First WEVA intermediate meeting in Africa
Dr. Kate Savage, Dr. Alessandra Ramseyer, Dr. Derek Knottenbelt and I (Vince Gerber) represented WEVA at a three-day intermediate meeting with lectures and interactive workshops for equine veterinarians at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Upper Kabete, Kenya. Unfortunatly, Dr. Warwick Bayly who had initiated the contact with KESCAVA could not join us.
The three-day meeting was organized and hosted with the Kenya Small and Companion Animal Veterinary Association (KESCAVA). It was well attended with 52 to 60 veterinarians from all over Kenya and neighboring Tanzania joining the lectures and wetlabs at the University facilities. On the third day at the Ngong’ racecourse, where Dr. Patsy Sercombe graciously offered some of the horses in her race yard for demonstrations and practical procedures, 26 practitioners could benefit from the final practical session.
The topics covered were mainly aimed at general veterinarians in practice and what they might encounter in their daily routine cases. Dr. Alessandra Ramseyer presented “Principles of lameness examination – identifying the lame leg”, “Diagnosing foot abscesses”, “What to do with hoof cracks” and “Causes and management of tendon injuries” as well as a wet lab on “Lower limb nerve blocks”. Dr. Derek Knottenbelt spoke on “Lacerations, open wounds and other common skin problems” and “Examining eyes and treating common eye conditions” and he demonstrated taking of skin biopsies and ophthalmological examination. On the second day of lectures Dr. Kate Savage covered “Physical
examination with particular emphasis on auscultation” and “recognition and treatment of colic under field conditions”, while Dr. Vince Gerber discussed “interpretation and work-up of nasal discharge, cough and respiratory distress”. Drs. Savage and Gerber also demonstrated basic airway endoscopy and thoracic/abdominal ultrasound in the practical session.
Attending veterinarians had diverse backgrounds mainly working in mixed practices with variable proportions of equine work, mirroring the diversity of the Kenyan equine population, which includes racehorses, polo ponies, sport as well as safari horses in the tourism industry and working donkeys in rural areas. This diversity was well reflected in the questions from participants and the ensuing lively discussions.
The Team of KESCAVA, headed by Drs. Derick Chibeu, Patsy and John Sercombe, did an excellent job organizing the meeting and the participants were highly motivated and it was a pleasure to work together. The excellent feedback, systematically collected from all participants, confirmed the great success of this first African WEVA intermediate meeting.
After the final day of practical sessions, all speakers were treated to a day at the races where they witnessed one of Dr. Patsy Sercombe’s horses winning the Classic Race, the Fillies’ Guineas, in great style. In summary, the meeting was a success and outstanding opportunity to share knowledge and contribute to a better care of horses and donkeys. The organizers and the delegates expressed their sincere appreciation to WEVA and its main sponsors Boehringer-Ingelheim and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) for making this meeting possible.
Vince Gerber, Prof. Dr., PhD, DACVIM, DECEIM
WEVA president
Statement from Dr. Derick M. Chibeu (KESCAVA Honorary Secretary and meeting organiser):
“It is fair to conclude that the activity was a great success. This can evidenced by the many congratulatory messages received on the association’s whatsapp forum. KESCAVA is eternally grateful to WEVA (and in extension, to Boehringer Ingelheim and AAEP) for offering Kenyan veterinarians a very good and informative 2 – 3 days of equine continuing education. KESCAVA certainly looks forward to having many more of these in future.”
Statement from Dr. Vijay Varma, equine medicine lecturer University of Nairobi and meeting participant:
” … It was great meeting you and interacting with you at the recent WEVA sponsored equine CPD held at the University of Nairobi. All the participants thoroughly enjoyed themselves and benefited a lot from the excellent presentations and the practical sessions.”
Some photos below giving an impression of the meeting
Lectures and group photo at University of Nairobi
Meeting at dean’s office and workshop practical sessions at University of Nairobi
Workshop practical sessions at Dr. Sercombe’s stables at Ngong’ Racecourse
