Being fairly new shepherds, my parents were cautious. My mom and dad had been told to worm Harry each month. Mom didn’t want Harry to become resistant so they chose to worm him every other month. This was a very poor choice.
There is a parasite called the meningeal worm or brain worm (Parelaphostrongylus Tenuis ) that attacks the spinal cord (and sometimes the brain) and causes severe paralysis. In Harry’s case, he lost the use of his legs first. He was happy and not in pain but he couldn’t stand up. He then quickly lost the ability to hold up his head. My dad tried some things but there was no bringing him back from this parasite. Dad made the call to the vet.
Often with large farm animals, they are euthanized (or if they have died) on site and then buried on the farmland, taking care not to contaminate any food or water supplies. This was the case with Harry. The vet had been called and fortunately, the neighbor at the end of the lane had the necessary equipment and helped dad out by digging a large hole for Harry and carrying him to the edge of that hole in his front loader. Then they waited.
For mom, this was the hardest pet death she had ever endured. Harry was special, he was the first llama and mom was the one who handled him most often. She was devastated and couldn’t bring herself to go to the field and say goodbye. No, mom stayed at the house and cleaned and cried.
The vet arrived, gave Harry the necessary injections and he peacefully and quietly died. The neighbor placed his body into the hole and covered him up. Harry was no more.
My Patio 