Conference Insider: Clinical keynotes and hands-on labs share the spotlight at Fetch Nashville

If access to earning up to 18 continuing education (CE) credits and networking with industry colleagues is music to your ears, consider attending the 2026 Fetch dvm360^® Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Held May 29 and 30, 2026, at the Music City Center convention venue in downtown Nashville (Fetch Nashville), this engaging event begins both mornings with a clinical keynote.

Sonya Gordon, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM (Cardiology), professor of cardiology and the Eugene Ch’en chair in cardiology for the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biological Sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station,¹ will deliver the keynote “MMVD [Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease] Made Practical: Diagnose Smarter, Treat Sooner” on Friday, May 29, 2026. The talk utilizes real patient cases to address clinical guidelines for MMVD and highlight practical tools that can be used when echocardiography is not an option.^1,2

Attendees can learn how to screen and stage preclinical MMVD, strengthen diagnostic accuracy, recognize stage B2 disease, and build a follow-up strategy for clinical settings through Gordon’s keynote. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, the keynote will also discuss the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnostics and how the company’s EkoVet+ CanineBeat AI stethoscope works in practice.²

Carol Reinero, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Small Animal), professor and director of the comparative internal medicine laboratory at the University of Missouri-Columbia,³ will deliver the keynote “Optimizing Care for Brachycephalic Dogs With Respiratory and Aerodigestive Disorders” on Saturday, May 30, 2026. This talk will focus on the comprehensive and stress-free management of brachycephalic breeds for addressing brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) and related aerodigestive conditions.^3,4

This keynote aims to teach attendees how to describe the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of BOAS and associated disorders, perform a systematic diagnostic evaluation of the respiratory and aerodigestive systems in brachycephalic dogs, and identify comorbidities that exacerbate airway compromise and increase peri-anesthetic risk. Attendees should also take away from the lecture the ability to develop risk-mitigation and stabilization strategies for reducing complications and evaluate appropriate medical and surgical treatment options based on disease severity and long-term management goals.⁴

Fetch Nashville attendees can also participate in a pair of hands-on labs presented by Bruce Nwadike, DVM, DACVS, MRCVS, a veterinary surgeon in the United Kingdom. Both labs—“Tibial Tuberosity Advancement: Introducing MMP” and “Patella Luxation, Introducing RidgeStop”—will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the convention center and require a separate fee with conference registration.⁵ 

The progressive, 3-hour course on tibial tuberosity advancement focuses on canine cruciate ligament disease and features a hands-on sawbone workshop to enhance practical skills. The 3-hour patella luxation lab provides a lecture hour followed by 2 hours of hands-on learning with a review of surgical treatment options.⁵

For more information about Fetch Nashville, and to register for the conference and labs, visit dvm360events.com.

References

1. Sonya Gordon, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM. Fetch dvm360. Accessed April 6, 2026. https://registration.dvm360.com/fetch-nashville-2026/agenda/speakers/3880173
2. MMVD made practical: diagnose smarter, treat sooner. Fetch dvm360. Accessed April 6, 2026. https://registration.dvm360.com/fetch-nashville-2026/agenda/session/1785174
3. Carol Reinero, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM). Fetch dvm360. Accessed April 6, 2026. https://registration.dvm360.com/fetch-nashville-2026/agenda/speakers/3901018
4. Optimizing care for brachycephalic dogs with respiratory and aerodigestive disorders. Fetch dvm360. Accessed April 6, 2026. https://registration.dvm360.com/fetch-nashville-2026/agenda/session/1844878
5. Fetch Nashville 2026 agenda. Fetch dvm360. Accessed April 6, 2026. https://www.dvm360events.com/nashville-2026-agenda-2/