 28th 2015 (one month old), she had reached 12 pounds. Pumpkin had kept her promise to fight and to live! So, I made her my Princess and presented her with the crown. She was now HRH Princess Pumpkin the Pocket Alpaca. While she still had some health issues to deal with it was on this day we thought, "She might actually teach us what being a fighter means, she might actually make it."
Ongoing Medical Challenges, Such a Brave Princess!
January came and she was still on medications daily. Although she had gained weight and appeared normal, her routine blood work told us that she still had work to go. Every two weeks Pumpkin had to endure needles, shots and blood work; it broke my heart to watch her run away frightened, but it had to be done…I would tell her, “be brave my little Princess, be brave!” I had to remind her a few times of our promise. After a few rounds of blood work the news wasn't good. Pumpkin’s liver enzymes had stabilized but her iron levels were still dangerously low. Alpacas cannot absorb iron when their iron is low. So although we gave her supplements, it wasn't helping; the solution was an iron shot. The horrible news was that 1 in about 500 animals die within the first 10 minutes of the shot and another group dies of liver failure. The idea of giving this amazing soul that we have nurtured, loved, crowned our Princess and shared our lives with a shot that might kill her was really something we were not prepared for, so we went home to think about it.
We kept up her supplements, making minor adjustments, in hopes that by some miracle she would improve. Three weeks passed and we had to make a decision to give her the shot and risk it all, or wait for the inevitable. We had her blood work checked one last time....to be sure we were making the right decision. We anxiously awaited to see what the results would be for her red blood cell levels.....the wait was agonizing. We watched as the tubes came out of the centrifuge. The doctor did the analysis, carefully explaining every step she took. She looked at the results in disbelief....she got quiet and then she checked the test again to be sure.
Pumpkin's blood levels were NORMAL! The patience and careful attention to supplements had worked! There was lots of high fives, tears and hugs. Then we went next door to our friends farm, we could hear them shouting with applause, "Pumpkin's here!" as we drove up. Our little survivor had garnered a fan club and they had followed us! I believe it was their positive energy, along with her relentless spirit and bravery that made this day a success, putting her on the road to health. Pumpkin still spent nights in the house. However, we finally had the “green light” to allow her some outside time with the others. She desperately wanted to get to know the other alpacas; she desperately wanted alpaca friendship. Pumpkin was always ready to go see mom and then at the end of the day she was ready to come back to the castle.
Princess Pumpkin's Happily Ever After
This is not the end of her story, but the beginning of her alpaca life.
Today, Pumpkin has transitioned to living life as “one of the herd.” She got her wish ‘to have alpaca friends’ and she is happy, healthy, and embodies the essence of an independent, brave “Princess.”
