What to look for in an Alpaca

Correct leg conformation optimizes bone and joint health throughout the life of the animal and therefore is important to its well-being. An alpaca with crooked legs has a much greater chance of developing early "wear-and-tear" pathology of the bones and joints, such as joint pain and arthritis, than one with correctly aligned legs.

Wear-and-tear pathology is painful, and of course no one wants an animal to be in constant pain from sore joints. But incorrect leg conformation can also decrease the animal’s effective life-span. Animals that find it painful to move will often not eat well and have poorer-quality fiber; males in particular may have decreased fertility. Hind leg problems may prevent a male from breeding because it is too uncomfortable to kush to breed the female. When choosing or evaluating alpacas, certainly features like micron count are important, but leg conformation as close to ideal as possible should be a primary consideration.

The long-term importance of good leg conformation was reflected in ARI’s initial importation screening standards. Based upon input from owners, veterinarians, and other experts in the field, ARI established a set of minimum conformational standards in 1995. As with all of the standards, the objective was to establish functionally relevant, objective criteria. It is important to note that initially the veterinarians used these standards on an "all-or-nothing" basis. For example, the maximum allowable angulation for "knock knees" of the front legs was set at 15 degrees. While many owners would view an animal with a 10-degree angulation as having marginal-to-bad forelegs, it would have passed the vet screening. In contrast, the animal with a 20-degree angulation would have failed.

The veterinary examination has continued as a "pass-or-reject" system. But in response to owner requests for better overall leg conformation, the minimum standards for imported animals were raised in the phenotypic examination. Consequently, those animals whose legs were somewhat crooked but not badly enough to be rejected by the veterinary exam could fail to qualify through the phenotypic exam.

For more information on alpacas please try The Alpaca Owners and Breed Association