Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Alpaca health · Breeding & birthing

Abortion & Pregnancy Loss in Alpacas

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team6 peer-reviewed references
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Not usually an emergency, but it needs a diagnosis and a plan.

Early embryonic loss is common in camelids; later abortions may signal infection, stress, heat or toxins.

Category
Breeding & birthing
Urgency
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Signs & symptoms

  • Fetus or membranes found in the paddock
  • Female 'spits off' a male again after being confirmed pregnant
  • Vaginal discharge

Related symptom guides: Problems During Pregnancy.

What causes it?

Early: hormonal and embryonic problems. Later: heat stress, BVDV, leptospirosis, Neospora, toxoplasmosis, toxic plants, severe illness, transport stress.

Risk factors

  • Heat waves
  • Transport in late pregnancy
  • Infectious disease in the herd

How vets diagnose it

Submit the fetus and placenta (chilled, not frozen) to a diagnostic lab through your vet.

Treatment

Depends on the cause; check the female for retained tissue.

Prevention

  • Confirm pregnancies by ultrasound
  • Avoid transporting and stressing late-pregnant females
  • Biosecurity and BVDV testing

Background

Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can survive independently. Miscarriage before six weeks of gestation is defined as biochemical loss by ESHRE. Once ultrasound or histological evidence shows that a pregnancy has existed, the term used is clinical miscarriage, which can be "early" or "late". Spontaneous fetal termination after 20 weeks of gestation is known as a stillbirth. The term miscarriage is sometimes used to refer to all forms of pregnancy loss and pregnancy with abortive outcomes before 20 weeks of gestation.From Wikipedia — “Miscarriage”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Research & references

PubMed lists 68 peer-reviewed papers on this topic in camelids. The most relevant include:

  1. Llama reproduction. Johnson LW The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 1989. PubMed 2647232 · DOI · cited 16×
  2. Causes of Abortions in South American Camelids in Switzerland-Cases and Questionnaire. Rüfli I, Gurtner C, Basso WU et al. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2021. PubMed 34208975 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 13×
  3. First molecular detection of Neospora caninum from naturally infected slaughtered camels in Tunisia. Amdouni Y, Abedennebi I, Amairia S et al. Veterinary medicine and science, 2022. PubMed 35971897 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 3×
  4. Early embryonic death in equines and camelids. Ashraf R, Rashid S, Rasheed I et al. Open veterinary journal, 2022. PubMed 36777062 · DOI · Free full textOpen access
  5. Infectious causes of reproductive loss in camelids. Tibary A, Fite C, Anouassi A et al. Theriogenology, 2006. PubMed 16697037 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 91×
  6. Assisted reproductive techniques for hybridization of camelids. Skidmore JA, Billah M, Short RV et al. Reproduction, fertility, and development, 2001. PubMed 11999316 · DOI · cited 11×

Frequently asked questions

What is abortion & Pregnancy Loss in alpacas?
Early embryonic loss is common in camelids; later abortions may signal infection, stress, heat or toxins.
What are the signs of abortion & Pregnancy Loss?
Fetus or membranes found in the paddock, female 'spits off' a male again after being confirmed pregnant and vaginal discharge.
How do you prevent abortion & Pregnancy Loss?
Confirm pregnancies by ultrasound. Avoid transporting and stressing late-pregnant females. Biosecurity and BVDV testing.
Is abortion & Pregnancy Loss an emergency?
Book a vet visit soon. Not usually an emergency, but it needs a diagnosis and a plan.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.