Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Alpaca health · Cria (newborn) problems

Failure of Passive Transfer in Alpacas

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team5 peer-reviewed references
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Urgent — contact your vet today

Early treatment makes a big difference. Don't wait more than a day.

A cria that does not absorb enough antibodies from colostrum in its first day is highly vulnerable to infection.

Category
Cria (newborn) problems
Urgency
Urgent
Also called
FPT, Low IgG

Signs & symptoms

  • Often no signs at first
  • Later: fever, joint swelling, diarrhea, pneumonia, septicemia

Related symptom guides: Cria Not Nursing, Cria Not Gaining Weight.

What causes it?

Crias are born without antibodies and must absorb them from colostrum within roughly the first 12-24 hours. Weak crias, poor milk supply, or delayed nursing cause failure.

Risk factors

  • Cria not nursing within 4 hours of birth
  • Maiden dams with little milk
  • Premature or weak crias
  • Dam leaking milk before birth

How vets diagnose it

Blood IgG test at 24-48 hours of age.

Treatment

Colostrum (if within the first day) or plasma transfusion by a vet.

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

  • Watch that the cria stands within ~1 hour and nurses within 4 hours
  • Keep frozen colostrum (camelid, goat or cow) in the freezer
  • Test IgG in every cria

Background

In immunology, passive immunity is the transfer of active humoral immunity of ready-made antibodies. Passive immunity can occur naturally, when maternal antibodies are transferred to the fetus through the placenta, and it can also be induced artificially, when high levels of antibodies specific to a pathogen or toxin are transferred to non-immune persons through blood products that contain antibodies, such as in immunoglobulin therapy or antiserum therapy. Passive immunization is used when there is a high risk of infection and insufficient time for the body to develop its own immune response, or to reduce the symptoms of ongoing or immunosuppressive diseases. Passive immunization can be provided when people cannot synthesize antibodies, and when they have been exposed to a disease that they do not have immunity against.From Wikipedia — “Passive immunity”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Research & references

PubMed lists 5 peer-reviewed papers on this topic in camelids. The most relevant include:

  1. Assessing colostral and serum immunoglobulin G in alpacas using Brix refractometry and total serum protein. O'Neill AK, Petzel CE, Connolly JH et al. Veterinary research communications, 2024. PubMed 38396169 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 2×
  2. Management of neonatal llamas and alpacas. Whitehead CE The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 2009. PubMed 19460645 · DOI · cited 18×
  3. Septic arthritis in neonatal and juvenile New World camelids (5 cases). Miklavcic M, Kilcoyne I, Dechant JE et al. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 2026. PubMed 41883211 · DOI · Free full textOpen access
  4. Use of a novel surgical approach for treatment of complete bilateral membranous choanal atresia in an alpaca cria. Pader K, Burns PM, Brisville AC et al. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2017. PubMed 28414605 · DOI · cited 1×
  5. Failure of passive immunoglobulin transfer: a major determinant of mortality in newborn alpacas (Lama pacos). Garmendia AE, Palmer GH, DeMartini JC et al. American journal of veterinary research, 1987. PubMed 3674556 · cited 27×

Frequently asked questions

What is failure of Passive Transfer in alpacas?
A cria that does not absorb enough antibodies from colostrum in its first day is highly vulnerable to infection.
What are the signs of failure of Passive Transfer?
Often no signs at first and later: fever, joint swelling, diarrhea, pneumonia, septicemia.
How do you prevent failure of Passive Transfer?
Watch that the cria stands within ~1 hour and nurses within 4 hours. Keep frozen colostrum (camelid, goat or cow) in the freezer. Test IgG in every cria.
Is failure of Passive Transfer an emergency?
Urgent — contact your vet today. Early treatment makes a big difference. Don't wait more than a day.

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.