Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Alpaca health · Infectious diseases

Vesicular Stomatitis in Alpacas

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team6 peer-reviewed references
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Urgent — contact your vet today

Early treatment makes a big difference. Don't wait more than a day.

A reportable viral disease causing blisters in the mouth and on the feet; camelids can be infected during outbreaks.

Category
Infectious diseases
Urgency
Urgent
Spreads to people
Yes — see below

Signs & symptoms

  • Blisters and ulcers on lips, tongue, feet
  • Drooling
  • Reluctance to eat
  • Lameness

Related symptom guides: Drooling & Green Slobber.

What causes it?

Vesicular stomatitis virus spread by insects and direct contact.

Risk factors

  • Outbreak areas in the southwestern U.S.
  • Biting insects in summer

How vets diagnose it

Laboratory testing (it must be distinguished from foot-and-mouth disease).

Treatment

Report to animal health authorities; supportive care.

Do not wait to see if it improves. Camelids hide illness, and by the time signs are obvious the problem is often advanced. Call your veterinarian.

Prevention

  • Insect control
  • Follow movement restrictions during outbreaks

Can people catch it?

Can cause flu-like illness in people.

Background

Vesiculovirus indiana, formerly Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus is a virus in the family Rhabdoviridae; the well-known Rabies lyssavirus belongs to the same family. VSIV is often transmitted by insect vector, and can infect cattle, horses and pigs. It has particular importance to farmers in certain regions of the world where it infects cattle. This is because its clinical presentation is identical to the very important foot and mouth disease virus.From Wikipedia — “Indiana vesiculovirus”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Research & references

PubMed lists 4,531 peer-reviewed papers on this topic in camelids. The most relevant include:

  1. Vesicular stomatitis. Schmitt B The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 2002. PubMed 12442577 · DOI · cited 8×
  2. Camelid cardiology. Margiocco ML, Scansen BA, Bonagura JD The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 2009. PubMed 19460649 · DOI · cited 20×
  3. Camelid wellness. Bennett MM, Richards NL The veterinary clinics of North America. Exotic animal practice, 2015. PubMed 25902272 · DOI · cited 3×
  4. Hematology of camelids. Vap L, Bohn AA The veterinary clinics of North America. Exotic animal practice, 2015. PubMed 25421025 · DOI · cited 15×
  5. Llama DNA Immunization and Isolation of Functional Single-Domain Antibody Binders. Trempe F, Rossotti MA, Maqbool T et al. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 2022. PubMed 35157268 · DOI · cited 7×
  6. Update. Llama nutrition. Johnson LW The Veterinary clinics of North America. Food animal practice, 1994. PubMed 7953953 · DOI · cited 13×

Frequently asked questions

What is vesicular Stomatitis in alpacas?
A reportable viral disease causing blisters in the mouth and on the feet; camelids can be infected during outbreaks.
What are the signs of vesicular Stomatitis?
Blisters and ulcers on lips, tongue, feet, drooling, reluctance to eat and lameness.
How do you prevent vesicular Stomatitis?
Insect control. Follow movement restrictions during outbreaks.
Is vesicular Stomatitis an emergency?
Urgent — contact your vet today. Early treatment makes a big difference. Don't wait more than a day.
Can people catch it from alpacas?
Can cause flu-like illness in people.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.