Alpacas on a small acreage in New South Wales: what needs doing this September

Fire danger right now — Greater Hunter

One district can stand in for a state, so this is Greater Hunter. For the rating at your own address, the app checks it for you every day.

What alpacas need in September

From the care calendar — the things that come round once a season for alpacas in New South Wales.

1. Snake season — tidy the hiding places

   They come out with the warm weather. Clear long grass and rubbish piles near the house, sheds and feed areas, and know where your nearest after-hours vet is.

2. Book the shearer

   Shearers book out early. Getting a date now beats carrying wool into the heat.

Plants in New South Wales that hurt alpacas

Worth walking the fence lines for. Each one links to the official page with photographs, because a description alone is not enough to identify a plant.

• Weed

  Fireweedalso Madagascar ragwort

  Look for

  Knee-high, bright yellow daisy flowers with 13 petals, soft toothed leaves. Grows in bare or overgrazed patches and along fence lines.

  Worst

  Autumn through spring, and worst in a dry year when there's little else to eat.

  What it does

  Damages the liver a little at a time. Animals show nothing until the damage is done, then go off, lose weight and can't be saved. Cattle and horses are most at risk; sheep and goats tolerate more of it.

  What to do

  Pull it out before it seeds — one plant makes tens of thousands of seeds. Bag what you pull rather than leaving it; it seeds after being pulled. Keep pasture thick, because it only gets in where there's bare ground.

  Photos and detail: NSW DPI — Fireweed

• Weed

  Lantanaalso Common lantana

  Look for

  Sprawling shrub with square prickly stems, rough sandpapery leaves that smell strongly when crushed, and flower clusters that change colour — orange, pink, red, yellow — in the same head.

  Worst

  Any time, but animals eat it when there's nothing else, so worst in drought.

  What it does

  Liver damage and severe sunburn on unpigmented skin — white faces and muzzles blister and peel. Cattle are most commonly affected. Often fatal.

  What to do

  Fence animals away from it, especially newly introduced or hungry animals that don't know better. Never dump lawn clippings or garden waste containing it in a paddock.

  Photos and detail: Queensland Government — Lantana

• Garden plant or tree

  Oleander

  Look for

  Tall garden shrub with long, leathery, dark green leaves and white, pink or red flowers. Very common in old farm gardens and along driveways.

  Worst

  All year. Dried clippings are just as deadly and more likely to be eaten.

  What it does

  Attacks the heart. A few leaves can kill a horse or a cow. Deaths most often happen when someone prunes it and the clippings end up where animals can reach them.

  What to do

  Know where it is on your place and make sure nothing can reach over a fence to it. NEVER put clippings anywhere near a paddock, a feed area or a compost heap animals can get at.

  Photos and detail: Agriculture Victoria — Poisonous plants

• Weed

  Green cestrumalso Green poisonberry

  Look for

  Erect shrub to 3m, glossy green leaves with an unpleasant smell when crushed, tubular yellow-green flowers, and shiny black berries.

  Worst

  All year. Grows along creeks, river flats and fence lines.

  What it does

  One of the fastest — animals can be found dead with no warning. Cattle, horses and sheep are all susceptible, and the berries and leaves are both toxic.

  What to do

  Learn to recognise it and remove it; it regrows hard from roots and suckers, so keep after it. Check creek banks and fence lines, where it's usually missed.

  Photos and detail: NSW DPI — Green cestrum

• Garden plant or tree

  Avocado

  Look for

  The tree, and anything fallen under it. Common in old house gardens on acreage.

  Worst

  Whenever fruit and leaves are dropping.

  What it does

  Leaves, bark and fruit affect the heart and udder. Horses and goats get swelling of the head and neck; birds are very sensitive and can die quickly.

  What to do

  Fence animals and poultry out from under the tree. Don't throw pruned branches or spoiled fruit into a paddock or a chook run.

  Photos and detail: RSPCA Australia — Plants toxic to animals

• In the water

  Blue-green algaealso Cyanobacteria, Pond scum

  Look for

  Not a plant — a bright green or blue-green paint-like scum on still water, often blown up against the downwind edge of a dam.

  Worst

  Hot, still weather in summer, especially in a dam that's dropping.

  What it does

  Can kill within hours of drinking. Animals are often found dead at the water's edge.

  What to do

  Fence animals off any dam with scum on it and cart water until it clears. Check dams on hot still days — that is when it blooms, and it can appear in a day.

  Photos and detail: Agriculture Victoria — Blue-green algae

Ring a vet now if you see any of these

Not a list to think about — a list to act on. Every one of these is measured in hours.

• Suspected snake bite is an emergency — antivenom is time-critical.
• An animal that can't get up or won't bear weight needs a vet now.
• Laboured breathing is an emergency.
• Bloat is rapidly fatal in ruminants and needs a vet now.
• A suspected poisoning needs a vet now — what they ate changes the treatment.
• Birthing trouble is measured in minutes, not hours.
• A prolapse needs a vet now.
• Seizures need a vet now.
• Uncontrolled bleeding is an emergency.
• Pale or blue gums mean shock or severe anaemia — a vet now.
• Metabolic collapse is treatable but only quickly.
• Choke needs a vet now.
• Sudden eye injury or blindness needs a vet now — eyes don't wait.