by Nancy Hassel, American Pet Professionals
Every year, I hop on the train to head to NYC to attend the New York Vet conference in the beginning of November. While I am not a veterinarian, I always go for various reasons: to learn about new products, what is new in the veterinary landscape, connect with some of our veterinary members of American Pet Professionals there, and to sit in on CE sessions.
Sometimes I want to learn about a specific topic, like last year, I was interested in learning more about arthritis in dogs, as my dog Cody was just diagnosed with arthritis last October. I learned a great deal about what can be done, how veterinarians should speak to their patients’ parents about preventive care for arthritis, signs and symptoms that veterinarians look for, and more.
This year, I focused on attending a couple of sessions on canine cancer.
Why do all our dogs get cancer? That’s my main question. Seems like no matter what you do to be proactive and preventative, dogs still get cancer. I believe the statistic is 1 in every 4 dogs, but I have a feeling that may be higher, as we may not know every dog that actually gets cancer.
So I attended the session, ‘Early Cancer Diagnosis: Don’t Miss the Warning Signs’ with Dr. Rebecca George, veterinary oncologist for IDEXX.
Over two years ago, my dog Cody had an emergency life-saving operation to remove his spleen. He had a tennis ball-sized tumor that was beginning to rupture, thank dog I was home (the day before I was at the Phillips Distributor Show in New Jersey), thankfully I just went for the one day. If I were not home to notice Cody’s symptoms, it would not have been good to say the least. His spleen was removed, tumor was benign, IDEXX did all the testing, and the incredible team at Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) who did the surgery, as well as my own vet Hampton Veterinary Hospital, who did the ultrasound to find the tumor – all worked so diligently for one dog to continue to live his life, this is never lost on me.
Fast forward to this past August, Cody was diagnosed with tumors on his liver. A horrible diagnosis, he’s not a candidate for surgery, so it’s palliative care for him, but we also did not do a biopsy, so assuming the worst, hoping for the best – treating him holistically.
He is still having fun and going on daily walks, and pet events ‘arroohing’ at everyone. IYKYK :)!Send Cody lots of good vibes and well wishes!
With that, I was laser-focused on everything Dr. Rebecca George was speaking about during her session. A few things stuck out to me, potentially connecting the dots with Cody’s health.
The most fascinating part of the session is that IDEXX Cancer DX, which is a proprietary biomarker-specific test for lymphoma in dogs. I think this could be a game-changer and hopefully add to many veterinarians’ well-check SOP in breeds that are considered at risk. Hearing that they are working on tests for other cancers in dogs, in my opinion, can help with preventive care vs. reactive care.
(IDEXX, if you’re reading this, I would love to submit Cody’s bloodwork and ultrasound for any study that you are doing on dogs with liver tumors).
Another part of the conference that I found really inspiring was the amount of fresh food continued ed sessions, and also seeing more fresh food companies in attendance.
As you may know the fresh food market is growing rapidly as pet parents are looking for nutritional choices over kibble or raw. Just in the last month there have been announcements from Chewy and Blue Buffalo about their lines of fresh food. Locally near me, a fresh food retail store, Natural Hounds, with three locations, is now franchising the business. It is a storefront with a full kitchen on view, that makes their fresh food in-house, and is focused on being part of the community they are in vs. subscription.
Now, I am not one to start a pet food debate, but I think it is very encouraging to see these sessions, as we know pet nutrition has not always been at the forefront of veterinary care. Personally, I have worked with some incredible veterinarians over the years who were so well educated about pet nutrition, raw, kibble, and fresh food alike. And I have been self-educated in that area for over 20 years, reading pet food labels since the mid-90’s, and still learning. It was so nice to see many veterinarians asking questions, others saying how much they believe in fresh food for pets, especially dogs, and others asking how to speak to their colleagues about it.
In addition, there were more fresh food exhibitors there than I have seen from their past conferences. Some of the veterinarians I spoke with mentioned that as well: “A lot of sessions on fresh food this year,” one vet said to me.
Is this a trend at all veterinary conferences? Have you seen more of this at a vet conference you have attended? I would love to know.
Even if you’re not a veterinarian, in the veterinary space at all, but in the pet industry, I would highly recommend that you attend a veterinary conference near you. You will learn so much, be informed about information that you may not have heard before, and develop stronger ties with veterinarians in your own communities. Always be kind to your veterinarians, and as a professional in the pet industry, reach out and see how you can work together with them.
If you’re in the New York area, next year’s New York Vet is happening October 29 – 30, 2026. Maybe I will see you there!