By Tim Greet, BVMS, FRCVS, MVM, Cert EO, DESTS, Dipl. ECVS, WEVA President’s Advisor

In May, WEVA board member Chris Riggs, BVSc, PhD, DEO, Dipl. ECVS, MRCVS, and I, gave an intensive course on equine abdominal surgery during the Veterinary Practitioners of Thailand (VPAT) meeting, held in Bangkok. The meeting attracted more than 500 delegates, many of whom attended the small-animal-focused sessions.

Didactic lecture topics included gastrointestinal anatomy and physiology, examining a patient with colic, management of nonsurgical problems, surgical, dystocia, surgery of small and large intestine, postoperative care, and complications; the presenters also discussed some case studies. There was an "enthusiastic" audience of about 50 people for these equine lectures. The equine-interested delegates came from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and China.

We also conducted a practical workshop on colic surgery at Kasetsart University, located just outside Bangkok. Attendees learned about exploring the equine abdomen, performing abdominal ultrasound, and carrying out end-to-end anastomoses on cadaveric intestine. At the end of the day a demonstration exploratory laparotomy was performed on an anaesthetised horse