Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Alpaca health · Infectious diseases

Tetanus in Alpacas

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team5 peer-reviewed references
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Emergency — call your vet now

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

A toxin-induced muscle rigidity disease following wound infection; preventable with routine vaccination.

Category
Infectious diseases
Urgency
Emergency
Vaccine
Yes — CDT

Signs & symptoms

  • Stiff, sawhorse stance
  • Difficulty chewing (lockjaw)
  • Third eyelid flicking across the eye
  • Ears erect, tail stiff
  • Exaggerated reaction to noise; spasms; collapse

What causes it?

Clostridium tetani spores from soil enter wounds (shearing cuts, castration, foot injuries, birth wounds) and produce a nerve toxin.

Risk factors

  • Unvaccinated animals
  • Recent wounds, castration or difficult birth

How vets diagnose it

Clinical signs and history of a wound.

Treatment

Emergency vet treatment with antitoxin, wound care, muscle relaxants and nursing in a quiet dark stall. Many cases are fatal.

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

  • Keep CDT vaccinations current
  • Clean wounds promptly
  • Use clean instruments for shearing, toenails and castration

Background

Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by Clostridium tetani and characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually lasts for a few minutes. Spasms occur frequently for three to four weeks. Some spasms may be severe enough to fracture bones. Other symptoms of tetanus may include fever, sweating, headache, trouble swallowing, high blood pressure, and a fast heart rate. The onset of symptoms is typically 3 to 21 days following infection. Recovery may take months; about 10% of cases prove to be fatal.From Wikipedia — “Tetanus”, 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. Infectious diseases of New-World camelids (NWC). Thedford TR, Johnson LW The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 1989. PubMed 2647231 · DOI · cited 25×
  2. Rattlesnake envenomation in 12 New World camelids. Dykgraaf S, Pusterla N, Van Hoogmoed LM Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 2006. PubMed 16955829 · DOI · cited 9×
  3. Delving into the innate and adaptive immunity of camelids: a paradigm of interspecies adaptation and evolutionary innovation. Ramesh RP, Premraj A, Yasmin H et al. Frontiers in immunology, 2026. PubMed 42421968 · DOI · Free full textOpen access
  4. Immune response of the llama (Lama glama) to tetanus toxoid vaccination. Paul-Murphy J, Gershwin LJ, Thatcher EF et al. American journal of veterinary research, 1989. PubMed 2782711 · cited 4×
  5. Serum immunoglobulin or albumin binding single-domain antibodies that enable tailored half-life extension of biologics in multiple animal species. Harmsen MM, Ackerschott B, de Smit H Frontiers in immunology, 2024. PubMed 38352869 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 8×

Frequently asked questions

What is tetanus in alpacas?
A toxin-induced muscle rigidity disease following wound infection; preventable with routine vaccination.
What are the signs of tetanus?
Stiff, sawhorse stance, difficulty chewing (lockjaw), third eyelid flicking across the eye, ears erect, tail stiff and exaggerated reaction to noise; spasms; collapse.
How do you prevent tetanus?
Keep CDT vaccinations current. Clean wounds promptly. Use clean instruments for shearing, toenails and castration.
Is tetanus 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.