Our Advanced Fracture Management Wet-lab in Sydney brought together veterinary practitioners and residents with experience in small animal fracture management, all keen to refine their skills and confidence with more challenging cases. The course was led by Professor Mark Glyde.

With a Principles in Fracture Management course (or equivalent) already behind them, attendees came ready to build on their knowledge of fracture decision-making, surgical approaches to the long bones and locking plate application. The day combined short interactive lectures with in-depth case discussions, so everyone could apply what they learned directly to the kinds of fractures they see in general practice.

The wet-lab sessions were the heart of the day. Attendees worked through a comprehensive set of practical exercises:

  • Surgical approaches to the radius, femur, tibia and humerus
  • Plate contouring and applying locking plates
  • Short-segment oblique antebrachial fractures
  • Plate-rod fixation of comminuted mid-diaphyseal femoral fractures
  • Orthogonal plate fixation of comminuted distal tibial fractures
  • Plate fixation of juxta-articular distal femoral fractures
  • Plate application to the humerus
  • Normograde placement of femoral intramedullary pins
  • Bone grafting from the proximal humerus

Throughout the day, the focus stayed on practical decision-making: assessing each fracture, planning an appropriate reduction strategy, and choosing a fixation that reliably works. The bone grafting session also gave attendees hands-on experience harvesting and placing a cancellous graft from the proximal humerus, a valuable skill to take back to the clinic.

Attendees left with sharper surgical skills and greater confidence in managing complex long bone fractures.

Thank you to Professor Glyde for his generous teaching and clinical insight, and to all the attendees for their engagement and great case discussions.

Professor Mark Glyde

BVSc (Hons) MACVSc MVS HDipUTL
Diplomate ECVS European, RCVS and Australian Recognised Specialist Surgeon

Mark is Associate Professor of Small Animal Surgery at Murdoch University and leads Murdoch’s orthopaedic and neurosurgery referral service.

Mark is a registered specialist surgeon with a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons, a master’s degree in veterinary surgery and is a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists. Mark is well known internationally as a surgeon having presented courses in orthopaedics and arthroscopy as keynote speaker throughout USA, Europe, UK, Asia, Latin America and Australia for over 25 years.

Mark is an internationally recognised and awarded teacher with a passion for sharing his knowledge of orthopaedics. He is the Chair of the AOVET Education Commission, a member of the AOVET International Board and past Chair of AOVET Asia Pacific.

Mark has trained many specialist surgeons internationally through residency training programs at University of Liverpool, University College Dublin, and Murdoch University. His main research interests are in fracture repair and implant biomechanics, surgery for cruciate disease and patella luxation, joint loading and injuries in agility and working dogs.

Advanced Fracture Management Wet-lab NSW (September 2026)