New York Vet Show 2026: DEA fines, AI, fresh diets, and regenerative medicine on the schedule

A retired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) supervisory special agent will walk through real enforcement cases involving veterinary hospitals, including cases that resulted in 6-figure fines. Other sessions on Thursday afternoon and Friday will examine health myths circulating on social media, the use of artificial intelligence in veterinary practice, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging approaches to cancer treatment. The 2026 New York Vet Show continues through Friday, October 30, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

The conference program lists more than 120 sessions across clinical and business topics. The selections below highlight talks scheduled for Thursday afternoon and Friday, spanning DEA compliance, pet food and nutrition, oncology, regenerative medicine, technician training, staffing, and senior pet care. Company-sponsored sessions are included where they address clinical or professional topics; presentations focused on a company’s own products are excluded.

Thursday, October 29

Home-cooked diets and nutrition misinformation

At 2:40 PM in the Brooklyn Theater, Susan Bohrer, DVM, CVA, CVFT, will present “Integrative Whole Food Nutrition and Home-Cooked Diets for GI Disease, Atopy, and Immune Health.” Bohrer founded Chi Dog, a company that sells gently cooked whole-food meals for dogs, and the company sponsors the session. Bohrer will examine how ultraprocessed pet foods contribute to inflammation, gut dysbiosis, and immune dysfunction, and will offer guidance on formulating balanced home-cooked diets.

At 3:40 PM in the same theater, 4 specialists will sit on the panel “Separating Science from Social Media: An Ask the Specialist Panel.” Each panelist will cover the 3 most common myths they encounter in nutrition, dentistry, or internal medicine and how they counter them, including the truth sandwich and an empathy-first framework. An open audience Q&A will follow. Freshpet sponsors the session. The panelists are:

• Lisa Weeth, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition), head of veterinary research and communications at Freshpet
• Deborah Linder, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Nutrition), clinical associate professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
• Kristin I. Scott, DVM, DAVDC, practice owner at Crown Veterinary Dental Specialists
• Jodi L. Westropp, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, professor at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

Hemangiosarcoma and melanoma immunotherapy

At 1:30 PM in the Bronx Clinical Theater, Sue Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), of Guardian Veterinary Specialists, will present “Masses in the Spleen: What Does It Mean? Diagnosing and Managing Hemangiosarcoma.” The session will cover when hemangiosarcoma should be suspected and how to counsel owners before a definitive diagnosis. It will also review recent research questioning long-held assumptions about how often splenic masses are hemangiosarcoma.

At 3:30 PM in the VMANYC Clinical Theater, Joe Impellizeri, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), MRCVS, chief medical officer of Veterinary Oncology Services, will present “Update on Canine Melanoma: Current Status of Diagnosis and Therapy, Navigating the Pathway for Your Clients.” The session will review newer options for local control and metastatic blockade, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and immunotherapy, and makes the case that surgery may not always be the best option. Panther Healthcare sponsors the session.

Ownership, mobile practice, and team structure

At 1:55 PM in Business Theater I, Catherine Twarowski, DVM, founder of Hand to Paw Veterinary Services, will lead the session, “From Clinic to Curbside: Lessons Learned on My Journey as Mobile Veterinarian.” She will cover how she built her mobile practice, including financing, equipment, business models, software, scheduling, staffing, and marketing.

At 3:00 PM in the same theater, 2 presenters will introduce “Stop, Drop, and Role: From Chaos to Clarity in Veterinary Team Functionality,” a technician-led framework for clarifying roles, building leadership pipelines, and redesigning team systems so practices rely less on crisis-mode operations. The speakers will include:

• Alyssa Mages, BS, CVT, FVTE, co-founder of Empowering Veterinary Teams
• Suzanne Thomas, MBA, BA, BS, LVTg, CVTg, CCFP, CVBL, founder and CEO of Leading Veterinary Teams

At 4:05 PM, Jennifer Bruns, DVM, MPVM, senior director of professional relationships at PetSmart Veterinary Services, will lead “Thinking About Practice Ownership? Start Here.” The session will offer a practical roadmap for veterinarians interested in ownership who are unsure where to begin. PetSmart Veterinary Services sponsors the session.

Amniotic bioscaffolds

From 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM in the Downtown Clinical Theater, Tammi Epp, DVM, PhD, DACVSMR, director of research and development at AniCell Biotech, will present the talk, “Amniotic Bioscaffolds in Veterinary Medicine: From Science to Clinical Integration.” The session will cover current human and veterinary research on amniotic-derived products and covers product selection, administration routes, and case-specific protocols across species. AniCell Biotech sponsors the session.

Friday, October 30

DEA compliance series

Jack Teitelman, founder and CEO of TITAN Group and a retired DEA supervisory special agent, will lead 3 sessions on Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) compliance. TITAN Group sponsors all 3. The sessions are:

• 8:10 AM and 9:05 AM, Central Park Clinical Theater: “Preventing DEA Violations in Veterinary Hospitals: A Practical Program Guide,” in 2 parts
• 10:50 AM, Uptown Clinical Theater: “DEA Horror Stories: Real Veterinary Cases, Six-Figure Fines, and the Mistakes That Caused Them”

The third session walks through 4 to 6 real enforcement actions against veterinary hospitals, covering what went wrong, what it cost, and what would have prevented it.

AI in the exam room and beyond

Friday’s business track includes 3 AI sessions, each sponsored by the presenter’s company:

• 9:40 AM, Business Theater I: Aaron Massecar, PhD, MBA, head of partnerships at CoVet, will lead “The Evolving Copilot Scribe: Practical AI Strategies for the Veterinary Clinic.” The session will cover implementing AI scribing, common pitfalls, and how clinic workflows will need to change.
• 1:00 PM, Business Theater II: OTTO CEO Zeynep Young and CTO Andrew Michaelis will talk on “Designing the Future of Veterinary Practice: Human Judgment in an AI-Enabled World.” Rather than focusing on specific tools, the session will examine how practices can redesign workflows, roles, and leadership around AI, and where human judgment remains essential.
• 3:00 PM, Business Theater I: HappyDoc customer success manager Liz Ewing will present “What’s Really Happening in Exam Room 3? Using AI to Find the Revenue, Efficiency, and Trust You’re Already Leaving Behind.”

Methicillin-resistant pyoderma and antimicrobial stewardship

At 10:45 AM in the Bronx Clinical Theater, Andrew Rosenberg, DVM, DACVD, director of medical operations for Animal Dermatology Group/Animal Outpatient Specialty Network, will teach on “Pyoderma: Resistant Infections & the Role of Antimicrobials.” The session will address how methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius has made topical therapy a primary treatment rather than an adjunct. It will cover culture-based diagnostics under International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases guidelines and new international antimicrobial stewardship guidelines. KeraVet sponsors the session.

Fresh, raw, and home-prepared diets

At 9:30 AM in the Brooklyn Theater, Angela Everett, DVM, scientific services veterinarian at Royal Canin, will present “Modern Pet Diets: How to Approach the Nutrition Conversation as Pet Food Options Expand.” The session will discuss the evidence on the risks and benefits of raw, homemade, and fresh diets as more owners adopt them. Royal Canin sponsors the session.

At 11:10 AM in the Central Park Clinical Theater, Brittani Jones, DVM, DACVS (Small Animal), senior scientific communications manager at The Farmer’s Dog, will deliver the session, “Pet Food Labels, Decoded: A Practical Guide to Discussing Diets with Confidence.” The session will cover who regulates pet food labels, what is enforceable versus marketing, and how to read ingredient lists, guaranteed analyses, and adequacy statements. The Farmer’s Dog sponsors the session.

Tick-borne disease and titer testing

At 8:30 AM in the Uptown Clinical Theater, Kathryn E. Reif, MSPH, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pathobiology at Auburn University, will present “Cutting Risk Short: Speed of Kill as a Tool for Canine Tick-Borne Disease Control.” The session will cover how the speed at which a preventive kills ticks affects the likelihood of pathogen transmission, and how effective tick control affects interpretation of diagnostic test results.

At 10:40 AM in the Brooklyn Theater, Noga Schiller, DVM, veterinary medical advisor at Biogal Labs, will give the talk, “Titer Testing in Practice: Understanding Immunity and Guiding Vaccination Protocols.” Biogal, which makes in-clinic titer tests, sponsors the session.

Hiring, technician credentialing, and medication errors

At 8:30 AM in Business Theater I, John Younker, DVM, MBA, founder of Vet Launch, will present “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon and Your Next Hire: How Culture Turns Employees Into Recruiters.” Drawing on his own practices, Younker will offer strategies for recruiting, developing, and retaining team members.

Valerie Garuccio, BS, CVT, VTS (ECC), learning and development manager at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, will give 2 talks in the Veterinary Technician Theater:

• 2:00 PM: “Systems Over Blame: Reducing Medication Errors in the ICU.” The session will address hospitals’ lack of structured systems for tracking and learning from errors, and will cover medication administration safety and standard operating procedures.
• 3:00 PM: “Bridging the Gap in Credentialing: Practical Training Meets Distance Learning.” The session will lay out a blended model that pairs on-the-job training with distance learning to move staff from entry-level roles to credentialed veterinary technician.

Stem cells and amniotic allografts

At 9:00 AM in Business Theater II, Rebecca Windsor, DVM, DACVIM, vice president of veterinary affairs at Gallant, will present the session, “Stem Cell Therapy Applications in Veterinary Medicine.” Gallant, which sponsors the session, is developing FDA-regulated, off-the-shelf stem cell therapies for pets.

At 1:30 PM in the Brooklyn Theater, Mark Besancon, DVM, owner of DrMark.Vet Animal Hospital and a key opinion leader for AlphaFlo, will lead “Beyond PRP and Stem Cells: Clinical Applications of Amniotic Tissue Allografts in Veterinary Medicine.” Using AlphaFlo as the clinical model, the session will compare how platelet-rich plasma, stem cells, and amniotic tissue deliver biologic signals. It will include cases involving wounds, tendon injury, ocular disease, joints, and neurologic conditions. AlphaFlo sponsors the session.

Cancer screening

At 1:30 PM in the Uptown Clinical Theater, Rosenberg will deliver the talk, “Cancer Screening Is Standard in Human Medicine. Now It’s Coming to Veterinary Medicine.”

Senior pet care and cognitive decline

At 11:00 AM in Business Theater II, Colleen Lambo, DVM, PhD, MS, a relief veterinarian with Roo, will present “Rethinking Senior Pet Care: A Comprehensive Approach Beyond Diagnostics and NSAIDs.” The session will argue that senior care often leans too heavily on diagnostics and NSAIDs, and covers multimodal care plans, quality-of-life assessment tools, and palliative strategies. Roo sponsors the session.

At 2:40 PM in the Uptown Clinical Theater, Julie Buzby, DVM, CAVCA, CVA, founder of Dr. Buzby’s Senior Dog Co., will give the talk, “Understanding Canine Cognitive Decline and the Role of Medium-Chain Triglycerides in Brain Health.” The session will review client screening questionnaires for canine cognitive dysfunction and the evidence on medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) as an alternative brain energy source. Buzby’s company sells an MCT oil supplement for dogs and sponsors the session.

At 2:55 PM in the Central Park Clinical Theater, Stijn Niessen, DVM, PhD, DECVIM, PGCertVetEd, FHEA, MRCVS, president of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, will deliver the lecture, “Must Do: Integrating Quality of Life Measurement into Chronic Disease Patient Management.” Niessen advocates routinely documenting the quality of life of pets and owners with validated measurement tools.

Hands-on euthanasia workshop

Kathleen Cooney, DVM, CHPV, CPEV, DACAW, senior director of medical education at the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA), will lead a Euthanasia Techniques Workshop from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the only hands-on lab on the program. Participants will practice sedation, communication, and several injection routes on lifelike feline models, following CAETA’s 14 Essential Components of Companion Animal Euthanasia. CAETA sponsors the lab.