VMX 2025: Saturday and Sunday

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Entertainment

VMX Kick Off with Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Dempsey will begin the VMX conference with his keynote address, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. During the address, Dempsey will discuss his commitment to the Dempsey Center, which provides personalized care and counseling to those with cancer and their families, his esteemed acting career, and his love for animals. Dempsey will take the main stage within the Expo Hall beginning at 11:15 AM.

Saturday Night Sizzle with Dan + Shay

To close out the first day of the conference, Dan + Shay, best known for their Songs Tequila, Speechless, 10,000 Hours, and more, will perform for VMX attendees. Dan + Shay are 2 time CMA Duo of the Year winners, 3 time ACM Awards Duo of the Year winners, and were named Top Country Duo/Group at the Billboard Music Award. The concert is sponsored by Merck Animal Health and will begin at 8 PM Saturday, January 25, 2025, and will conclude at 10:30 PM.

VMX Sunday Spectacular

Hill’s Pet Nutrition is sponsoring the VMX Sunday Spectacular so join them in the Expo Hall at the VMX Main Stage from 7:30 to 9:30 PM Sunday, January 26, 2025, to see Acrobatic Art with HeART, a performance that was customized just for the veterinary profession.

VMX Honey Bee Symposium

Jörg Mayer DVM, DABVP(ECM), DECZM, DACZM, a VMX 2024 Speaker of the Year, will lead this educational track that highlights the precision of livestock farming in beekeeping as well as discuss how these practices are crucial for improving bee health and supporting conservation efforts. Along with this, Mayer will also explore with attendees the therapeutic potential of bee products, like bee venom for inflammation reduction, and their modern-day and historic applications in medicine.

Education

Empowering Recovery: The Vital Role of Veterinary Technicians in Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

On Saturday January 25, 2025, Wendy Davies, VTS (Physical Rehabilitation) will share the role of the trained rehabilitation veterinary technician in caring for rehabilitation patients, such as performing treatments that the veterinarian prescribed as a way to free more time for the veterinarian to perform rechecks, evaluations, and procedures for their patients. Davies will also explain how veterinary technicians can communicate with clients about programs to help increase the success of the rehabilitation.

Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis

Jason Pieper, DVM, MS, DACVD, will discuss with attendees during his Saturday morning lecture environmental allergies in both canine and feline patients, including pathogenesis, diagnosis and clinical signs. The majority of the session will also delve into the multiple treatment options available for these patients.

Managing Medical Mistakes

Patient safety is a growing focus in veterinary medicine, paralleling its established importance in human healthcare. Errors not only impact patients but can also affect healthcare teams. During her lecture, Kara M Burns, CVT, LVT, VTS (Nutrition), will explore safety culture principles and provide attendees strategies to integrate them into daily hospital operations.

HPAI in Texas Dairy Cows: A Practitioner’s Experience

Last spring, an outbreak of undiagnosed symptoms spread throughout dairies located in the Texas Panhandle, with clinical signs varying and initial diagnostics inconclusive. Benjamin Newcomer, DVM,PhD, DACVPM, will outline his experience managing highly pathogenic avian influenza in these affected herds before and after diagnosis.

Managing the Diet of Patients With Multiple Comorbidities

Angie Rollins, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition) will outline the systematic approach to selecting the best diet for pets with multiple diseases, which can be a process that feels overwhelming. Rollins will help attendees break down the decision-making process into 4 steps for the veterinary team to simplify complex cases and provide optimal care.

Problems With Parts: Heart Disease in ECM

Sarah Ozawa, DVM, DACZM, will share the multiple differences in cardiovascular anatomy in small mammals compared to cats and dogs. She will educate attendees on how to detect common clinical diseases as well as treat cardiovascular diseases in exotic mammal species.

What We Can Learn From Willy Wonka’s Recruitment System

Recruitment in veterinary medicine requires a careful balance of skills, ethics, and cultural fit to ensure quality care. Drawing inspiration from Willy Wonka’s innovative and selective hiring in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dave Nicol, BVMS, Cert Mgmt, MRCVS, will use 5 key moments in his process to educate attendees on lessons to help them in modern day veterinary recruitment,

The Microbiome: A Dynamic Ecosystem

Vicky Ograin, RVT, VTS (Nutrition), will review the basics of the microbiome with attendees and its power to transform gut health in patients. Each attendee will learn the tools that are out there to manipulate microbiome health as well as explore the evidence that exists to support its use in patients through the roles of prebiotics, probiotics, and post biotics.

The Clot Thickens: Overview of Common and Uncommon Equine Bleeding Disorders

Bleeding disorders in horses occur relatively less frequently when compared to small animal. However, hemostatic abnormalities in equine patients can sometimes manifest acutely and severely, which requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. In this lecture, Austin Viall, DVM, MS, DACVP, will use interactive cases of hemostatic disorders with intertwining, integrated review of diagnostic testing, plus abnormalities associated with bleeding disorders in equine patients.

GI Effects of Chemotherapy

Danielle DeCormier, LVT, VTS (Oncology), will explore the dual effects of chemotherapy in its efficacy in targeting cancer cells and the resulting adverse effects it has on the gastrointestinal system. The lecture will highlight the mechanism by which chemotherapy drugs affect the cell cycle and emphasize the significance of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and diarrhea. The lecture will also examine specific drugs known for their varying degrees of gastrointestinal effects.

A New Look At Old Labs: Understanding Familiar Lab Values in a New Way as Indicators of Unhealthy Aging

As dogs age, subtle changes in clinical lab values, often dismissed as “normal aging,” may signal early underlying processes leading to disease. In this lecture Brennen McKenzie, VMD, will share more about how new research suggests that recognizing these changes, even within reference ranges, can support preventive care strategies to mitigate health impacts and promote healthier aging.