This is the traditional Thai greeting, and we heard it many times during our trip to visit and teach veterinary courses in Bangkok, Thailand in May. Dr. Lennox taught an intubation and rabbit dentistry lab at the Mahidol Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Bangkok, and then a half day of lectures at the conference for the Veterinary Practitioner Association of Thailand (VPAT) (see http://www.vrvc2013.com for more information on the conference).
So what's different about exotic animal ownership and veterinary medicine in Thailand? Not as much as you would think, except due to hot weather conditions, heat stroke is very common, much more common that at our practice.
Our host Dr. Chaowaphan kindly showed us some incredible sites, including an elephant camp and many beautiful temples, and then gave us tours of two veterinary clinics, his Vet4Animal Hospital, and Kwankum Animal Hospital. In Thailand, ownership of exotic pets is increasing, and there are now 20 veterinarians who practice only exotic animal medicine and surgery.
The most common exotic mammal is the rabbit (same as in the US), and the most common parrot is the sun conure. The most common reptile pet is the ball python (again similar to our practice).
He listed the more common diseases he treats in exotic pets, and it turns out the list is very similar to what we see at Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic.
We really enjoyed our visit, and were impressed with the level of knowledge and enthusiasm of our Thai colleagues. It's great to share experiences. As it turns out, Dr. Chaowaphan and his colleague Dr. Bee may be returning the visit this fall!