Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Alpaca health · Digestive problems

Colic in Alpacas

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team6 peer-reviewed references
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Emergency — call your vet now

This condition can kill within hours. Get veterinary help immediately.

Abdominal pain from many causes — impaction, twisted bowel, obstruction, ulcers or urinary blockage. Camelids often show subtle signs.

Category
Digestive problems
Urgency
Emergency

Signs & symptoms

  • Rolling, repeatedly lying down and getting up
  • Lying on one side with legs stretched
  • Kicking at the belly, looking at the flank
  • Straining, no manure
  • Refusing feed, rapid breathing

Related symptom guides: Alpaca Not Eating, Lethargy & Lying Down a Lot, Constipation & Straining, Fast or Heavy Breathing, Teeth Grinding, Rolling, Kicking at Belly (Colic Signs), Constant Humming.

What causes it?

Impactions (low water intake, coarse hay), intestinal torsion or obstruction, stones, ulcers, plant toxins, uterine torsion in pregnant females.

Risk factors

  • Low water intake in winter
  • Diet changes
  • Late pregnancy (uterine torsion)
  • Males (urinary blockage)

How vets diagnose it

Vet examination: rectal temperature, heart rate, abdominal ultrasound, blood tests.

Treatment

Depends on the cause: pain relief, fluids, laxatives, or surgery.

Do not wait to see if it improves. Camelids hide illness, and by the time signs are obvious the problem is often advanced. Call your veterinarian.

Prevention

  • Unlimited clean water (heated in winter)
  • Gradual feed changes
  • Good-quality hay

Background

Colic or cholic is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. Colic pain is usually caused by the obstruction of a smooth muscle passageway in the body. The obstruction triggers muscular contractions (peristalsis) to force the blockage out of the organ, resulting in episodic pain that fluctuates with the contractions. Although the term primarily refers to pain caused by this mechanism, any pain which occurs in episodes or fluctuates in intensity may be termed colic or colicky pain.From Wikipedia — “Colic”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Research & references

PubMed lists 21 peer-reviewed papers on this topic in camelids. The most relevant include:

  1. Encephalomyocarditis virus infection in alpacas. O'Connor TW, Finlaison DS, Manning LK et al. Australian veterinary journal, 2020. PubMed 32794196 · DOI · cited 2×
  2. Plasma pharmacokinetics, pulmonary disposition, and safety of subcutaneous gamithromycin in alpacas. Gordon E, Cebra CK, Stang BV et al. Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics, 2022. PubMed 35170771 · DOI
  3. Third compartment ulcers in the llama. Smith BB, Pearson EG, Timm KI The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 1994. PubMed 7953964 · DOI · cited 26×
  4. Acute fasciolosis in an alpaca: a case report. Hayes CJ, O'Brien PJ, Wolfe A et al. BMC veterinary research, 2021. PubMed 34112165 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 3×
  5. Exenatide dosing in alpacas. Cebra CK, Smith CC, Stang BV et al. Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics, 2014. PubMed 24479825 · DOI
  6. Diaphragmatic hernia in a llama. Black-Schultz LL, Hanson PD, Wilson DG et al. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 1993. PubMed 8440632 · cited 7×

Frequently asked questions

What is colic in alpacas?
Abdominal pain from many causes — impaction, twisted bowel, obstruction, ulcers or urinary blockage. Camelids often show subtle signs.
What are the signs of colic?
Rolling, repeatedly lying down and getting up, lying on one side with legs stretched, kicking at the belly, looking at the flank, straining, no manure and refusing feed, rapid breathing.
How do you prevent colic?
Unlimited clean water (heated in winter). Gradual feed changes. Good-quality hay.
Is colic an emergency?
Emergency — call your vet now. This condition can kill within hours. Get veterinary help immediately.

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.