Alpacas On Campus

 

SPRING SHEARING 2008

The Alpaca Teaching Herd at the College of Veterinary Medicine at KSU had their annual shearing on April 21. Special thanks go for the gifts of time, talent and equipment to Glen Alpert, who sheared the herd, Jeanette Campbell, who sorted the fiber, to Sally Brandon at Shepherd's Mill, who has agreed to process the fiber at no charge, and to some very devoted 4th year veterinary students on the Field Services rotation. The herd that is 12 strong is now sheared, examined, vaccinated, has had their fecal exams done and teeth and feet trimmed. We are pleased to report that the herd is doing extremely well and all of them appear happy and healthy! When you are at the Mid-America Alpaca Foundation Show in October, look for products in the Silent Auction made from the fiber of the teaching herd. The proceeds from the Silent Auction always go towards support of the herd.

Over the past few months, the herd has been busy being used to teach students to place catheters and perform other procedures. The herd was also used for the annual KSU Veterinary Technicians Conference on March 1, 2008, where Dr. David Anderson taught a well-attended wet lab on veterinary techniques in llamas and alpacas. The educational purpose of the herd extends beyond just that of veterinary students, but also to graduate veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are already working in practices near you.

But the best news of all...the girls have been having ultrasounds performed by the faculty and students on both the medicine and surgery service and the reproduction service here at KSU and we are expecting 5 crias to be born between now and the fall. We could not be more excited about this and feel it is absolutely the best way for future veterinarians to prepare to meet your needs in the area of reproduction, obstetrics, neonatology and juvenile care.

Thanks again for all of your support. In just 2 more weeks, we will be starting a brand new class of fourth-year veterinary students on their clinical rotations: 110 more students with opportunities to work with the teaching herd!

Sincerely,

Meredyth

Meredyth Jones DVM, MS, DACVIM-LA
Assistant Professor - Agricultural Practices
Kansas State University
College of Veterinary Medicine
1800 Denison Ave.
Manhattan, KS 66506
LA Clinic: 785-532-5700
Office Phone: 785-532-4234
Fax: 785-532-4989