Esophageal fistulation in the guanaco

A surgical procedure is described for preparing esophageal fistulae in the Guanaco, one of the four species of South American camelids, which differs in detail from the technique in other ruminants due to the anatomy of the Guanaco neck. The thick skin of the neck and the immobility of the esophagus necessitate high accuracy in the placement of the initial skin incision. Because good eversion of the esophageal wall is not possible, healing takes longer than in farm ruminants and post-operative care needs to be of a high quality. Fistulae were established in five animals to provide ingesta samples for studies on diet selection. The animals have all been maintained for over 2 years.