Wet Labs: Practical CPD at the heart of London Vet Show

Returning for 2026 with fourteen sessions across the two days, these highly practical sessions provide the perfect opportunity to learn new skills whilst also being able to attend the wider event for lectures and networking. In small groups led by expert instructors, you’ll learn by doing rather than listening, giving you the confidence to put what you’ve learnt into action the very next day back in practice.  Early booking is highly recommended as the limited Wet Lab places sell out very quickly!

The sessions are delivered by Central CPD and use cadavers and small group sizes to maximise the opportunity for hands-on learning. We will bring all the kit, you just need to decide which of the sessions appeals to you most.

Wet Labs 1: deep dive into a range of techniques
Wet Lab 1  in the Platinum Suites are for the more in-depth sessions, with each lasting four hours to really get to grips with your chosen technique. First up on Thursday 19th is the chance to learn multiple closure techniques for large or tricky wounds with ECVS surgery specialist Lynda Rutherford. Relieving tension both in large wounds and your approach to them, you will have a chance to practise different types of rotational flaps, as well as learning reconstruction techniques for the head and face. The afternoon session focuses on the practical techniques you may need in an ECC patient after you’ve got them through a crash. Tubes of all types will be covered, including drains, tracheostomy, thoracostomy, and feeding tubes, and your instructor Karen Humm, associate Professor in ECC at RVC, will help you understand how safely managing these interventions will lead to more comfortable, more stable patients with improved outcomes.

Friday 20th November in Wet Lab 1 starts with ‘an eye-opening approach to eyelid surgery’. Concentrating on options for upper and lower lid entropion, the ample availability of time, cadavers and your instructor James Rushton of Paragon Referrals means that you can practise and ask as many questions as you like. The afternoon will see a repeat of Lynda Rutherford’s wound closure session from yesterday, meaning if you have any clashes with other London Vet Show events you can still get to grips with this very popular topic.

Wet Labs 2: focus on specific skills
Why not try one of the 90-minute sessions in Wet Lab 2! Just as practical and with the same high calibre of teaching, these sessions are designed to boost your confidence and leave you with highly applicable skills to take back to your practice.  
Thursday takes us through varied topics - the acute abdomen, surgical management of small mammals with urinary disease, POCUS techniques and taking the fear out of ventral neck surgery. Do you worry about local anaesthetic techniques for that next tricky dental, lower urinary tract surgery for that blocked bladder panic, or need skills for localising and stabilising respiratory emergencies? All of these could feel much less stressful by lunchtime on the Friday, and you could finish the day feeling happier about rabbit dentals and orbital surgery too.

Experiential Learning
At the London Vet Show, we know the real value of experiential learning, where lectures complemented by hands on learning mean you’ll definitely be taking something new home.  Real world techniques taught by experts in the field, in small groups where you can get hands-on, make mistakes, ask questions and try again – these are the reasons why the Wet Lab Programme is growing in popularity year on year. Loved by practice management for the skills it brings straight back into practice, and by vets for the empowerment they feel afterwards, why don’t you take a look at the full programme and see what a Wet Lab session could do to enhance your patient care?

Ready to get hands-on?

Enhance your London Vet Show experience by adding a Wet Lab to your ticket. If you've already booked, click here to add a Wet Lab to your registration. New to the show? Book your London Vet Show ticket and select your Wet Lab during registration. Or view our Wet Lab's page to explore your options before booking. Spaces are limited, so book early to secure your place.