CAMEL CARE: What's Killing Domestic Camels Worldwide

As camel owners, lovers and educators over the years we are always searching for the latest and greatest information on camels so we can educate ourselves and also pass on that information to you too - via this podcast, Virtual Camel School & our Cameleer Academy Membership.

Although, there are moments when we are kicking ourselves and our heart aches as we “wish” we knew better on how to care for our camels outside of their natural desert environment. 

So take this episode as a passionate heart filled one, coming from a place of anger that this kind of camel information isn’t more readily available and from a place of past confusion of the conflicting information on camel health, wellbeing and veterinary care. 

Let’s dive in...

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OR Read....(TRANSCRIPT)

There’s one things we have learnt, more so in the past 2-3 years, is to stop listening to the “backyard” advice on caring for camels and that the advice we have received in the past is, on the most part outdated and only suited to certain circumstances, because we’ve seen wayyyyy too many preventable camel deaths from so called “unknown illnesses.” 

So we got tired, and we started the search for accurate, precise & educated camel care advice… It’s taken years in “the making,” trail & error and in the meantime we’ve tried our absolute best to serve & educate you with the best advice possible - with a few amendments on those writings and tellings. 

The message is simple, if you take an animal form it’s natural, originated environment, that animal - in this case The Camel, is going to need special care. 

Camels can’t be expected to live and eat like a horse, cow, goat or even other camelid species like Alpacas and Llamas. 

Camels are….Well, CAMELS! Completely and solely their own little (big!) biological makeup that is uniquely unlike any other species - related to other camelids, yes, but again, unique on their own as a species. 

So if you’ve read/listened this far, here's the thing that we assume about you…

That you, like us, are passionate about camels and care deeply about their well-being. 

And or, you’re really invested to hear what it really takes to take good care of your pet (or future pet) domesticated camel. 

Today, we’re bringing you excellent information on camel health & wellbeing, specific to domesticated camels, that will set you and your camel up for a happy long life - minus the heart ache.

I can’t tell you how upset we get seeing camel owners on certain facebook groups share that their camel has passed away due to, 9 times out of 10…. PARASITES - when this type of thing is completely manageable - in other words preventable with the right care and procedures.

Now, I’m not saying that these owners aren’t doing they’re absolute best with what they know - of course they are, but WHY oh WHY does this remain such a common issue of camel’s dying all around the world form a very preventable thing!?

Well, it all comes back to lack of information on The Camel and therefore camel owners are always “guessing” how to care for their camels rather than knowing.

The #1 killer of domestic camels, WORLDWIDE, is NASTY WORMS (PARASITES)!

Yet, parasite control in camels is vet preventable under the right guidance & procedures. 

You might be thinking, “yeah, I doubt something as simple as worms is the number one issues with domesticated camels…” Well, we bet our lives on it!

Just because you can’t see them it doesn’t mean they are not there and…

Most vet's are trained to know that it's safe for large animal breeds (such as horses & cattle etc) to have a small worm burden, but it's not like this for camels.  

So that’s what you’ll be learning today (in short), how to prevent this #1 killer of domesticated camels - this includes YOUR camel (or future camels).

Over the past 3 months Dr Margie Bale, a dedicated Camel Vet from Australia, has been educating our Cameleer Academy Members on a Parasite Control Program that they can easily implement. 

It’s in depth, yet simply to understand and Russell and I remain with our “minds blown” on the information we now have and are able to share & implement within our own herd of camels. 

Honestly and knowingly - we KNOW we could have prevented camel deaths in the past within our small herd if we had the knowledge we now have. 

Now, it’s time for all us camel owners to move on, take responsibility  for the fact that we own exotic animals and that 99.9% of them are not in their idealistic natural environment and start with their specialist treatment that they so deserve - since they give so much to us. 

There are no industry standards for keeping domestic camels - so it’s up to us [camel owners] to take that responsibly into our own hands until eventually there will be camel husbandry standards worldwide! 

There is no reason why you  - as a camel owner - shouldn't know this information about parasite control in your camels - don't turn a blind eye, all domesticated camels at one stage in their life WILL have a worm burden, it's the reality we have to live with when we have foreign/exotic animals domesticated.

We care deeply about camels and we don’t want the camel or youself to suffer unnecessarily - and trust us when we say that we've had times of reflection when we KNOW that if we knew better, we could have saved some of our own camel's life. 

Remember, a large percentage of camel health issues are parasite related and that a camel will often not show any "symptoms" for months or even a year(s)… Not to mention that there are camels that are "super shedders" - those less susceptible to worms and the opposite camels that are very prone to worm problems.

So, are you ready to take this journey with us and become that knowledgeable camel owner…?

Let’s dive in….

HOW CAMEL GET DEADLY WORMS & HOW TO IDENTIFY

This is Part 1 of 3: Camel Parasite Control Program within the Cameleer Academy Membership 

Here’s a sneak peak on what we covered and at anytime you can get full access to the Camel Vet Talk over at camelconnection.com/membership …

Parasite [Worms] in camels are such a common and cause some big health issues with camels. 

Did you know that not all parasitic worms are made equal...? They all have their different "survival" mechanisms which can really harm our camels. 

If a camel has parasitic “worms” it can put their entire digestive system out of balance and therefore imbalances in the entire body including other important organ functions - but we understand, as a camel owner, we don't like to think our camels have worms (yuck!)

Camels evolved to never “have” to over graze their areas of grazing/browsing. In the process of us [camel owners] domesticating our camels we are making them more susceptible to them getting worms. In a wild situation a camel might not graze a certain areas until months if not a year later!

This is why it’s super important for us, as camel owners, to learn about parasites in camels, how they get them, how to control any parasite problem and how to treat. 

This is part 1 of 3 of our Camel Vet Talk with Dr Margie Bale, learning all about the dangerous parasites camels can get, the symptoms shown and how to identify certain parasites.

Part 2 will be a video demonisation of a Feral Egg Float Test - for those that want to DIY (it’s super simple) or simply just to know what to ask for from your local vet. 

Part 3 will be safe & effective Treatments & De-Wormers For Camels. 

You can enjoy the series in full by signing up to our Cameleer Academy Membership, we’ll cover some basics here now. 

RESOURCES in included in the Cameleer Academy:

Parasite Egg Identification Print Out

Fecal Float Test Print Out Instructions

DIY Fecal Testing Equipment List

Part 2 of 3: Camel Parasite Control Program

CAMEL FECAL FLOAT TEST 

ALWAYS TEST BEFORE TREATING FOR WORMS!

(DIY or Show Your Local Vet) - within the Cameleer Academy Membership

Here’s a sneak peak on what we covered and again, at any time you can get full access to the Camel Vet Talk over at camelconnection.com/membership …

Now we've learnt (from this 3 part Parasite Control Program vet talks) how important it is to test our camels for parasites regularly (ideally every month), it's time to start testing them - The Correct Way!

Whether you want to DIY your camel's parasite testing OR you want something visual to give to your local vet to watch and replicate, this video tutorial will cover the correct and most accurate way to test your camels for parasites.

You can access the Video Tutorial & the Downloadable / printable RESOURCES which include…

Parasite Egg Identification Print Out

Fecal Float Test Print Out Instructions

DIY Fecal Testing Equipment List

Part 3 of 3 of the Camel Parasite Control Program - within the Cameleer Academy Membership 

DEWORMING CAMELS: WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS

Here’s a sneak peak on what we covered and again, at anytime you can get full access to the Camel Vet Talk over at camelconnection.com/membership…

In order to keep our [domesticated] camels healthy we need to make sure they are parasite free. Having the correct medication and procedures in place will be the ONLY thing that helps our camel's thrive long term.

Most vet's are trained to know that it's safe for large animal breeds (such as horses & cattle etc) to have a small worm burden, but it's not like this for camels. 

Camels are very susceptible to parasites as soon as they are removed from their natural environment - which is 99.9% of all domesticated camels - as pets or otherwise. 

Part 3 of 3 of the Parasite Control Program: In this Camel Vet Talk Dr. Margie Bale explains how you can get rid of your worm/parasite burden for good - even if you think you don't have a worm issue, you need to hear this management protocol to keep it that way!

The Camel Vet Talk covers the essential things that you MUST know as a camel owner, because currently there is not industry standard and YOU [the camel owner] are the one responsible of informing your vet on the differences that camels have compared to other large animals (that's why this Cameleer Academy exists).

There is no reason why you shouldn't know this information about parasite control in your camels - don't turn a blind eye, all domesticated camels at one stage in their life WILL have a worm burden, it's the reality we have to live with when we have foreign/exotic animals domesticated.

We care deeply about camels and we don’t want the camel or you to suffer unnecessarily - and trust us when we (Russell & Tara) say that we've had times of reflection when we KNOW that if we knew better, we could have saved some of our own camel's life. 

Remember, a large percentage of camel health issues are parasite related and that a camel will often not show "symptoms" for months or even a year(s) as they are survival animals, in other words good at “sucking it up” and getting on with survival. 

There are camels that are "super shedders" - those less susceptible to worms and the opposite camels that are very prone to worm problems, obviously it’s the “super shedders” that we want breeding lines from.

Included in this CVT  is the perfect solution for your record keeping of your camels health - you'll understand how important this is after listening to this camel vet talk. 

We Cover....

Know Thy Problem

Grazing Management 

Paddock Preparation 

Data is Everything (and why you should care)

Test Timing

Drench / De-Worming Products 

Parasite Control Program Flow Chart

You can Watch Video or listen to Audio and download all Camel Vet Notes & PDF flow chart all within the Cameleer Academy Membership

Our aim here is to serve, and even though we offer a lot of free advice, tips and education about camels through our blog and podcast here - the BEST value is, no doubt, in the Cameleer Academy Membership, which to date is the thing we are most proud of creating. 

All this is just a taster on what we offer in the Cameleer Academy Membership - it’s  been our vision to create an Academy for camel owners and lovers just like you since that day (8 years ago) we were sitting on a fence post in the desert a day prior to heading out trekking with the camels….

I (Tara) asked Russell… So, what’s really your vision for this business moving forward…?

First he said “no one has ever asked me that…” But it didn’t take long for him to reply… “To have a Cameleer Academy - a place where camel owners and lovers can come and be educated about these amazing animals…”

And here we are… Maybe not the million dollar brick and mortar institute that Russell had in mind, but even better: A platform accessible to everyone in the world to educate themselves about camels.

Come join us - there’s absolutely nothing for you to loose as you can cancel your membership at any time.

We’ve made it affordable for everyone at only $37 as a “founding members” price due to the Academy officially opening up to the public.

So come on over, take a looksie on all the things you get in the membership (including direct support & mentoring from us - ask your questions anytime and get them answered - our goal is to bring the best and most professional camel information to you).

Become a Founding Member now - Camelconnection.com/membership - see ya in there, we can’t wait to help and serve you!

Happy Camel Connecting!