Camelid Veterinary Services, based in South East Oxfordshire, is the only specialist centre for camelids (mostly alpacas and llamas) in the UK. We are a centre of excellence catering specifically for alpacas and llamas – as well as the odd camel! We recognise that camelids have unique personalities, physiology and husbandry, and understand the needs of their owners. Read more.
We have a small but dedicated team at Camelid Veterinary Services! You can be sure of a friendly and professional…
Our clinic at Camelid Veterinary Services was built entirely with camelids in mind and our facilities include custom-built equipment especially for working on camelid cases.
Alpacas and llamas are quite simply “what we do”. Camelid Veterinary Services is the only veterinary practice just for camelids…
A Centre of Excellence for Camelids
We are committed to continual learning and contribution at the forefront of the rapidly developing field of Camelid Health, Medicine and Reproduction. This enables us to provide the most up-to-date care and advice to our patients, as well as their owners and vets. We are committed to sharing our expertise to improve the knowledge of all those caring for camelids.
Our clinic at Camelid Veterinary Services was built entirely with camelids in mind and our facilities include custom-built equipment such as a chute for working on camelid reproduction cases and a surgery table sized to be appropriate for both alpacas and llamas. Our vet, Claire E Whitehead, is the only Recognised RCVS Specialist in Camelid Health & Production in the UK and also holds Diplomate status in large animal internal medicine with the American College for Veterinary Internal Medicine. Read more about what it means to be a specialist here.
Farm visits throughout the UK & Europe
While we are able to offer great facilities at our Clinic for referral cases, sometimes it is necessary to get out on farm. Not all local vets will know enough about camelids to understand best practices for herd health planning and may not have the time to spend a few hours on farm having a look around, seeing how you might be able to make tweaks to improve management, and look at the general health of the animals on farm. We are happy to visit you anywhere in the UK or Europe to help you get set up with a tailored herd health plan for preventative health care that works for you and your animals. We can also do farm visits for services that are better done on farm but that some local vets may not be able to provide, such as pregnancy scanning at any stage of pregnancy.
Supporting your vet
When you have a sick alpaca or llama, because vets often have limited experience with camelids, your vet may need advice or support in reaching a diagnosis and developing a good approach to treatment. We are here to provide that advice and help them to manage clinical cases on farm. Your local vet must always be your first port of call when you have a sick alpaca or llama.
Camelid-specific laboratory testing
The Camelid Veterinary Services Laboratory provides a Camelid-specific laboratory testing service. We have a growing portfolio of tests and provide rapid analysis of samples with interpretation of results by our Specialist Camelid Vet.
Camelid courses and continuing education
Claire provides for all your learning and continuing education needs when it comes to Camelid Health & Production, whether you are an owner, farm worker or vet. Find a course that suits your needs, ask us for bespoke training, or visit our Online Training Portal. We also provide learning resources right here on our website.
One-Stop Camelid Shop
Last but not least, in line with our goal to cater for all of your Camelid Healthcare needs, we offer our One-Stop Camelid Shop where we hope you will be able to find everything you need to look after your alpacas and llamas and keep them in the best possible shape.