This course will cover the most common surgical procedures performed on the head and neck in general practice with 7 hours of lectures and 7 hours of wet lab on canine cadavers. After this course, the participants will better understand the pathologies inducing upper airway obstruction in dogs and cats. Emergency treatment of an upper airway obstruction with a temporary tracheostomy will be presented.

The different types of salivary mucocele will be explained, and their surgical treatment will be illustrated with several surgical cases. The critical anatomical landmarks important for a successful surgical outcome will be presented.

The different surgical options for treating otitis externa and media will be illustrated. The benefit of an early lateral ear resection associated with a ventral bulla osteotomy will be explained to improve the medical treatment of otitis externa and avoid a total ear canal ablation. Total ear canal ablation will also be performed in the practical session. 

Thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy will be addressed in the lecture.