Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Alpaca health · Infectious diseases

Pneumonia in Alpacas

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team6 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.

Infection of the lungs, often secondary to stress, heat, transport or viral infection. Camelids rarely cough, so pneumonia can be advanced before it is noticed.

Category
Infectious diseases
Urgency
Urgent

Signs & symptoms

  • Rapid or labored breathing at rest
  • Fever (above 102.5°F / 39.2°C)
  • Nasal discharge
  • Lethargy and reduced appetite
  • Occasional cough

Related symptom guides: Lethargy & Lying Down a Lot, Fast or Heavy Breathing, Runny Nose & Coughing, Fever (High Temperature).

What causes it?

Bacteria (Pasteurella, Mannheimia, Streptococcus) and viruses, often after stress, dust, poor ventilation or aspiration.

Risk factors

  • Transport and stress
  • Poorly ventilated barns
  • Crias with failure of passive transfer
  • Aspiration during force-feeding or bottle feeding

How vets diagnose it

Physical exam, lung ultrasound, radiographs and blood work.

Treatment

Antibiotics and anti-inflammatories prescribed by your vet; supportive care.

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

  • Good barn ventilation
  • Minimize transport stress
  • Careful technique when bottle-feeding or drenching

Background

Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity of the condition is variable.From Wikipedia — “Pneumonia”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Research & references

PubMed lists 102 peer-reviewed papers on this topic in camelids. The most relevant include:

  1. Nanobodies: From High-Throughput Identification to Therapeutic Development. Fridy PC, Rout MP, Ketaren NE Molecular & cellular proteomics : MCP, 2024. PubMed 39433212 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 40×
  2. Generation of nanobodies from transgenic 'LamaMice' lacking an endogenous immunoglobulin repertoire. Eden T, Schaffrath AZ, Wesolowski J et al. Nature communications, 2024. PubMed 38830864 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 14×
  3. Super broad and protective nanobodies against Sarbecoviruses including SARS-CoV-1 and the divergent SARS-CoV-2 subvariant KP.3.1.1. Dong H, Zhou R, Chen J et al. PLoS pathogens, 2024. PubMed 39527594 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 9×
  4. Generation and Characterization of a Nanobody Against SARS-CoV. Li JF, He L, Deng YQ et al. Virologica Sinica, 2021. PubMed 34403037 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 12×
  5. Nanobodies: A new frontier in antiviral therapies. Mohammed A, Muustafa MI SLAS discovery : advancing life sciences R & D, 2025. PubMed 40683410 · DOI · cited 5×
  6. Susceptibility to SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 from animal health perspective. Gautam A, Kaphle K, Shrestha B et al. Open veterinary journal, 2020. PubMed 32821661 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 16×

Frequently asked questions

What is pneumonia in alpacas?
Infection of the lungs, often secondary to stress, heat, transport or viral infection. Camelids rarely cough, so pneumonia can be advanced before it is noticed.
What are the signs of pneumonia?
Rapid or labored breathing at rest, fever (above 102.5°f / 39.2°c), nasal discharge, lethargy and reduced appetite and occasional cough.
How do you prevent pneumonia?
Good barn ventilation. Minimize transport stress. Careful technique when bottle-feeding or drenching.
Is pneumonia 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.