Crias need to consume adequate colostrum from their dams in order to ensure that they are adequately protected from pathogens in their environment. Colostrum contains antibodies and we can measure the adequacy of transfer of these antibodies in crias from 24 hours of age by testing for cria IgG.
It is best to perform cria IgG testing between 24 and 48 hours of age but definitely before 7 days of age after which antibody concentrations decline and it is more difficult to interpret the findings. This is a blood test. The earlier days are better because the longer you leave it, the cria with Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT) is more likely to get sick and the result is less useful to you in terms of preventing sickness! This is a camelid-specific test and will not measure antibodies acquired from bovine (or any other species’) colostrum.
Pricing Information | Instructions & Forms for Submissions | TFAQs
Pricing Information for Cria IgG Testing
All prices are subject to VAT
£30 per sample
Instructions & Forms for Submission of Samples
Submission Form
Please download & complete the submission form and include with your submission.
Instructions for Cria IgG Testing
Complete our booking form or call or email us first to book a day for us to receive samples!! It’s usually not a problem, but just to make sure that we are here to receive and process them!
Please send any samples special delivery (by 1pm) to ensure that they arrive next day at the lab. Note that the lab is open Monday to Friday except by special arrangement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please send a serum sample: your vet will need to draw blood and put it in a plain (red-top) tube. Ideally it should be spun and separated (they send the serum sample after the red cells are spun off) before sending but this is not essential as it can be done on receipt of the sample too. Only a small 2ml blood sample is required from your cria.
Provided that you call ahead to make sure that I am able to receive your sample the following day, after I receive the sample the test takes 40 minutes to run and I am able to report the result. You will receive the result by phone and/or email. We typically call with these results as soon as they are available if the result confirms failure of passive transfer and a plasma transfusion is recommended.
If the IgG test result is low, the cria with Failure of Passive Transfer will need to have an intravenous plasma transfusion. It is also possible that the cria is already getting sick, so more detailed labwork may be required along with appropriate treatment based on lab findings.