Vets Course
Small Animal Surgery
GPCert in Small Animal Surgery
ISVPS General Practitioner Certificate (GPCert)
- OVERVIEW
- PROGRAM
- PRICING
19 Sep 2025 - 18 Oct 2026
With thousands of veterinary surgeons worldwide choosing to progress their surgery skills with Improve Veterinary Education, the small animal surgery programme will help you return your investment immediately!
Invest in your professional growth and see how you can gain the following benefits:
Develop Expertise: Gain proficiency in key clinical procedures, including soft tissue, orthopaedic, and spinal surgery. Reduce the need for external referrals, and increase practice revenues and job satisfaction.
Practical Training: Refine your surgical techniques in our state-of-the-art wet-lab facilities. Experience hands-on learning, using the latest equipment and in a fully equipped surgical theatre. Boost your confidence in a safe environment.
Online Learning Platform: Access our purpose-built online platform, offering module notes and supplementary materials such as presentations. Enjoy a comprehensive learning programme.
Tutors:
Venue: Online / Osaka
Date: 19 Sep 2025 - 18 Oct 2026
GPCert in Small Animal Surgery
See the pricing tab
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ACCREDITED BY:

This course is accredited by ISVPS and allows you to achieve a General Practitioner Certificate
Read More01 - Surgical assepsis and basic operative. Techniques - wound and wound healing
- Revise asepsis, sterilisation and appropriate antibiosis for surgical cases
- Instrumentation and instrument handling
- Gloving and gowning
- Uses of sutures, needles, staples and clips
- Principles of wound healing - primary and delayed closure, secondary healing - and how this applies to clinical cases
- Re-visit the principles of wound management and get up-to-date with what is available now
02 - Surgery of the upper airways; Laryngeal and tracheal surgery
- The nose – neoplasia, autoimmune disease
- The nasal sinuses
- Brachycephalic airway disease
- Laryngeal diseases – paralysis, collapse, trauma, stenosis, neoplasia
- Tracheal surgery – tracheotomy, tracheostomy, collapse, resection/anastomosis, trauma, foreign bodies, neoplasia
03 - Oral, Pharyngeal and Aural Surgery
- Surgery of the lips and cheeks, tongue and hard palate
- Maxilla/mandible – maxillectomy and mandibulectomy
- Pharyngeal surgery
- Tonsillar surgery
- The ear–lateral wall resection, vertical canal ablation, total canal ablation/lateral bulla osteotomy, ventral bulla osteotomy, haematomas
04 - Surgical oncology and reconstructive surgery
- Principles of oncology
- Principles of oncologic surgery
- Surgery for skin tumours, mast cell tumours, oral tumours - maxillectomy and mandibulectomy and gastrointestinal tumours
- Feline-specific tumours (+/- injection site sarcoma)
- Principles of reconstructive surgery - skin flaps and grafts
- Principles and uses of surgical drains
05 - Gastrointestinal surgery I
- Salivary gland diseases - mucoceles, trauma, hypersialism, neoplasia
- Oesophageal disorders and the limitations of oesophageal surgery
- Gastrotomy and gastrectomy: there is more to surgery of the stomach than just GDV
- Small intestinal disease and how your decision-making can reduce complications - serosal and omental patching, obstructions and foreign bodies, neoplasia
06 - Gastrointestinal surgery II
- Large intestinal surgery and the differences between cats and dogs - Megacolon, rectal prolapse and stricture
- Surgical approaches to the rectum and anus - atresia ani, anal sac disease, anal furunculosis
- Liver surgery – suture, staples or electrosurgery
- Biliary tract surgery – anatomy and surgical options
- Pancreatic surgery
- Splenectomy – does it need removing and if so, which technique and what are the alternatives to removal?
07 - Patient assessment, anaesthesia and analgesia
- Describe the advantages and disadvantages of different monitoring techniques.
- Evaluate and treat fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
- Develop anaesthetic protocols for healthy and high-risk patients.
- Understand the techniques used for stabilisation of patients in a critical state including CPR and treatments used in intensive care.
08 - Urinary and reproductive tract surgery
- Understand the anatomy of the urinary tract
- Discuss the surgical options for obstructive diseases of the urinary tract –ureters, bladder and urethra
- Describe the approach to urinary tract trauma – kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra
- Discuss treatment options for urinary incontinence, including colposuspension, TVT and urethral occluders
- Describe the surgical approach to neoplasia of the urinary tract
- Understand the common surgical disorders of the female and male reproductive tracts and their treatment options
09 - Surgery of the Abdominal and Thoracic Cavities
- Review and revise ruptures and hernias
- Hernias – hiatal, perineal, inguinal, umbilical, diaphragmatic, prepubic
- Peritonitis - going into the detail of the pathophysiology, clinical signs, diagnosis and treatment options
Thoracic surgery:
-Big dog / little dog: who wins?
-Thoracostomy for pneumothorax, pyothorax and chylothorax – which tube?
-Thoracotomy – which side and which rib space?
-Lung Lobectomy – how many lobes can you take?
-PDA – is this still a surgical condition?
-Pericardectomy – how much should you take?
-PRAA – why does a regurgitating patient need a thoracotomy?
-Chylothorax – can you find the thoracic duct?
-Chest wall diseases – how far can you advance the diaphragm?
10 - Gastrointestinal and urinary tract surgery
- Oesophageal foreign bodies - Pre-op management, anaesthesia, surgical anatomy, surgical technique, post-op care and assessment
- Gastric dilatation volvulus - Temporary and permanent gastropexy
- Nephrectomy and nephrotomy - Partial nephrectomy, ureteronephrectomy, indications for nephrotomy
- Urethrostomy - Prescrotal, scrotal, perineal, prepubic
11 - Thoracic surgery
- Thoracotomy - Pre-op management, anaesthesia, surgical anatomy, surgical technique, post-op care and assessment
- Lung lobectomy - Partial and complete lobectomy
- Pericardectomy - Subtotal and total
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) - Pre-operative management, anaesthesia, surgical anatomy, surgical technique, post-op care and assessment
12 - Reconstructive surgery
- Wound closure - Tension relieving techniques, management of ‘dog ears’
- Pedicle Flaps - advancement, rotational and transposition to help close the larger or trickier defects
- Muscle and omental flaps - using muscle in defects by practising the external abdominal oblique muscle flap
- Skin grafts - full thickness and stamp and how to maximise their chances of success
13 - Head and neck surgery
- Total ear canal ablation (TECA) and lateral bulla osteotomy - Suture materials and special instruments, post-op care and assessment, complications
- Ventral bulla osteotomy - Suture materials and special instruments, post-op care and assessment, complications
- Thyroid surgery - Thyroidectomy in the dog, thyroidectomy in the cat demonstration
- Unilateral arytenoid lateralisation - Pre-op management, anaesthesia, surgical anatomy, surgical technique, post-op care and assessment
14 - Orthopaedics I – Decision making in fracture repair
- The initial assessment of the fracture patient
- Descriptions and applications of fracture classification
- Principles and decision making in fracture repair
- Methods of fracture fixation and implants, including plating and external fixation devices
15 - Orthopaedics II – Complications of fracture repair
- The principles of fracture reduction, including both closed and open techniques
- Options for bone grafting including both cancellous and cortical grafts
- Approaches to the following complications: delayed union, non-union, mal-union and osteomyelitis
16 - Orthopaedics III – The forelimb
- Luxation, osteochondrosis, dysplasia, excision arthroplasty and fractures of the shoulder
- Luxations, developmental disease, un-united anconeal process and fractures of the elbow
- Developmental carpal disease, carpal hyperextension and arthrodesis, luxations and fractures of the carpus and foot
- Growth plate disorders
17 - Orthopaedics IV – The hindlimb
- Conditions of the hip, including dysplasia, luxations, arthroplasty and total hip replacement
- Pelvic fractures
- Femoral fractures
- Conditions of the stifle, including patellar luxation, osteochondrosis, fractures and cruciate rupture
- Conditions of the hock, including osteochondrosis, luxation and fractures
18 - Internal and External skeletal fixation
- Internal and external fixation of fractures.
- Placing cerclages and hemicerclajes wire.
- Tension band wiring for olecranon and calcaneus
- Compression screw placement and positioning.
- Placement of support, compression and neutralization plates.
- Placement of external fixators, different types and combinations.
- Bone grafts
19 - Joint and fracture surgery in the forelimb
- Tenotomy and tenodesis of biceps muscle;
- Osteochondrosis dissecans of the humerus;
- Osteotomy of the coronoid process;
- Fixation of the Ununited Anconeal Process;
- Fixation of a fracture of the lateral humeral condyle (capitulum);
- Osteotomy of the ulna and intramedullary fixation;
- Carpal panarthrodesis
20 - Joint and fracture surgery in the hindlimb
- Osteotomy of the greater trochanter;
- Dislocated hip replacement and fixation;
- Resection of the femoral head and neck;
- Fixing sacroiliac dislocation;
- Patellar dislocation;
- Cruciate ligament repair surgical techniques including TPLO;
- Osteochondrosis dissecans of the posterior tarsus
21 - Spinal Surgery I
- Neuroanatomical localization: neurological examination and interpretation.
- Imaging techniques of the spinal column
- Atlantoaxial instability
- Cervical spondylomyelopathy (csm) - wobbler syndrome"
- Neurological emergencies
22 - Spinal Surgery II
- Cervical intervertebral disc surgery
- Thoracolumbar intervertebral disc surgery
- Lumbosacral Stenosis.
- Spinal Trauma
23 - Spinal Surgery III
- Myelography
- Lumbar puncture and puncture of the cisterna magna
- Cervical disc surgery by ventral partial spondylectomy ("ventral slot")
- Thoracolumbar hemilaminectomy;
- Lumbosacral stenosis (DLSS) treated by dorsal laminectomy
Venue: Online / Osaka
Date: 19 Sep 2025 - 18 Oct 2026
GPCert in Small Animal Surgery
See the pricing tab
Get in touch
ACCREDITED BY:

This course is accredited by ISVPS and allows you to achieve a General Practitioner Certificate
Read MorePricing Billing
Small Animal Surgery regular price
Payment Option | First Payment | Second Payment(s) | Total Payment |
---|---|---|---|
一括払い [WAHA Member] | ¥ 2327500.00 | - | ¥ 2327500.00 |
一括払い | ¥ 2450000.00 | - | ¥ 2450000.00 |
4 ヶ月分割払い [WAHA Member] | ¥ 640063.00 | ¥ 640063.00 x 3 (monthly) | ¥ 2560252.00 |
4 ヶ月分割払い | ¥ 673750.00 | ¥ 673750.00 x 3 (monthly) | ¥ 2695000.00 |
Venue: Online / Osaka
Date: 19 Sep 2025 - 18 Oct 2026
GPCert in Small Animal Surgery
See the pricing tab
Get in touch
ACCREDITED BY:

This course is accredited by ISVPS and allows you to achieve a General Practitioner Certificate
Read More