How do I schedule an appointment to have my alpaca or llama examined at the VMTH?
Can I schedule an appointment to have my camelid examined by Field Service veterinarians?
Do I need a referral from a veterinarian?
Will I be able to talk to the veterinarians who are caring for my animal at the VMTH?
Will students be working on my animals?
How long will my appointment take?
How much will the visit cost and what forms of payment do you accept?
Can my veterinarian obtain a copy of visit summary report and diagnosis?
Can I obtain a copy of the medical record?
Can I visit my animal while he/she is hospitalized at the VMTH?
Can I leave my trailer overnight?
What time do I need to pick up my animal when he/she is released from the hospital?
Will my animal be used for experiments or research?
Can I bring my own feed for my animal while he/she is hospitalized?
How do I schedule an appointment to have my alpaca or llama examined at the VMTH?
Appointments can be made through a referring veterinarian or directly by the alpaca or llama owner.
Referral appointments:
You may call the Large Animal Clinic Admissions Office directly at 530-752-0290 during our regular office hours (8:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday through Friday) to schedule an appointment. A member of our Client Services staff will ask you questions regarding your animal’s problem so that they can schedule the appointment with the appropriate clinical service or clinician.
Direct appointments:
You may call the Large Animal Clinic Admissions Office directly at 530-752-0290 during our regular office hours (8:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday through Friday) to schedule an appointment. A member of our Client Services staff will ask you questions regarding your animal’s problem so that they can schedule the appointment with the appropriate clinical service or clinician.
Emergency appointments outside regular office hours:
If your alpaca or llama experiences a problem that genuinely requires emergency veterinary evaluation and treatment, please call 530-752-5438 to access the emergency services we provide 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a –week. The Client Services representative who staffs the emergency phones will ask you questions regarding your animal’s problem so that she/he can then contact the on-duty veterinarians and support staff who will be providing emergency care to your animal when you arrive at the VMTH.
Information you will need to provide when you call to schedule an appointment:
Telephone numbers you will call to schedule an appointment:
Regular office hours - 530-752-0290
Emergency after hours - 530-752-5438
Can I schedule an appointment to have my camelid examined by Field Service veterinarians?
Veterinarians in our Field Section do not currently provide care for individual animals other than horses (see the Equine Services portion of this website). Our livestock veterinarians do, however, provide regularly scheduled Herd Health and Reproduction services to a limited number of livestock clients on a contract basis.
More information about services provided by our Food Animal Herd Health and Reproduction service can be obtained by calling
530-752-0292 during our regular office hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday).
Do I need a referral from a veterinarian?
Appointments can be made directly by the camelid owner, without a referral from your regular veterinarian. If, however, your animal has been under the care of a veterinarian for the same problem you would like to have us evaluate at the VMTH, it is very helpful to have that veterinarian contact the VMTH and provide results of examinations and tests already performed.
Will I be able to talk to the veterinarians who are caring for my animal at the VMTH?
The VMTH veterinarian(s) caring for your animal will call you to discuss results of diagnostic tests, provide treatment updates, and answer questions you may have. You may also call to talk to the veterinarian(s) at a pre-arranged time that best suits their schedule and yours. Be aware that you may be asked to leave a message for the veterinarian if they are unavailable at the time you call, due to patient care responsibilities.
Will students be working on my animals?
The VMTH is a teaching hospital; therefore, you should expect that veterinary students will be involved to a variable extent in the evaluation and treatment of your animal at our facility. The experience our students gain by being involved in the care of client-owned animals constitutes an essential component of the clinical training that will prepare them to become excellent veterinarians who will serve the needs of animal owners in the future. Our students do not, however, perform procedures or make patient care decisions independently. Rather, they function as part of a team under the close supervision of faculty, resident veterinarians, animal health technicians, and nurses. All aspects of your camelid’s care will be performed by, or directly supervised by, a veterinarian.
After your alpaca or llama has been checked in by a member of our Client Services staff in the Admissions Office, you will be asked to unload the animal and proceed to an examination room or examination area. There, you will typically be greeted by a veterinary student and/or nurse who will ask you a series of questions in order to obtain a thorough medical history, a good understanding of the problem you wish to have evaluated, and an appreciation of your expectations for the visit. The veterinary student may then complete a physical examination. You will then meet with one or more veterinarians who will review the history and physical examination findings with the student and with you, and potentially ask you further questions in order to clarify the history, results of tests already performed, and your expectations. During this process, you may feel that different people are repeatedly asking you the same questions. Please be patient, because this process is a very important aspect of training our students in effective history taking and establishment of effective client-patient-doctor relationships. The veterinarian(s) will then typically repeat the examination and discuss findings and plans for further diagnostic testing or treatment with the student(s), often before discussing findings and plans with you. This process takes time but is essential for helping our students to develop an organized approach to diagnostic evaluation of patients and to refine the clinical problem-solving skills they will need to be effective veterinarians in the community after graduation. Those clients who actively participate in this problem-solving process often gain a fresh appreciation of the intricacies of clinical decision-making and often learn a lot about medical problems of camelids along the way.
How long will my appointment take?
Appointments may be completed in as short a time as 45 minutes or can take a whole day, depending on the complexity of the animal’s problem and on whether internal referral to other VMTH specialists is required to address the problem.
Because we are a teaching hospital, one of our missions is to provide clinical training to veterinary students and residents by including them in the clinical team and actively involving them in the evaluation and management of animals that clients bring to the VMTH. This approach typically requires a little more time than would be needed at a referral center that does not have an educational mission. Animals that are brought to the VMTH often have complex problems that require multiple diagnostic tests and a substantial amount of time to solve. You should be prepared to spend several hours, and possibly all day, at the VMTH while the work-up is being completed. We recommend that you do not bring small children and pets with you.
How much will the visit cost and what forms of payment do you accept?
Total costs for veterinary care at the VMTH are usually comparable to those charged by veterinarians in private practice. The veterinary medical needs of animals vary widely, according to their problems. Please discuss the estimated cost of your animal’s medical treatment with the veterinarian in charge of the case when your animal is admitted. You should be aware, however, that it is not possible for our veterinarians to determine the exact cost of diagnosing and treating your animal’s problem. Since no two animals’ problems or responses are identical, the numbers and kinds of tests and treatments required can seldom be precisely predicted at the time of admission.
Full payment is required for all outpatient services. The VMTH accepts payment by VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Card, Care Credit and personal checks, as well as cash. If hospitalization is necessary, a deposit equal to half the higher end of the range of total estimated charges will be required. Payment in full is expected at the time of discharge. If it becomes apparent during the course of hospitalization that the cost your animal’s treatment will exceed the original estimate, it is our policy to notify you and to provide you with a revised estimate. If you elect to continue with treatment, an additional deposit may be required. You should also be aware that, even though payment in full is required at the time of discharge, our Client Services staff may not always be aware of all the charges for which you will be responsible at the time of discharge. Therefore, you may be billed for "supplemental" charges after your animal leaves the hospital.
Can my veterinarian obtain a copy of visit summary report and diagnosis?
Our clinicians will typically contact your veterinarian by telephone, fax, or e-mail to update him or her on our findings during your animal’s visit to the VMTH. We will also mail your veterinarian a written summary of your animal's VMTH visit 10 days after the visit. If it is necessary to hospitalize your animal at the VMTH for treatment, your veterinarian will be able to access the animal’s VMTH medical record via the internet during hospitalization.
Can I obtain a copy of the medical record?
You can request a copy of your animal’s medical records by calling 530-752-0290 during regular business hours. You may be charged a fee for this service.
Can I visit my animal while he/she is hospitalized at the VMTH?
You can make arrangements to visit your animal while he/she is hospitalized at the VMTH by contacting the veterinarian who is working on the case. We do not have set "visiting hours" but we do request that you visit only during the times agreed upon with our staff so as to maximize the chances that they will be available to discuss your camelid’s condition. Please do not "drop in" unannounced. Our clinicians and staff typically have obligations to multiple clients and patients, as well as to instructing our students; therefore, they may not be able to break away from what they are doing to talk with you if they are not expecting you. Please check in at the Admissions Office when you arrive to visit your alpaca or llama so that the appropriate doctor, nurse, or student can be called to accompany you. In order to address liability concerns and to comply with infectious disease control protocols, it is the University’s policy that clients are not allowed to visit their animal in the hospital, or enter the stall in which their animal is hospitalized, unless accompanied by a VMTH staff member or student. We cannot, therefore, accommodate requests for prolonged visits, nor can we allow clients to "camp out" in the animal’s stall or in the hospital wards for extended periods.
Can I leave my trailer overnight?
At this time, we do not have enough parking spaces to accommodate requests for overnight trailer parking. Equally, we cannot guarantee the security of trailers that are left at the VMTH.
What time do I need to pick up my animal when he/she is released from the hospital?
The "hospitalization day" for billing purposes extends from 12:00 noon until 12:00 noon the following day; therefore, we would prefer that you pick up your animal by 12:00 noon. Arrangements for pick up at other times, including weekends, can be made by contacting our Client Services staff or the clinician managing the case.
Will my animal be used for experiments or research?
Client-owned animals are not used for research at the VMTH. Our veterinarians are committed to advancing knowledge in many areas of veterinary medicine and animal health and are frequently asked to participate in clinical trials to test promising new treatments. You may have an opportunity to enroll your animal in an ongoing clinical trial that will benefit not only your animal but also potentially many others in the future. Your participation in a clinical trial is entirely voluntary and you will be informed about the anticipated benefits and potential risks associated with your involvement beforehand so that you can make a well-reasoned decision.
Can I bring my own feed for my animal while he/she is hospitalized?
If your alpaca or llama is on special diet, we recommend that you bring that feed with you. We have high quality alfalfa, oat, and grass hays available, as well as a number of different concentrate feeds. We request that you let our staff know your preference regarding the animal’s feed and bedding during hospitalization. We use straw as the "standard" bedding but also offer the option of shavings for a slight additional charge.
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