Medicine and Surgery of Exotic Pets – 3 days course
Medicine & Surgery of Exotic Pets
A 3-Day Practical Course in Exotic Animal Medicine, Diagnostics, Anaesthesia & Surgery
Expand your clinical confidence beyond dogs and cats.
Exotic pets require a fundamentally different approach to clinical examination, diagnosis, anaesthesia and surgery. This intensive three-day course provides a practical and clinically focused introduction to the management of small mammals, birds and reptiles, combining concise expert teaching with interactive case discussions and extensive hands-on workshops.
From interpreting blood results and performing diagnostic imaging to managing anaesthesia and developing essential surgical techniques, the course is designed to help practitioners translate knowledge directly into everyday clinical practice.
The emphasis throughout is on practical decision-making, species-specific medicine and skills you can take back to your practice immediately.
What will you gain from this course?
By the end of the course, participants will:
- Update and strengthen their knowledge of common medical conditions affecting small mammals, birds and reptiles.
- Understand the physiological and clinical differences that make exotic patients different from conventional companion animals.
- Develop greater confidence in diagnostic investigation and interpretation.
- Improve their approach to anaesthesia, analgesia and perioperative management in exotic species.
- Gain practical experience with radiography, ultrasound and endoscopy.
- Develop essential surgical skills through supervised practical workshops using models, cadavers and animals where appropriate and feasible.
- Learn to integrate clinical findings, diagnostic results and species-specific considerations into a logical, real-world clinical approach.
- Take away practical techniques that can be incorporated into everyday veterinary practice
Norin Chai
DVM, MSc, PhD, Dipl. ECZM
Graduated from the National Veterinary School of Alfort, Norin completed two Masters of Science in 1995, one in “Tropical Animal Pathology” and one in “Tropical Animal Production”. In 1996, he completed his veterinary thesis on “Ecology and ethology of the leopard (Panthera pardus)”. In the meantime, he began his career as the director of the Manda National Park (Chad) from 1995 to 1996. In 1997, he joined the National Museum of Natural History (France) as a research engineer, deputy director and Head vet of the Parc de la Haute Touche (zoological park in central France). In 2000, Norin returned to Paris as a veterinarian at the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes. In 2008, he obtained his PhD on amphibian medicine. In 2013, he became Diplomate of the European College of Zoological Medicine (Zoo). From 2005 to September 2020, he held the position of headvet and deputy director of the Menagerie. At the same time, Norin was the veterinary manager of all the transgenic animal research facilities of the National Museum, president of the NGO Elefantasia and co-founding president of the Regional Wildlife Monitoring Laboratory. He left his position at the zoo in October 2020 to follow his own personal conservation and humanitarian projects, in particular with his association Yaboumba, founded in 2000. He is regularly requested for expertise on medical and surgical cases in wildlife and on conservation projects around the world.
Currently, Norin consults in a referral veterinary clinic specialized in exotic animals (Spenac Argos, Paris), in a zoo-rescue Center (La Tanière Zoo, Chartres), in other several rescue centers (Costa Rica and Asia) and has a business coaching activity.
He has published numerous articles in indexed veterinary journals, national magazines and given hundred lectures in national and international conferences.
DAY 1 — INTERNAL MEDICINE & DIAGNOSTICS
Understanding the Exotic Patient
The course begins with the foundations of exotic animal medicine, focusing on the physiological and clinical characteristics that make these patients unique.
- Session 1 — The Exotic Patient: What Makes Them Different?
A comparative approach to the physiology, anatomy and clinical presentation of exotic pets. - Session 2 — Internal Medicine of Small Mammals
Approach to common medical presentations in rabbits, guinea pigs and other small mammals. - Session 3 — Internal Medicine of Birds
Species-specific clinical assessment, common diseases and practical diagnostic approaches. - Session 4 — Internal Medicine of Reptiles
Understanding reptile physiology, clinical presentation and the diagnostic approach to common conditions.
HANDS-ON WORKSHOP
- Workshop 1 — Haematology & Biochemistry in Birds and Reptiles
Practical sampling techniques combined with interpretation of laboratory results and interactive clinical cases. Learn not simply how to obtain samples, but how to use the results to make better clinical decisions.
DAY 2 — IMAGING & ENDOSCOPIC DIAGNOSTICS
Seeing Beyond the Clinical Examination
Day two focuses on the diagnostic tools that can transform the investigation of exotic patients.
- Session 5 — Radiography & Ultrasound in Exotic Pets
Practical approaches to radiographic and ultrasonographic examination of small mammals, birds and reptiles, with emphasis on recognising clinically important findings. - Session 6 — Endoscopy in Exotic Pets
An introduction to the role of endoscopy in the diagnosis and management of exotic patients.
HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS
- Workshop 2 — Radiography in Exotic Pets
Develop a systematic approach to positioning, image acquisition and interpretation. - Workshop 3 — Ultrasound in Small Mammals & Reptiles
Practise ultrasound techniques and learn how to obtain useful diagnostic information in challenging patients. - Workshop 4 — Endoscopy in Birds & Reptiles
Explore practical endoscopic techniques and their clinical applications.
DAY 3 — ANAESTHESIA & SURGERY
From Safe Anaesthesia to Practical Surgery
The final day brings together the principles of anaesthesia, analgesia and surgery, with a strong emphasis on practical skills and species-specific considerations.
- Session 7 — Anaesthesia & Analgesia in Exotic Pets
Develop a safe, structured approach to anaesthesia and pain management in small mammals, birds and reptiles. - Session 8 — Surgery in Small Mammals
Key surgical principles, common procedures and perioperative considerations. - Session 9 — Surgery in Birds
Species-specific challenges and practical approaches to avian surgery. - Session 10 — Surgery in Reptiles
Essential principles and techniques for surgical management of reptile patients.
PRACTICAL SURGICAL WORKSHOPS
- Workshop 5 — Rabbit Dentistry
Hands-on dental techniques using models/cadavers. - Workshop 6 — Rabbit Orthopaedics
Practical introduction to key orthopaedic techniques using models/cadavers. - Workshop 7 — Avian Orthopaedics
Practical techniques and approaches to common orthopaedic problems in birds. - Workshop 8 — Surgery in Chelonians
Practical approaches to the principal surgical procedures encountered in turtles and tortoises.
WHY THIS COURSE?
EXOTIC-PET FOCUSED
Three days dedicated entirely to small mammals, birds and reptiles.
PRACTICAL FROM START TO FINISH
Move beyond lectures with interactive cases, imaging and supervised hands-on workshops.
CLINICALLY RELEVANT
Focus on problems and procedures you are likely to encounter in real veterinary practice.
DIAGNOSTICS + MEDICINE + SURGERY
Build a complete clinical approach rather than learning isolated techniques.
SPECIES-SPECIFIC APPROACH
Understand why techniques that work in dogs and cats cannot simply be transferred to exotic patients.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This course is designed for veterinarians who treat, or would like to start treating, exotic pets, including practitioners working with:
Rabbits • Guinea pigs • Small mammals • Birds • Reptiles • Chelonians
It is suitable for veterinarians looking to build confidence in exotic-pet practice as well as clinicians who already see exotic patients and want to strengthen their diagnostic, anaesthetic and surgical skills.
Three days. Three major areas. One integrated approach.
Medicine. Diagnostics. Anaesthesia. Surgery.
Practical skills for the exotic patients you see in real life.