Author Archives: fred

Michelle Visits Camp Riley

Posted on by June 21, 2004

On Sunday night Michelle M’Belle was invited to visit with the young campers at Camp Riley. Camp Riley is a camping program sponsored by Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. It is located in the rolling hills of Bradford woods just 4 miles south of our farm.

Michelle spent the evening giving kisses and posing with the Riley campers.


We would like to thank Pet Partners and the staff of Camp Riley for being such wonderful hosts. Michelle is looking forward to her next visit with the young campers.

Fred

A New Year and doing great!

Posted on by December 29, 2007

January 1, 2002
A New Year and doing great!Lewis has been home now since July, and it has been over a year since his initial injury. He still favors the leg and walks with a significant limp, but it does not curtail his activity as far as we can tell. We have added a walled windbreak to his sunny porch for the winter, and he seems snug and comfortable.

We often see Lewis “challenging” the “big boys” through the fence, or sniffing noses with the “little boys” who are adjacent to his barn yard. He even gets into grain stealing at feeding time; and occasionally spit battles through the fence! While his spirits seem very good, we feel he probably misses close contact with another camelid. We have decided to try to find an alpaca buddy for Lewis; stay tuned for future developments!

Every day a victory!

Posted on by August 19, 2001

Lewis seems to be doing well; he enjoys his back scratches, occasionally visits other llama pals through the fence, and munches grass in his private barn yard. His digs include a shady porch sporting two fans for those hot days. Rubber mats covered by closed cell foam camping pads, with a surface of heavy indoor/outdoor carpet give him a firm but cushioned sleeping area. Now that the awful heat wave has finally broken, Lewis as well as his buddies are enjoying the last of summer!Lewis is still stiff when he first gets up and is reluctant to put weight on his leg when he stands, but he still moves out well when he walks. Without X-ray vision we can only pray that the bone is healing, and his reluctance to fully use the leg will gradually dissipate with time and increased strength. For now, we do not want him to overload the leg anyway, so keeping him separate and avoiding too much exercise is the key.

Thank you to all his loyal fans; he still appreciates your thoughts and prayers, as at some point new radiographs will tell the story of how well he is healing. For now though, he seems content, comfortable, and our old happy Lewis again!

July 22, 2001 Lewis has been home now for about two weeks, and is doing well. The unseasonably cool weather we were having when he arrived home has been replaced by more typical, hot and humid July weather. Lewis enjoys two personal fans on his private, shady porch. He is happy to take short walks with me through his yard, and loves to have his neck and back scratched. Lewis is “talking” to us, something we have not heard since he left home. He has been the only llama to use his voice in short, grunt-like hums when he wants attention or is questioning where you are or what you are doing. It sure is nice to have the old Lewis back!

We are not seeing any change in Lewis’s leg, as we are always alert for swelling or discomfort. His limp is still severe, but he gets around very well and even seems playful at times when we walk. We are hoping he is continuing to heal, and we feel he seems happy at home which should help his body to recover from the months of medications and treatments.