News

Please note that the lab will be closed for the Christmas period, from 23rd December until 3rd January. Please don’t send any samples during this period as there will be nobody here to receive them and they won’t be processed! If you have a sick animal that you’d like a sample checking, please contact me on my mobile on 07769 271506 – but do not send any samples without speaking to me first! I will not be processing any routine samples. We hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year!

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Whether you’re a new alpaca or llama owner, thinking of getting some, or have owned them for ages, this course is suitable for everyone. Join our new course in camelid health care! Learning never stops: camelid knowledge is always developing. Keeping up to date is really important to make sure that you give your alpacas and llamas the best care possible. You will learn what you can do to deal with many common problems experienced by your alpacas such as mange and worms; understand what can be done for other problems; and learn how to best keep your alpacas and…

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During 2021, EU legislation resulted in a large increase in the meat withdrawal period for products that contain vitamin A. [See here for further information.] This had the effect that many manufacturers stopped making injectable vitamin D products due to reduced demand from livestock producers. Camelids are very susceptible to vitamin D deficiency at non-equatorial latitudes and low altitude and they require supplementation during the winter months to prevent clinical problems that result from that deficiency. This includes rickets in young growing animals, and reduced immunity in all ages of camelid. Claire has worked with UK veterinary wholesaler Vetsonic UK…

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Whether you’re a new alpaca or llama owner, thinking of getting some, or have owned them for ages, this course is suitable for everyone. Join our new course in camelid health care! Learning never stops: camelid knowledge is always developing. Keeping up to date is really important to make sure that you give your alpacas and llamas the best care possible. You will learn what you can do to deal with many common problems experienced by your alpacas such as mange and worms; understand what can be done for other problems; and learn how to best keep your alpacas and…

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There has been a wide divergence of opinion over the fate of Geronimo the Alpaca, as there is always likely to be following the death of an apparently healthy animal. This has led to some extremely negative press concerning TB testing in camelids. In forming an opinion about TB testing in camelids, it is important that the correct facts are known. I have seen a worrying amount of poor quality information appearing on social media and media channels over the last couple of months or so regarding bovine TB in camelids. So here is a little fact-busting on the issues….

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The British Alpaca Society (BAS) have recognised that there is a deficit in camelid-specific training among vets in the UK and that the costs of CPD may be a barrier to vets completing training in a species that may only cover a small proportion of their workload. BAS have therefore decided to try and bridge this gap by offering subsidies to help offset the costs of training.  I am pleased to announce a partnership with the British Alpaca Society to offer subsidised training to up to 20 UK-based vets per year to attend our Camelid Health Course for Vets. This will…

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I have been in discussions with folks at DEFRA/APHA with regard to TB testing in camelids. Here are a few points to note in case you find yourself with a suspect TB animal on your farm. What is a suspect TB animal? Any animal that has a positive skin test or blood test result from voluntary screening (eg pre-movement test or surveillance testing):An animal that is submitted for routine PM and suspicious lesions are found at post-mortem. It seems that a proper post-mortem report will NOT be routinely produced if the animal is culled under suspicion of TB, while it might be produced if…

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