The Mid-America Alpaca Foundation recently gave K-State $20,000 to create the world's first Web-based continuing education program devoted to llamas and alpacas.
    David Anderson, program co-creator, said the established MAAF Veterinary Camelid Education Fund would establish a vital resource for veterinarians providing health care for alpacas.
    Anderson said the program is unique to K-State and provides the opportunity to impact veterinary health care worldwide, at all times.
     There are currently 6,000 registered alpaca farms in the country, said Pete Caffrey, MAAF president.
    Because alpacas have not been in the country very long, however, Caffrey said many veterinarians remain inexperienced in their handling.
    “There were so many vets that didn't have in-depth experience with alpacas,” Caffrey said. “They were so terribly sick because local vets, in many cases, didn't know how to treat them. Obviously there was a need.”
    An alternative to online training was sought, but Caffrey said it is difficult for veterinarians to leave their practice and attend a symposium.
    He said that once the program is accredited, then a vet located anywhere in the world could take the course since it is online.
    The entire program will consist of 12 course hours of continuing education.
    Caffrey said the goal is to release three sections in four-hour blocks. The first section, he said, will be released within the next 18 months.
    Caffrey said K-State was chosen for several reasons but foremost because of the alpacas currently located on campus that were placed by the Foundation.
    “The alpaca teaching herd provides us with a permanent population of alpacas here at KSU for teaching veterinary students all aspects of alpaca husbandry, medicine and surgery,” said Meredyth Jones, coordinator of the Alpacas on Campus program. “The students designed and execute the herd health program for the herd and are able to perform many veterinary procedures on the herd, including restraint, drawing blood.”
    This type of program allows veterinary students to gain experience with alpacas before entering the working world and having to learn once in business, as current veterinarians have had to do.
    “If the Alpaca on Campus program did not exist, the only exposure our veterinary students would have to alpacas would be through ill animals presented to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital,” Jones said.
    The Web-based program will give practicing veterinarians the education necessary to work with alpacas. The combined efforts of MAAF, Missouri University, Oklahoma State and K-State will produce this technology to better alpaca health care.
    “It's just a fun thing to deal with people like the folks at K-State,” Caffrey said. “There is a can-do attitude at K-State. I never hear that we can't do anything.”

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