Get Set Alpaca Vet

03/04/2026

I am thrilled to announce that I can offer officially licenced blood drives and plasma processing from Westpoint Farm Vets. This is a great step forward for securing the health and welfare of cria, and I'm looking forward to being able to give peace of mind to camelid owners. Give the practice a call from next tuesday to express interest in a plasma drive to protect your impending cria crop!

We are committed to the future of the UK’s camelid herds.
Led by RCVS Advanced Camelid Practitioner Ami Sawran, we have invested in becoming a VMD-authorised Non-Food Animal Blood Bank to help you secure a life-saving plasma supply for the next generation.

Our accredited facility now processes and banks camelid plasma specifically to support cria with Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT).

This specialised service is offered nationwide, ensuring every herd has access to the protection they deserve.

Please contact us for details.

06/02/2026

First of all, don't panic, but let's talk about the recent paper detailing the transmission of H5N1 Avian Influenza to Alpacas.

While the recent study was based in Idaho, USA, it’s relevant to us in the UK too.

The research confirmed the first cases of H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4b) in alpacas, including virus detection in milk and fetal tissues following abortions. This is the same global strain currently circulating in our wild birds and poultry. If you want to be very specific, the B3.13 genotype detected in the USA isn't the same as here, but the point remains that the strain and clade (basically the lineage) are the same.

There is no need for panic, but we must stay proactive. In the UK, avian influenza is a notifiable disease in all kept mammals as well as birds. We’ve already seen spillover into UK ruminants (sheep) in 2025.

It is not expected that we can entirely remove risk from our herds, but we can take some steps to reduce it:

🦙 Cover water and feed areas to stop wild bird droppings from contaminating alpaca resources.

🦙 Strict Segregation: Keep your herd entirely separate from poultry.

🦙 Look for sudden lethargy, respiratory distress, or unusual staggering movements, and report any abortions to your vet - submitting them for testing can help to build a picture of various infectious diseases that could affect your herd.

If you have concerns, give your vet a call.

Sources:

Animal and Plant Health Agency (2026) Bird flu (avian influenza): latest situation in England. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-avian-influenza-latest-situation-in-england

Lehman, K. A., Leibsle, S. R., Detwiler, L., Gaborick, C., McCoy-Harrison, L., Snekvik, K., ... & Robbe-Austerman, S. (2026). Detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus 2.3. 4.4 b in alpacas. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 10406387251414557.

04/02/2026

I was thrilled/honoured/astonished to be part of the Cosmic Shambles Network's Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People at Kings Place at the end of last year. I had the opportunity to perform among some comedy and science heroes, so naturally I took that and wittered about alpacas the whole time.

13/05/2025

Don't be be Allama'd, I'll be at BVA Live speaking on triage of the camelid emergencies - Will you be popping along to say hello?

As the UK camelid population grows, there is an increasing demand for large animal practitioners to tend to alpaca and llama patients. A lack of understanding of their physiology and clinical quirks due to (until recently) little undergraduate teaching on the subject, can render novel or emergency c...

11/12/2024

Tonight I’m back with North Shires and North Wales Alpaca group for a top to tail tour of the Alpaca, featuring dentistry and castration.

19/09/2024

I'm doing research!

As well as the day to day clinical care of camelids, I am doing my best to run research projects that help to foster our understanding of how camelids work, and how we can improve their care and welfare.

If you feel like you could help with a study, by sharing the calls for participation, or by offering your herd, please do!

I'm happy to run some Q&A sessions to better explain them.

For my chronic diarrhoea study, I am looking for 8 more submissions. For the facial conformations study, I am particularly interested in hearing from commercial/show breeders.

Thanks in advance!

14/09/2024

The restriction zone has now been extended to include north Kent and a little bit of Greater London. You can see the infected area and control zones around confirmed cases on the interactive map here: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=514ec88edec74575958d860f0196d2ea

Current advice is still to report suspicions of illness to APHA, where you will be guided through some questions to see if BTV can be ruled out. If not, then you will be visited by a vet who will examine and likely sample your animals. I have been working within this team and each case is being taken seriously- you will not be silly for reporting a suspicion- it’s the best way for us to understand the situation and support you.

Soon I will be sharing further information about control strategies. For the meantime, ensure good practice of biosecurity between animals by ensuring fresh needles are used per animal for any injections and that foot trimming equipment is disinfected between animals. This is to prevent any blood contamination from animals that could be infected, but are not showing clinical signs.

07/09/2024

We are still looking for some bigger farms with multiple generations to help us make meaningful comparisons in our research.

Without the help of these bigger farms we could be missing valuable data about the morphology of our current UK herd and what the shape of future generations could look like.

If any breeders are interested in taking part in the study, it would simply be a case of a few facial measurements and two photographs. All data is anonymised 🙂

Thanks!

05/09/2024

I know people are concerned about bluetongue and this is primarily aimed at vets, however I think (hope) it gives a general overview of the current situation.

I am fielding some queries about camelids and bluetongue so I’m happy to chat with vet teams if required and offer as much help and reassurance as I can. This will be through my practice Westpoint Farm Vets. Feel free to share.

The latest on the Bluetongue, serotype 3 (BTV-3) outbreak

Join Ami Sawran and Robyn Lowe on 04.09.24 for some update information on the most recent BTV-3 outbreaks. In this podcast we discuss historical Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Bluetongue surveillance and frameworks put in place to plan interventions and strategies for the next BTV outbreak, and how the current outbreak fits with what we expected.

Ami Sawran BVSc PgCertVPS CertAVP(CP) PhD FRCVS, explains the current restricted zones in East Anglia and the unexpected outbreak in Yorkshire and how the 2 different scenarios (expected/ unexpected) will be handled. For up to date and clear representation of this, please see the APHA interactive Bluetongue virus map: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=514ec88edec74575958d860f0196d2ea

How sheep, cattle and camelids present with BTV-3 is discussed, including the high incidence of lameness. For more information on this please follow the link to an In Practice article:
https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/inpr.429

Take home messages:

✅If in doubt report it!
✅Restricted areas include Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex
✅20km restriction zone around Yorkshire outbreak
✅As BTV is circulating the UK midge population, culling is NO longer necessary
✅Treat the animal with supportive medicine including pain relief.
✅Check the APHA or ring their helpline for advice
✅3 unauthorised vaccines in the pipeline, if you are interested in trialling them please get in touch with your veterinary team

Where can I find support?

✅ https://ruminanthw.org.uk/bluetongue-virus/
✅ BTV hotline: 024 7771 0386 (chose APHA option)
✅ https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bluetongue-information-and-guidance-for-livestock-keepers

Listen 🎧 here:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/veterinary-voices/episodes/The-latest-on-the-Bluetongue-virus-serotype-3-BTV-3-outbreak-e2o1ot8

02/09/2024

Bluetongue update, evening of 2/9/24.

The infected area and restriction zone have now been extended to include Essex.

It now covers the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
The declaration covering the infected area and restriction zone can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66d5f006c63bb34da0709eee/RZ_declaration_Norfolk_Suffolk_Essex_20240902.pdf

Information on permitted movements can be found here, but really we must consider what is strictly necessary: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bluetongue-movement-licences-and-designated-slaughterhouses

There is a webinar for keepers on Wednesday at 3pm - you can register for this here: https://ahdb.org.uk/events/bluetongue-virus-september-update

02/09/2024

BTV3 Updates for you all, as of 2/9/24.

*** this post has been superseded by an update later in the day, as the zone now includes essex. Please keep checking back as we update as quickly as possible***

The Bluetongue situation has evolved and latest updates involve movement restrictions within 'infected areas' including parts of Norfolk and Suffolk.

This map, as of today 2/9/24 indicates an infected area:

Susceptible species cannot move into or out of the area declared to be an infected area, except under the authority of a licence.

Susceptible animals cannot be moved to or from premises within the area declared to be an infected area, except under the authority of a licence.

Where an animal is transiting the area declared to be an infected area, the animal must be moved in a vehicle and by the shortest available route without being unloaded.

The declaration can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66d22199bdecebe01a1833fe/RZ-declaration-Norfolk-Suffolk_20240830.pdf

An industry wide webinar is open to keepers this Wednesday, at 3pm. Please register here: https://ahdb.org.uk/events/bluetongue-virus-september-update