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2023 NWCF Camelid Conference
Camelid owners, veterinarians and researchers came together in Corvallis, OR, on May 13th to share their healthcare concerns and propose solutions to the latest issues facing the community. The Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine graciously welcomed us and helped to make our 2023 conference a success! Dr. Kristen Proost from Belgium and Dr. Julie Dechant from UC Davis joined OSU researchers Dr. Chris Cebra and Dr. Christiane Lohr as well as PNW practitioners Drs. Pat Long, Scot Lubbers and Rachel Oxley in a conversation about the latest techniques and care recommendations. It is so important to have this exchange of information to keep us all working together to better care for our animals.
Attendees lent their financial support for camelid medical research by participating in both live and silent auctioning of the generous donations by camelid owners far and wide. Thank you to all that raised a paddle!
Spit Happens: Learning Camelid Healthcare in the Field
“A huge part of providing veterinary care is understanding the behavior of the animals you’re caring for and how to make their care experience as comfortable as possible for them.”
from CCVM’s Veterinary Pulse newsletter
Camelid health experts from around the world gather every other year at the International Camelid Health Conference hosted at the Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine to share research and discuss health care for these unique creatures. In 2021, the conference was virtual via Zoom.
NWCF Proudly Celebrates 30+ Years of Raising Funds for Camelid Research!
Our Mission: Raising funds to support education and medical research for the health and well-being of camelids worldwide.
What we do: “Raising funds” is our primary purpose.
How we do it: “Support education” includes owner seminars and scholarships, and “Medical research” includes herd maintenance and funding research projects.
Regardless of the size of their herd or the location of their barn, every camelid and every owner benefits from the research funded by the NWCF.
From its beginning in 1987, the Foundation’s mission has grown into a concerted effort to support the camelid medial research at Oregon State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and to provide funds to maintain the herd of llamas and alpacas available to them. The NWCF is very proud to have played a role in the outstanding reputation OSU has obtained over the years for their camelid research and the valuable opportunity they provide for veterinary students to have hands-on education in that field.
During the past 32 years, the Foundation has learned a lot about raising funds for medical research. They developed a Research Committee to:
- evaluate the value of the proposals submitted annually
- determine the priorities for financial support
- monitor the research proposals’ progress
- publish the results to the memberships of the organizations supporting the fundraising effort.
NWCF sponsors Camelid Owners Meet ‘n Greet events
As part of our educational outreach, NWCF hosts a Camelid Owners event in various Pacific Northwest venues. Besides the biennial March conference at OSU, these mini-conferences have been held in Centralia WA and Bend OR. Meet ‘n Greet is always a fun opportunity to connect with other alpaca and llama owners while learning the latest information from our leading camelid veterinarians. Stay turned for details of future events!
