It was October 2005 when I noticed my female alpaca, Alexis, had an object in her nose. It did not seem to affect her and I figured she would simply blow it out in the next few hours. I did not pay much attention to it since I thought it was only mucous and let the days slip by. Before a week even passed I realized that the object had grown in size. Alexis was constantly blowing out her nose trying to dislodge it. It was at this time my husband, Tom, and I began to examine it.
The object was black/green in color and hard as a rock. We wet it down to soften it and with a q-tip we hoped to loosen it enough to unlatch. Unfortunately, there was no softening to this object and we called the vet to come out to look at our female. Our fear was that it was cancer. A few days later the vet came out to the ranch to discover the object had now connected itself to the top and bottom of the left nostril. The vet removed the object with small forceps and took the sample back for testing. Alexis was not happy about the actual removal since a little portion of her nose left with the sample. However, after we applied the medication we could tell she could breathe easier. The treatment given to us was to wash two times daily with Betadine and then apply an antibiotic ointment.
The very next day I went out to wash her nose and noticed that the black/green junk was already back. I carefully washed her nose and applied the antibiotic daily. Every day the object seemed to grow more. By the time the vet called us with the diagnosis the object had once again attached itself to the top and bottom of her nostril. Again the vet had to make another trip out, but this time we knew what we were up against. It was a fungus and fast growing. The vet prescribed Conofite that was to be applied two times daily after the washing with Betadine. Conofite was prescribed since Alexis was pregnant.
We did this regimen of washing and applying Conofite for 3 months with no end in sight. We never saw any improvement at all. Every day the fungus was back and worse. The fungus had moved down to her lips. The constant routine of having to catch Alexis and then having her spit on me every time she saw me lift the Conofite was wearing us both down. There had to be another answer to this problem.
My dad came to visit and stay with us. He saw Tom and me struggling daily and offered a suggestion. He said he had read an article where a doctor claimed that Vicks Vapor Rub killed fungus. I anxiously ran to the computer to find out that articles had been written about Vicks, but it was a cure for nail fungus. I conversed again with my dad and told him that this was not her problem. Again he assured me that Vicks might solve my problem and that the article clearly stated that it killed more than just nail fungus. Unwillingly, I sent Tom to the supermarket to pick up the Vicks Vapor Rub.
That night I was going to start to use the Vicks, but after reading the directions I again hesitated since it clearly stated not to use in the nose or near the mouth. So again I went out with the Conofite and again Tom was not able to hold her head from turning and spitting right in my face. That was all it took to convince me to start the Vicks Vapor Rub the next morning. Well, you would not believe it but right away I saw a change in Alexis. When I approached her with the Vicks she did not spit. This was a first! As a matter of fact, Alexis never spat again during the treatment with the Vicks Vapor Rub. Not only that, but the growth of the fungus immediately began to slow down. I kid you not, but after a week of treatment we were able to go out only once a day to clean her nose and lips. After two weeks Tom and I were treating Alexis every other day. When the third week arrived we were only cleaning her nose and lips twice a week. By week four the cleaning went to only once a week. We skipped week five all together. At week six we did our last treatment.
I cannot say enough about Vicks Vapor Rub and my father. It was by far the most effective treatment I used and only cost a couple of dollars. I maybe used half the jar and the overall cure was fast. My dad is my hero! Tom and I still check on Alexis occasionally to make sure the fungus has not reappeared. We are thrilled with the results. I even posted it in Alpaca Nation forum to a fellow alpaca rancher, Diane Pedrotte of Meadow Song Alpacas, going through the same symptoms. Two weeks after initial treatment she advised that her alpaca was making great progress and she had passed on the treatment to a couple of other ranches having similar problems. Diane advised all ranches were seeing immediate improvements. I definitely recommend to anyone who has a fungal issue with his or her alpaca to try Vicks Vapor Rub, but only after consulting with your veterinarian.There is hope in fighting against fungal infections.
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